Hurricane - Levon Helm

Thirty miles out in the Gulf Stream

I can hear them south winds moan

The bridges are looking lower

The shrimp boats are hurrying home

The old man down in the Quarter

Slowly turned his head

Took another sip from his whiskey bottle

And looked at me and he said

Said, I was born in the rain by the Pontchartrain

Underneath the Louisiana moon

I don’t mind the strain of a hurricane

They come around every June

High black water, a devil’s daughter

She’s hard and she’s cold and she’s mean

But nobody’s taught her that it takes a lot of water

To wash away New Orleans

A man come down from Chicago

Gonna set that levee right

It’s got to be up about three feet higher

Won’t make it through the end of the night

The old man down in the Quarter

Said, «Don't you listen to that boy!»

The water will be down by morning, son

And he’ll be back on his way to Illinois

'Cause I was born in the rain by the Pontchartrain

Underneath the Louisiana moon

I don’t mind the strain of a hurricane

They come around every June

High black water, a devil’s daughter

She’s hard and she’s cold and she’s mean

But we finally taught her that it takes a lot of water

To wash away New Orleans

Thirty miles out in the Gulf Stream

I can hear them south winds moan

The bridges are looking lower

The shrimp boats are hurrying home

The old man down in the Quarter

Slowly turned his head

Took another sip from his whiskey bottle

And looked at me and he said

He said, I was born in the rain by the Pontchartrain

Underneath the Louisiana moon

I don’t mind the strain of a hurricane

They come around every June

High black water, a devil’s daughter

She’s hard and she’s cold and she’s mean

But nobody’s taught her that it takes a lot of water

To wash away New Orleans

You know I was born in the rain by the Pontchartrain

Underneath the Louisiana moon

I don’t mind the strain of a hurricane

They come around every June

All this high black water, a devil’s daughter

Hard and it’s cold and it’s mean

And we finally taught her that it takes a lot of water

To wash away New Orleans