Way back in 1972, Randy Newman, now famous for his Toy Story music, the ’70s song, “Short People” and the ’80s song, “I Love LA” wrote a song on his Rednecks album called “Louisiana 1927.” 

Now if you can get past the opening song Rednecks, where he basically takes Southern rednecks, and NORTHERN bigots and hypocrites to task for their racial prejudices, you’ll get to a great song about Birmingham, Alabama, a touching song about his love “Marie,” the anthem, “Mr. President Have Pity On The Working Man,”  and you’ll get to “Louisiana 1927.”

While it was more written for a rising river flood, I think it’s still appropriate for New Orleans, five years after the disaster left in the wake of Katrina.

Louisiana 1927–Randy Newman

What has happened down here is the wind have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through clear down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangelne

CHORUS
Louisiana, Louisiana
They’re tyrin’ to wash us away
They’re tryin’ to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They’re tryin’ to wash us away
They’re tryin’ to wash us away

President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, “Little fat man isn’t it a shame what the river has done
To this poor crackers land.”

CHORUS

Louisiana, Louisiana
They’re tyrin’ to wash us away
They’re tryin’ to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They’re tryin’ to wash us away
They’re tryin’ to wash us away