Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans

Subject: Lyr Add: BOURBON STREET BLUES (from Louis Prima)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 11:19 AM

BOURBON STREET BLUES
As sung by Louis Prima

Now listen, all you hep ones,
You squares and out-o'-step ones.
I've got a story to tell.
It's all about a street
In New Orleans, and it's a treat
To go there.
You got to go there—

To get the Bourbon Street blues,
And you will never lose
This feeling that you'll find
'Cause it's a fun street.
You'll get the Bourbon Street blues,
No matter what you choose,
This freedom you won't mind,
'Cause it's a fun street.

The music is the craziest.
The people are the gaziest.
The traffic is the jammiest.
The doormen are the hammiest.
The cops are the iciest;
The red beans, the riciest,
And, boy, the girls are the spiciest.
You'll get the Bourbon Street blues.
You're sure to have a ball,
And you're a cinch to fall
For this wildest,
Beguiledest,
Bourbon Street.

The food is the homiest.
The beer is the foamiest.
The gumbo, the tastiest.
The pizza, the pastiest.
The Mardi Gras, the mightiest.
The night clubs, the nightiest.
And boy, the girls are the sightiest.
You'll get the Bourbon Street blues.
You're sure to have a ball,
And you're a cinch to fall
For this wildest,
Beguiledest,
Bourbon Street.

Subject: Lyr Add: BOURBON STREET PARADE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 11:31 AM

BOURBON STREET PARADE
As sung by Louis Armstrong & The Dukes of Dixieland

Let's fly down
Or drive down
To New Orleans—
That city,
Its pretty
Historic scenes.
I'll take you;
Parade you
Down Bourbon Street.
There are lots of hot spots.
You'll see all the big shots
Down on Bourbon Street.

Subject: Lyr Add: FOOT OF CANAL STREET (Boutté/Sanchez)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 12:32 PM

I copied these lyrics from Paul Sanchez's web site:

FOOT OF CANAL STREET
Words and music by John Boutté and Paul Sanchez

1. Don't waste your time being angry when a moment's better with a smile.
If you feel you're time's been wasted, waste it here a while,
Standing at that bus stop just across from Krauss,^[1]
Waiting for the driver to take me to my heavenly house.

CHORUS: I'll see you there. (at the foot of Canal Street)
What will you wear? (at the foot of Canal Street)
Will the band be playing? (at the foot of Canal Street)
What will the people be saying? (at the foot of Canal Street)
Does your father lie there? Does your mother pray there?
I'm going to put on my golden crown at the foot of Canal Street.

2. When the levee banks have overflowed and the streetcar has seen its day
When all is gone—the plantations, the Tremé and the Vieux Carré—
I'll be swinging to that music way up on higher ground
Where Pops is blowing "Walk On"^[2] with Gabriel making sacred sounds. CHORUS

- - -
1. Iconic department store that closed in 1997.
2. There are several songs with the same title, and several musicians called "Pops." I haven't figured out which ones are referred to here. Maybe one of the songwriters was referring to his own father?

Subject: Lyr Add: FRENCHMEN STREET BLUES (Jon Cleary)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 05:11 PM

FRENCHMEN STREET BLUES
As sung by Jon Cleary on "Treme: Music from the HBO Original Series, Season 2" (2012)

Sprinkle my ashes on Frenchmen Street.
Don't be upset at the news.
Just cut me a-loose with a soulful song.
Don't play no Frenchmen Street blues.

Hitch me a ride on a river breeze
To Elysian Fields so green,
And I'll join the spirits standin' by to smile
On the back streets of old New Orleans.

I did my time in the masquerade,
And I ran the rough with the smooth,
Now I'm gonna paint me a canvas of peace of mind,
And let go of my Frenchmen Street blues.

See you one night, one night in your sultry dreams.
You can drink me a toast as you snooze.
Closed out my tab in the happy hour,
Let go my Frenchmen Street blues.

No, don't play,
Don't play, don't play,
No, don't play, don't play,
Don't play no Frenchmen Street blues.

Subject: Lyr Add: MEET ME ON FRENCHMEN STREET (S Allen)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 08:49 PM

MEET ME ON FRENCHMEN STREET
Written by Shamarr Allen
As recorded by Shamarr Allen and Paul Sanchez on "Bridging the Gap" (2010)^[1]

1. If you ever get down to New Orleans,
And you want to enjoy the music scene.
Ev'rybody's drinkin', havin' a good old time.
Let someone teach you how to second-line.

