If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break
When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan
Lord mean old levee taught me to weep and moan
It's got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home
Oh well, oh well, oh well

Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home
You don't know which way to go?
If you're goin' down South
They got no work to do
If you don't move to Chicago

Cryin' won't help you prayin' won't do you no good
Now cryin' won't help you prayin' won't do you no good
When the levee breaks mama you got to move
All last night sat on the levee and moaned
All last night sat on the levee and moaned
Thinkin' 'bout me baby and my happy home
Going to Chicago
Going to Chicago

Sorry but I can't take you
Going down, going down now, going down
Going down now, going down
Going down, going down, going down

Going down now, going down
Going down now, going down
Going down now, going down
Going d-d-d-d-down
Woo, woo


Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by Mellow_Harsher, Octavarium64

When the Levee Breaks Lyrics as written by John Paul Jones John Bonham

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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  • -1
    General Comment

    come on guys, this song is about LOTR DONT YOU KNOW ANYTHING, ITS ABOUT WHEN THE TREE ENTS BREAK THE DAM, im just joking, And making fun of all the LOTR fans who think every zeppelin song is about lotr, if anything sounds familiar or similar to lotr in any of their songs, its cause JRRT ripped off every peice of mythology and lore ever created and mashed them togather into a big heap, come on now, every type of creature and every charactor in those stories are NOT original. The stories are creative tho, but sorry led zep isnt about LOTR, but its a good ideas to get kids to listen to it

    kukerdanon October 27, 2004   Link

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