You homies is mostly from Canada or elsewhere, you aren't from the South or you would understand what the man is singing about! First of all, the lyrics as written are INCORRECT. Listen to the song and you will see. It's "Burn Blue, on the street, blue scene complete, under skies of smoky blue green....... i will explain.
"Burn Blue" is referring to the burning of a Hoodoo Candle, Hoodoo is a "folk religion" taken very seriously in the past days of New Orleans and the South. One small part of Hoodoo is Candles of different colors are burned to affect different things in the natural world. Blue candles are used for healing, for peace and tranquility, and to cleanse a house of evil. He's burning blue to affect healing for New Orleans. A Dixie Dead-Shake is a type of dance performed in Hoodoo and Voodoo rituals. Dancing the sidewalk clean means they danced for a looong time, so long the sidewalk was cleaned by their feet. Again cleansing New Orleans.
New Orleans was for over 150 years a melting pot of culture, acceptance, where color didn't matter, religion didn't matter, etc. When slavery existed in the South, it WAS NOT ALLOWED in New Orleans, and there were many wealthy black businessmen, etc. It was an artsy , musical, partying melting pot of culture. It began disintegrating in the 1960's and 1970's 's when greed and money finally started splitting the city into black and white. rich and poor. New Orleans really was/is sinking due to the constant erosion of soil by the Mississippi River...... He is singing about how he is sad about what was happening in modern New Orleans and the imagery of burning blue and dead-shake and my baby don't know me when i'm thinking about those years, he is longing for the PAST New Orleans, not the current one! He's lonely, finding someone in a bar where the lightbulb hangs on the wire, searching for anyone to provide company like the days of old......he's sitting with his feet in the river thanking god......it's all a longing for the past NewOrleans....it's an anthem of remembrance. Amazing that someone NOT from the South would write this, makes it even better! Jammin tune! Peace!
@hoodoovoodoo -- Nice job upvoting your own comment. I downvoted to even it out again.
@hoodoovoodoo -- Nice job upvoting your own comment. I downvoted to even it out again.
Don't get me wrong, I like the way you attempt to explain the lyrics via cultural context. But the lyrics aren't wrong here. And your explanation hinges on them being wrong. Meaning that, even if there's a grain of relevancy to your explanation (and I truly think there is), it is ultimately a little erroneous in its ultra-focus on, "Burning blue," and, "Cleaning up modern New Orleans."
Don't get me wrong, I like the way you attempt to explain the lyrics via cultural context. But the lyrics aren't wrong here. And your explanation hinges on them being wrong. Meaning that, even if there's a grain of relevancy to your explanation (and I truly think there is), it is ultimately a little erroneous in its ultra-focus on, "Burning blue," and, "Cleaning up modern New Orleans."
In short, don't upvote your own comment next time, and listen more closely to...
In short, don't upvote your own comment next time, and listen more closely to the lyrics.
@hoodoovoodoo \r\nGord was a reader and loved history. He wrote about all sorts of trivia. I think this is interpretation is correct. I saw the Hip live many times in the 80s (I am a Canuk now living in the states)
@hoodoovoodoo \r\nGord was a reader and loved history. He wrote about all sorts of trivia. I think this is interpretation is correct. I saw the Hip live many times in the 80s (I am a Canuk now living in the states)
You homies is mostly from Canada or elsewhere, you aren't from the South or you would understand what the man is singing about! First of all, the lyrics as written are INCORRECT. Listen to the song and you will see. It's "Burn Blue, on the street, blue scene complete, under skies of smoky blue green....... i will explain.
"Burn Blue" is referring to the burning of a Hoodoo Candle, Hoodoo is a "folk religion" taken very seriously in the past days of New Orleans and the South. One small part of Hoodoo is Candles of different colors are burned to affect different things in the natural world. Blue candles are used for healing, for peace and tranquility, and to cleanse a house of evil. He's burning blue to affect healing for New Orleans. A Dixie Dead-Shake is a type of dance performed in Hoodoo and Voodoo rituals. Dancing the sidewalk clean means they danced for a looong time, so long the sidewalk was cleaned by their feet. Again cleansing New Orleans. New Orleans was for over 150 years a melting pot of culture, acceptance, where color didn't matter, religion didn't matter, etc. When slavery existed in the South, it WAS NOT ALLOWED in New Orleans, and there were many wealthy black businessmen, etc. It was an artsy , musical, partying melting pot of culture. It began disintegrating in the 1960's and 1970's 's when greed and money finally started splitting the city into black and white. rich and poor. New Orleans really was/is sinking due to the constant erosion of soil by the Mississippi River...... He is singing about how he is sad about what was happening in modern New Orleans and the imagery of burning blue and dead-shake and my baby don't know me when i'm thinking about those years, he is longing for the PAST New Orleans, not the current one! He's lonely, finding someone in a bar where the lightbulb hangs on the wire, searching for anyone to provide company like the days of old......he's sitting with his feet in the river thanking god......it's all a longing for the past NewOrleans....it's an anthem of remembrance. Amazing that someone NOT from the South would write this, makes it even better! Jammin tune! Peace!
@hoodoovoodoo -- Nice job upvoting your own comment. I downvoted to even it out again.
@hoodoovoodoo -- Nice job upvoting your own comment. I downvoted to even it out again.
Don't get me wrong, I like the way you attempt to explain the lyrics via cultural context. But the lyrics aren't wrong here. And your explanation hinges on them being wrong. Meaning that, even if there's a grain of relevancy to your explanation (and I truly think there is), it is ultimately a little erroneous in its ultra-focus on, "Burning blue," and, "Cleaning up modern New Orleans."
Don't get me wrong, I like the way you attempt to explain the lyrics via cultural context. But the lyrics aren't wrong here. And your explanation hinges on them being wrong. Meaning that, even if there's a grain of relevancy to your explanation (and I truly think there is), it is ultimately a little erroneous in its ultra-focus on, "Burning blue," and, "Cleaning up modern New Orleans."
In short, don't upvote your own comment next time, and listen more closely to...
In short, don't upvote your own comment next time, and listen more closely to the lyrics.
@hoodoovoodoo \r\nGord was a reader and loved history. He wrote about all sorts of trivia. I think this is interpretation is correct. I saw the Hip live many times in the 80s (I am a Canuk now living in the states)
@hoodoovoodoo \r\nGord was a reader and loved history. He wrote about all sorts of trivia. I think this is interpretation is correct. I saw the Hip live many times in the 80s (I am a Canuk now living in the states)