CHORUS: They got jazz bands and trad bands,
Funk^[2] bands and brass bands,
Whatever your heart desires.
If you can take the southern heat,
Then you can party with me,
And meet me on Frenchmen Street.

2. Smell the barbecue smoke outside the club.
Have a drink and a drink; you're gonna need some grub.
Ev'rybody's socializin', havin' a real good time.
Let someone teach you how to second-line. CHORUS.

[Repeat verse 1 and chorus.]
[Repeat last 3 lines of chorus.]

- - -
1. I chose this recording to transcribe because of the clarity of enunciation; however there are other musical performances I like better: Shamarr Allen & Kermit Ruffins on "Meet Me on Frenchmen Street" (2007); or Norbert Susemihi et al on "Night on Frenchmen Street" (2012).
2. I think sometimes he sings "punk bands."

Subject: Lyr Add: YOU'VE GOT TO BE CRAZY TO LIVE IN THIS...
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Feb 14 - 11:55 PM

YOU'VE GOT TO BE CRAZY TO LIVE IN THIS TOWN
As sung by Alex McMurray on "Frenchmen Street: Sounds of New Orleans" (2011)

1. A stopped clock's right twice a day, but here it isn't so.
Your clock's somewhere on the neutral ground between here and Thibodeaux.
Gravity's got no business here; ran cryin' like a kid.
He's cryin' up there in the attic where we done hid.

CHORUS: Because you got to be crazy; yeah, you got to be crazy.
You got to be crazy to hang around.
Yeah, you got to be crazy; you got to be crazy.
You got to be crazy to live in this town.

2. Just like you I prayed for rain, and then it rained all day.
It rained and rained for two weeks and two nights; make it go away.
I went to ask the man; he don't know; his brother don't know either.
In the church of the ignorants, I'm a stone believer. CHORUS.

3. I'm goin' to lay it out like the Hindus say.
I'm sayin' there's a god and she want to play.
Yeah, she's up there laughin', and I know it's true,
And down here everybody's sayin', "How'd you do? How'd you do? How'd you do? How'd you do? How'd you do?"

CHORUS: Yeah, you got to be crazy; you got to be crazy.
You got to be crazy to live in this town.

4. They say this town's been bent many times, but it never broke.
They say this place been asleep for so long, but it never woke.
Now, I used to pray to the Lord: "God help us; deliver us from ease."
Now I pray to the Lord: "Where are you? Won't you help us, won't you please?" CHORUS

You got to be stoned out your mind.

Subject: Lyr Add: STEW CALLED NEW ORLEANS (Boutté/Sanchez)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 03:00 PM

Lyrics copied from Paul Sanchez's web site. They are pretty close to what he sings on "Red Beans and Ricely Yours..." (2010).


STEW CALLED NEW ORLEANS
Written by John Boutté & Paul Sanchez

Come check out the scene; see what I mean
'Bout this stew called New Orleans.
It's a gumbo pot for sure.
It is and it ain't and it's so much more.
Now don't take a pass; this could be a gas,
This stew called New Orleans.
From the very young to the very old,
It's a town where the good times roll.

This stew called New Orleans—
Don't forget to bring your greens
To this stew called New Orleans.

Now I'm not the first; I won't be the last
To say, or to have it said:
I'm New-Orleans born, New-Orleans bred,
And when I die I'll be New-Orleans dead.
And if I do, and you should hear the news,
Don't waste any time.
Find the Eureka Brass Band, Mr. Ferbos^[1] on horn,
And get me to a second-line.

In this stew called New Orleans,
Don't forget to bring your greens
To this stew called New Orleans.

Come check out the scene; see what I mean
'Bout this stew called New Orleans.
There's a place where we can meet,
Like the song says, on Frenchmen Street,
And if the groove behooves you to move,
Don't waste any time.
Find the Hot Eight Brass Band, Shamarr^[2] on horn,
And get to a second-line.
Maybe Leroy Jones, Shorty^[3] and his trombone
Will take you to a second-line.
See if Matt Perrine or Mister Craigory Klein
Will take you to a second-line.
Even if there's heat, Glen David^[4] is fine.
He'll take you to a second line.

