Louisiana 1927
Martin Simpson Lyrics
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Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline
The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through cleared down to Plaque mines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a notepad in his hand
The President say, Little fat man isn't it a shame
What the river has done
To this poor crackers land
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
The lyrics of Martin Simpson's song "Louisiana 1927" recount the catastrophic flooding that occurred in the southern state of Louisiana during that year. The song describes the events that led to six feet of water flooding the streets of Evangeline; the northern winds brought in clouds that caused heavy rainfall that lasted for a long time. The river began to rise and continued to do so for both day and night, leading to complete devastation in the region. Some individuals were able to escape, while others were lost in the flood.
Simpson's powerful lyrics illustrate the lack of support and assistance that the people of Louisiana received from the federal government at that time. The entrance of President Coolidge into the song adds to the political themes, as the song describes his arrival in a train with a little fat man holding a notepad. The song portrays Coolidge as lacking empathy and only offering pity towards the affected population. The repeated refrain of "Louisiana, Louisiana, they're trying to wash us away" further emphasizes the tragic events and the idea of neglect and abandonment.
Line by Line Meaning
What has happened down here is the wind have changed
The weather has taken a turn for the worse
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Storm clouds are moving in from the north and precipitation has started
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
The rain was intense and lasted a significant amount of time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline
The flooding was so extreme that the water level was six feet deep in the streets
The river rose all day
The river continued to rise throughout the day
The river rose all night
The river continued to rise throughout the night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some individuals were unable to escape the flooding and lost their lives
Some people got away alright
Some individuals were able to escape unharmed
The river have busted through cleared down to Plaque mines
The floodwaters breached the river's banks and reached Plaque mines
Louisiana, Louisiana
Addressing the state of Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
The floodwaters are attempting to wash away the residents of Louisiana
Louisiana, Louisiana
Addressing the state of Louisiana, again
They're tryin' to wash us away
The floodwaters are still attempting to wash away the residents of Louisiana
President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
President Coolidge arrived by train to assess the damage
With a little fat man with a notepad in his hand
Accompanied by a portly man with a notebook
The President say, Little fat man isn't it a shame
The President remarks how unfortunate the situation is
What the river has done
The damage caused by the river's flooding
To this poor crackers land
Referring to the impoverished state of the affected area
They're tyrin' to wash us away
Addressing once more the continued efforts of the floodwaters to wash away the residents of Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
Reiterating the continued efforts of the floodwaters to wash away the residents of Louisiana
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tenn4
Gorgeous song from one of the true acoustic guitar greats! "Grinning in Your Face" is one of my favorite singer/songwriter albums ever. I've done a bunch of Randy Newman songs, not aspiring to the guitar of Martin Simpson, but to capture Randy's piano accompaniment on the guitar. Here's this one, if you're interested, and I've got a bunch more posted on YouTube in case you're a Randy Newman fan and a guitar player. Will add the video as video response, thanks for your patience.
efdesousa
Saw him in Berkeley 2 weeks ago or so at the Freight. He's been my guitar hero #1. Expecations were high, but he just blew me away... better than I could have imagined. His taste and tone is impecable as always... so interesting and lyrical... no cliches in his playing. Purely Simpson... a man who knows who he is and what he wants to express. A singular icon.
yolo swag
Holy smokes he's good! Just what i needed :)
yolo swag
@Stargazer Thanks! I will do that :)
Stargazer
Ive seen Martin live, if you ever get the chance you should go see him. Brilliant musician
peter mcclelland
Wonderful guitarist... and a truly wonderful man.
Thank you, Martin.
Paul Hogan
Amazing Guitarist, heard my guitar tutor mention Martin, so, looked him up and low and behold, a little gift from the god of music.
m hubin
Thanks so much for posting all of these! He is so pure
Chuck Vaughn
Great song and very nice interpretation
Theodor Alfons
Man! That is magnificent...