New Orleans Is Sinking

The Tragically Hip

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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  • +2
    General Comment

    Just re-iterating what wonderdog said at the start of his excellent post - you really can't put any faith in how Gord introduces the song. The live version kicking around online that segues into Nautical Disaster (well worth checking out, by the way) begins with the line "This is a song about our very favourite nuclear submarine..."

    And then there's my all-time favourite Downie song "explanation", from the version of The Luxury on Live Between Us - "This is about a man down on his luck, so he takes to the streets shaking a banana at people and tries to convince them it's making a sound..."

    Blue_Manon February 23, 2005   Link

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