This stew called New Orleans—
Don't forget to bring your greens
To this stew called New Orleans.
I'm talkin' 'bout a stew called New Orleans.
Say, I'm talkin' 'bout a stew called New Orleans.

- - -
To the best of my knowledge:
1. Lionel Ferbos
2. Shamarr Allen
3. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews.
4. Probably Glen David Andrews.

Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN TO NEW ORL
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 05:29 PM

[Apologies if this shows up twice --- didn't seem to go anywhere first time I tried]

WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN TO NEW ORLEANS
words and music by Roy Zimmerman © 2005 (Watunes)
[found at http://www.royzimmerman.com/lyrics/faulty_saints.html]

Oh, when the saints go marching in to New Orleans,
Well, they'll be marching with trombones and tambourines
In a wake for the queen of the Delta Queens.

And we can say, "Hey the Big Easy, she took it hard.
We sent the Army; we sent the Navy and some of the National Guard
In time to find our pride floating face down in her front yard."

Yeah, when the levee breaks, it depends how well one prepares.
Will they be on high ground or in the attic standing on chairs
When the waters of rage rise up the White House stairs?

Oh, when the saints go marching in to New Orleans,
When they lay their eyes on those apocalyptic scenes,
They're going to find out what it means to have no means.

So let the cornet blast...and bang the drum.
Let the clarinet wail...let's hear the banjo strum.
To celebrate her great life and her great life to come.

Subject: Lyr Add: LITTLE SALLY WALKER DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS
From: Janie
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 09:01 PM

Tune traditional (Little Sally Walker) First and last verse traditional. All other lyrics copyright Mary Jane Endres, 2005

LITTLE SALLY WALKER DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS

Little Sally Walker, sittin' in a saucer
Weepin' and a moanin' like a turtle dove
Gotta rise, Sally, rise wipe your weepin' eyes
Turn to the east, turn to the west
Turn to the one that you love best
I ain't never, no never been satisfied. Satisfied.

Way down south in southern Louisiana
Mississippi gulf coast and Alabam'
Better run, Sisters, run 'til the storm is done.
Hurricane Katrina roared from the Gulf
Big Muddy rose up. It was a terrible loss
I ain't never, no never seen such a sight. Such a sight.

Over in Biloxi the saints and the sinners
Clingin' to each other hand in hand.
Better pray, Brothers, pray, 'til the break of day.
Gamblin' boats and churches, fishermen and merchants
The storm it spared not a single man.
I ain't never, no never had such a fright. Such a fright.

Little Sally Walker sittin' in saucer
Water to the attics down in New Orleans
Better row, Sally row, or you won't ever know.
Row to the east, row to the west
Searchin' for the ones that you love best
I ain't never, no never been satisfied. Satisfied.

Mother, Father, Sister dear Brother
Sweet Jesus won't you take me by the hand.
Get me out. Get me out, or I'll die no doubt.
Take me to the east, take me to west
Just take me to a place where I can rest.
I ain't never, no never seen life this hard. Life this hard.

Little Sally Walker sittin' in a saucer
Tryin' to get the old man to come back home
Better ride, Sally ride with your head up high.
Shake it to the east, shake it to the west
Shake it to the one that you love best.
I ain't never, no never been satisfied. Satisfied.

Subject: Lyr Add: BOB DYLAN'S NEW ORLEANS RAG (Bob Dylan)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 May 18 - 09:10 AM

My transcription from this recording at YouTube. According to my ear, the "official" transcription on the Bob Dylan website contains mondegreens: "across the river" for "across Rampart" and "frightening look" for "fist-fightin' look"--as well as some less important substitutions. According to Wikipedia, Dylan recorded this 4 times in 1963 but it was never included in an album. I don't know how it ended up on YouTube.


BOB DYLAN'S NEW ORLEANS RAG
Words and Music by Bob Dylan

I was sittin' on a stump down in New Orleans.
I was feelin' kind o' low-down, dirty, an' mean.

Along come a fella an' he didn't even ask.
He says: "I know of a woman who can fix you up fast."

I didn't think twice; I said like I should:
"Let's go find this lady who can do me some good."

We walked across Rampart on a sailin' spree
An' we come to a door called One-Oh-Three.

