New Orleans one year later

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The folk tradition in music is one I respect. The way a lot of songs have been kept alive and vibrant is through a continuous process of interpretation and reworking.
I chose the old gin house lament Delia's Gone because it's from New Orleans and because the loss I feel after a year is like remembering the first time that someone you love is gone.

New Orleans was killed by people, not a storm. Sure, they tell you they're rebuilding, but what they will end up with is the Epcot center version of "New Orleans Land." Buy your ticket books at the gate folks. Or, tune up your guitars, mandolins, banjos (I recommend sawmill tuning DGCDG), maybe a squeezebox or pennywhistle and sing with me. Miss my old lover, New Orleans with me.


FEMA drowned our NOLA
It was on a Sunday night
Only thing that folks could do
Was hang they heads and die

NOLA's gone
One more round
NOLA's gone

Levee's broke and water rushed
It got to ten foot high
Some folks ran and some folks swam
Some laid face down and died

NOLA's gone
One more round
NOLA's gone

Brownie came to see it
It made him weep and sob
Bush came to see Brownie
Said “Boy, heckuva a job”

But NOLA's gone
One more round
NOLA's gone

Chertoff said he did his best
Nagin said the same
Landreau said “What can you do?”
They ducked and shifted blame

NOLA's gone
One more round
NOLA's gone

Now a year has come and gone
The rubble rots and molds
Poor old NOLA sitting there
Cheap beads been bought and sold

NOLA's gone
One more round
NOLA's gone

NOLA, sweet New Orleans
Where you been so long?
I asked my friend where NOLA is
He said “She dead and gone”

NOLA's gone
One more round
NOLA's gone


UPDATE:

The Rude Pundit, as usual says it better than the rest of us.