All right

Bourbon blues on the street, loose and complete
Under skies all smoky blue green
I can't forsake a dixie dead shake
So we danced the sidewalk clean

My memory is muddy, what's this river that I'm in?
New Orleans is sinking, man, and I don't want to swim

Colonel Tom, what's wrong? What's going on?
You can't tie yourself up for a deal
He said, "Hey, north, you're south, shut your big mouth
You gotta do what you feel is real"

Ain't got no picture postcards, ain't got no souvenirs
My baby she don't know me when I'm thinking bout those years

Pale as a light bulb hanging on a wire
Sucking up to someone just to stoke the fire
Picking out the highlights of the scenery
Saw a little cloud that looked a little like me

I had my hands in the river, my feet back up on the banks
Looked up to the lord above and said "Hey, man, thanks"

"Sometimes I feel so good I got to scream"
She said "Gordie, baby, I know exactly what you mean"
She said, she said, I swear to god she said

Oh no
No, yeah

My memory is muddy, what's this river that I'm in?
New Orleans is sinking, man, and I don't want to swim

Swim


Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death, edited by hoodoovoodoo

New Orleans Is Sinking Lyrics as written by Gordon Sinclair Gordon Downie

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing

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New Orleans Is Sinking song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment

    First off, I cant believe no one has commented on the best rock and roll song of all time. I mean, all nationality biases aside (I'm a canuck), the first time you hear this song, it will knock you on your ass.

    As for the meaning, Its gotta be about a maturing person, wondering what happened to all the fun they used to have. New Orleans is (other than Winnipeg) the party capital of the world, and if its sinkin, where's the fun gonna go?

    r_uon September 27, 2002   Link

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