[harmonica interlude]

I's just about ready to give 'em a little knock
When out comes a fella who couldn't even walk.

He's linkin' an' a-slinkin', couldn't stand on his feet,
An' he moaned an' he groaned an' he shuffled down the street.

Well, out o' the door there come another man.
He wiggled an' he wobbled; he couldn't hardly stand.

He had his fist-fightin' look in his eye
Like he just fought a bear an' he was ready to die.

Well, I peeked through the key crack; comin' down the hall
Was a long-legged man who couldn't hardly crawl.

He muttered an' he uttered in broken French
An' he looked like he'd been through a monkey wrench.

[harmonica interlude]

Well, by this time I was a-scared to knock.
I was a-scared to move; I's in a state o' shock.

I hummed a little tune an' I shuffled my feet
An' I started walkin' backwards down Rampart Street.

Well, I got to the corner; I tried my best to smile.
I turned around the corner an' I run a bloody mile.

Man, I wasn't runnin' 'cause I was sick.
I just a-runnin' to get out o' there quick.

[harmonica interlude]

Well, I tripped it along; I'm wheezin' in my chest.
I must 'a' run a mile in a minute or less.

I walked on a log an' I tripped on a stump.
I caught a fast freight with a one-armed jump.

So, if you're travelin' down Louisiana way,
An' you feel kind o' lonesome an' you need a place to stay,

Man, you're better off in your misery
Than to tackle that lady at One-Oh-Three.

Copyright © 1970 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1998 by Special Rider Music

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 23 May 18 - 04:43 PM

Farewell to Storyville

Subject: Lyr Add: LOUISIANA LOVE CALL (Marty Grebb)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 May 18 - 06:21 PM

LOUISIANA LOVE CALL
Words and music by Marty Grebb
As recorded by Maria Muldaur (with Aaron Neville) on "Louisiana Love Call" (1992)

I miss the breeze in the magnolia trees.
Oh, I need to go
Down to the delta and let that sweet music
Wash over my soul.
You can't be lonesome once you get to know some
Of old New Orleans.
I'm gonna stay out till dawn and ride on the river
Just like a riverboat queen.

CHORUS: Louisiana love call, callin' to me—
The birds on the bayou sang a sweet melody.
Louisiana love call—sing it to me;
Sing me the sweet lullaby of the Mississippi.

I'm gonna sit out all day at a sidewalk cafe
With the sun shinin' bright,
And I know a place where the street players play
From mornin' till night.
In ev'ry parish the people all cherish
Their easygoin' days.
I'm gonna spend a little time with an old love of mine
Down Abbeville way.

CHORUS TWICE

Subject: Lyr Add: MARDI GRAS IN KANSAS (Truckstop Honeymoon
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 May 18 - 07:56 PM

Thanks to Gerry for suggesting this back on 11-Feb-2014. I just now got around to looking it up and I love it! I live at the opposite end of the Mississippi from New Orleans, and Mardi Gras here is just about like Kansas. My transcription from Spotify:


MARDI GRAS IN KANSAS
As recorded by Truckstop Honeymoon on "Great Big Family" (2008)

It's Mardi Gras in Kansas; there ain't no parade.
Still I put on a boa and some plastic beads and this little tutu I made.
As I walked up and down this Midwest town, all I could see were cars
With workin' stiffs goin' to work as if they didn't know it was Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras in Kansas ain't like it is in New Orleans.
There's no marchin' band, no daiquiri stand, no hookers and no drag queens,
No tourists fallin' in the gutter as they put their margaritas away.
Mardi Gras in Kansas is just another Tuesday.

I should 'a' known somethin' was up when I saw there was snow on the ground.
The neighbors were diggin' out their driveway and nobody else was around.
I thought I made a mistake; maybe I got the wrong date; maybe this was all a dream.
This is Mardi Gras for sure, but it's Kansas, not New Orleans.

Mardi Gras in Kansas, it just ain't the same.
There's no Mardi Gras throws, no cups to go, nobody playin' Liza Jane.
Still I put on a rumba, danced a little number, but I felt like kind of a freak,
'Cause Mardi in Kansas is just another day of the week.

So next year I got a good plan, babe; I tell you what we're gonna do:
Gonna start the very first ever Kansas Mardi Gras Krewe.
Gonna shut down this whole town; we're gonna close off every street,
And them Kansas high-school marchin' bands are gonna learn a different beat.

Mardi Gras in Kansas ain't like it is in New Orleans.
There's no marchin' band, no daiquiri stand, no hookers and no drag queens;
But it's gonna change; it's gonna get strange; it'll be Kansas like you've never seen
When we got Mardi Gras in Kansas just like they got in New Orleans.
Yeah, we'll have Mardi Gras in Kansas just like they got in New Orleans.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 24 May 18 - 12:52 AM

New Orleans Rag was on the earliest Dylan bootlegs that became available in 1969, Stealin' and Great White Wonder. I think it was released on one of the "official" bootleg albums later.

I don't suppose you're interested in the Phil Ochs song, I Ain't Marching Any More. It's not about New Orleans, but the first stanza goes,

Oh, I marched to the battle of New Orleans
At the end of the early British war
The young land started growing
The young blood started flowing
But I ain't marching anymore

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST
Date: 24 May 18 - 02:39 AM

Blair douglas did a song

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST
Date: 24 May 18 - 02:40 AM

https://www.musical1.com/blair-douglas/uploaded_audio/578/rester-fort-la-nouvelle-orleans-stay-strong-new

Subject: Lyr Add: JOHN DOE NO. 24 (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 24 May 18 - 03:00 AM

One of my favourite songs by one of my favourite singers and writers.
Full of emotion, heartbreak and hope.

n Music

?

JOHN DOE NO. 24
Words and music by Mary Chapin Carpenter
As recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter on "Stones in the Road" (1994)


I was standing on the sidewalk in 1945
In Jacksonville, Illinois
When asked what my name was there came no reply
They said I was a deaf and sightless half-wit boy
But Louis was my name, though I could not say it
I was born and raised in New Orleans
My spirit was wild, so I let the river take it
On a barge and a prayer upstream

Well they searched for a mother and they searched for a father
And they searched till they searched no more
The doctors put to rest their scientific tests
And they named me "John Doe Number 24"
And they all shook their heads in pity
For a world so silent and dark
Well there's no doubt that life's a mystery
But so too is the human heart

And it was my heart's own perfume when the crepe jasmine bloomed
On Saint Charles Avenue
Though I couldn't hear the bells of the streetcars coming
By toeing the track I knew
And if I were an old man returning
With my satchel and porkpie hat
I'd hit every jazz joint on Bourbon
And I'd hit everyone on Basin after that

The years kept passing as they passed me around
From one state ward to another
Like I was an orphan shoe from the lost and found
Always missing the other
And they gave me a harp last Christmas
And all the nurses took a dance
But lately I've been growing listless
I've been dreaming again of the past

I'm wandering down to the banks of the great Big Muddy
Where the shotgun houses stand
I am seven years old and I feel my dad
Reach out for my hand
While I drew breath no one missed me
So they won't on the day that I cease
Put a sprig of crepe jasmine with me
To remind me of New Orleans

I was standing on the sidewalk in 1945
In Jacksonville, Illinois

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST,akenaton.
Date: 24 May 18 - 03:16 AM

Sorry , I see there are a few small mistakes in that cut and paste.
I believe "Rue Morgue Avenue" should be "St Charles Avenue"?
"dad" further down should be "father"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: Jeri
Date: 24 May 18 - 09:17 AM

It was Mary Chapin Carpenter

It is St Charles Avenue - will fix it. (But "dad" is right.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST
Date: 25 May 18 - 06:43 AM

Here's a different set of lyrics for Dylan's New Orleans Rag. It's at a Dylan chords site. I've made a few small changes to bring it into line with the bootleg recording I have.

I was sittin' on a stump down in New Orleans,
I was feelin' kinda low down, dirty and mean.
Along came a fella and he didn't even ask.
He says, "I know of a woman who can fix you up fast."

Well, I didn't think twice, I just said like I should,
"Let's go find this lady who can do me some good."
We walked across Rampart on a sailin' spree
And we came to a door called one-oh-three.

I was just about ready to give my little knock
When out come a fella who couldn't even walk.
He's linkin' and a-slinkin', couldn't stand on his feet,
And he moaned and he groaned and he shuffled down the street.

Well, out of the door there come another man.
He couldn't even talk and he couldn't even stand.
He moaned and he groaned and he shuffled his feet
And he slid slidin' backwards down Rampart Street.

Well, I peeked through the key hole, and comin' down the hall
Was a long-legged man who could hardly crawl.
He had a terrible mean look in his eye,
like he just fought a bear and he was ready to die.

Well, somebody else with his hair all messed
Fell out of the window, and he failed the test
well, he slid and he slunk in broken French,
And he looked like he'd been through a monkey wrench.

Well, by this time I was a-scared to knock,
I was a-scared to move, I's in a state of shock.
I hummed a little tune and I shuffled my feet
And I started walkin' backwards down that Rampart street.

Well, I got to the corner, I tried my best to smile.
I turned around the corner and I ran a bloody mile.
Man, I wasn't runnin' for to meet my wife
I's a just a-runnin' for to save my life.

Well, I's coughing in my ears and wheezin' in my chest
I musta run a mile in a minute or less.
I tripped on a log and I flumped on a stump,
I caught a fast freight train with a one-arm jump.

So, if you're travelin' down the Louisiana way,
And you're feelin' kinda lonesome and you need a place to stay,
Man, you're better off in your misery
Than to tackle that lady at one-oh-three.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 25 May 18 - 06:44 AM

Forgot to put my name on that last post! Sorry!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 25 May 18 - 07:40 AM

Thanks Jeri, I supposed "father", as "dad" doesn't scan.
On listening again to the beautiful song, I discovered that Mary sings "daddy". A small point, but the song is so perfect in composition and delivery, I think that it should be fixed....Ake.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: Jeri
Date: 25 May 18 - 09:53 AM

No, Ake, you got it right the first time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST
Date: 25 May 18 - 11:25 AM

"John Doe no 24" written an performed by the brilliant MCC.

"Dad" or "Daddy"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs about New Orleans
From: GUEST,Ake
Date: 25 May 18 - 11:28 AM

Sorry Jeri, forgot to sign in.....you may be right, I wonder what the members think? The word is slightly unclear, but "Dad" still doesn't scan properly......maybe Big Al or another writer could comment?

Subject: Lyr Add: JOHN DOE #24 (Dick Connette/Last Forever)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 May 18 - 08:13 AM

Apparently another songwriter read the same story about John Doe #24 and independently wrote a song about him. Unlike Mary Chapin Carpenter, this one doesn't attempt to write from his point of view, and doesn't connect him to New Orleans. You can hear this song on Spotify. I found the liner notes online.

On December 5, 1993, the New York Times ran a story about the death of a man who was noteworthy primarily for his obscurity. I couldn't get it out of my head.... [Several lines and phrases in the song are taken directly from the article.]


JOHN DOE #24
Words by Dick Connette; music, traditional ("John Hardy" as recorded by Lead Belly)
As recorded by Last Forever on "Trainfare Home" (2015)

John Doe Twenty-Four took his secret to the grave.
His funeral was the best the state could give.
A woman asked if anyone had anything to say
Before they covered up the coffin; no one did.
No one did.

It was 1945 when he wandered into town.
He was livin' on the street; he was alone.
He was only in his teens and his fam'ly wasn't found,
So they picked him and put him in a home;
Picked him up and put him in a home.

He never spoke a word; he was deaf; he was blind.
No one knew his name, and what's more,
There were twenty-three just like him in the system at the time,
So they had to call him John Doe Twenty-Four,
Called him John Doe number Twenty-Four.

He must have had a life; you could see it on his face,
But what lived behind the silence no one knew.
For all the time and money they spent workin' on his case,
They were never really able to get through,
Never really able to get through.

Most of all he loved that harmonica he played,
And occasionally he'd grin from ear to ear.
He danced for Christmas parties and he pantomimed parades.
He suffered from a stroke and died last year,
Suffered from a stroke and died last year.

John Doe Twenty-Four took his secret to the grave.
His funeral was the best the state could give.
A woman asked if anyone had anything to say
Before they covered up the coffin; no one did.
No one did.

They say that when you shiver someone's walkin' on your grave.
Well, I don't know, but one thing's for sure:
The earth inherits all of us as living mem'ry fades
Into the silence over John Doe Twenty-Four.