Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans and miss it each night and day?
i know i'm not wrong... this feeling's gettin' stronger, the longer i stay away.
miss them moss covered vines...the tall sugar pines where mockin' birds used to sing,
and I'd like to see that lazy mississippi...hurryin' into spring.
The moonlight on the bayou.......a Creole tune that fills the air.
I dream about Magnolias in bloom......and I'm wishin' I was there.
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans when that's where you left your heart?
and there's one thing more...I miss the one I care for more than I miss New Orleans
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
thank ya'll for the e-mails and comments, they mean a lot to us right now.
and it finally looks a little brighter today ...
... we blew outta reno thursday and snuck off to berkley to see brian so we could 'SMilE' for awhile and clear our souls of all the stuff we really can't do anything more about now, other than comfort friends, search for family and send lots of money ...
we still haven't heard from my cousin, frank assunto jr. ... the family are growing very concerned and frank, being frank, could be anywhere right now. we have spent the last few days searching and posting in all the forums and anywhere else that gets the word out about him .... but there are so many people that are missing. it is truly heart-wrenching to read the stories as we look for frank. this is all just unbelievable.
...... fats domino was thought to be lost in the flood when he decided to hang on in his purple st.claude street compound. he was spotted by his daughter on cnn being rescued. he is safe and sound in texas.
alex chilton, (the guy who wrote 'the letter), is still missing at this time.
allen toussaint, famous producer and writer, is missing.
and god knows how many of those poor old musicians who helped shape that new orleans sound, and wouldn't leave no matter what, are missing.
we are constantly thinking of all our friends and their families that we hope are safe but have not heard from yet. everyone in new orleans is really just one big extended family anyway, so this is very hard on everyone everywhere. we miss almost everyone we ever knew there.
the situation there is still very bad, and may never get any better. they have the minister of war now doing giddy photo-ops like he is being annointed king of new orleans. there are fully-armed gangs still roaming the streets, fires burning out of control and people that still need to be rescued. i hope that his majesty doesn't try to occupy the city, then hold it for ransom or claim it's not worth saving. we are very scared for the future of our city. . .
as it looks now metry, (metairie is the real name, the locals call it 'metry', ok nostra?), came out of this fairly well off. we have sheriff lee watching over the place for us. like he does for everybody else there. thanks harry!
we found our house and sister jan's in metry looking basically high and dry from satelitte shots taken the other day. but my other sister's family lost theirs in new orleans, and it looks like their restaurant 'cafe degas' is under also, but they are being adopted for the duration by a rich couple in jackson, miss. they are setting up jacques, angel and the boys and having a benefit for the artists stranded by the storm.
and it's like everybody in the world but our own government cares about the city that care forgot. the outpouring of heartfelt relief is unreal. i never thought i would ever see this for my town. thanks ya'll. the city is really a microsm of america. there is so much of a little everything there, or was, ... and will be again. america and the world are showing unprecedented support.
we are gonna move back to metry and watch kimmy raise her boy, eventually. and as soon as it's ready there'll be someone living in the metry wreckhouse so they can rebuild their own stuff and not have to leave to do it. we don't know what else we can do. at least we have that to offer. we just feel so awful about it all, we'll just tighten our belts, hang here for another winter and do what we can from reno. we'll probably be hosting a few refugees here soon, we have the room, more than we need. we'll do anything and everything we can ...
this is gonna be tough, gonna be long, but we are gonna do this ... and it will probably be very ugly in the coming weeks as we find out just how devastating this was.
...we can't even relay all the horror stories we're getting from friends. andrea, one of our beat girls who works at a local hospital, spent the better part of pre-dawn tuesday swimming down the streets of mid-town amid debris and thugs, trying to get back to the hospital where she works. she is now safe in houston with her patients after being vac'd out and is suffering from 'the screamin' me-mes' , (her words). she is in shock, her story is unreal and there are thousands and thousands of others ...
... yeah, we now know what it means to miss new orleans ...
god save the big easy!
map of noaa satelitte images of the aftermath, (taken wed. aug 31)
please donate what you can!
11 comments:
I'm glad you're in a better frame of mind. I, like most, have never faced anything on this scale, as the biggest disaster in my life was a cascade of financial misery created by well intentioned but faulty decision making on my part (trusting someone that the little voice was sayin' they shouldn't be trusted). When S**T happens, you either sucomb to it, or keep moving and refuse to be defeated. Here are some lyrics from a Tim Finn called "Parihaka" that always inspire me when I find trouble invading my life. If you're not familiar with the song I'll post it fo you tomorrow. Right now it's 2:43 AM in Fresno, I just got done with a gig, and I'm beat.
My friend, My friend, I hate to see you suffer,
Events conspire to bring us to our knees,
My friend, my friend, you've taken this the wrong way,
Rise up, defend yourself, never give in,
Look to the sky, the spirit of Te Whiti,
The endless tide is murmuring his name.
I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,
And even at the darkest hour,
His presence will remain.
I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.
Te Whiti he used the language of the spirit,
Then stood accused, the madman and his dream,
He saw the train go roaring through the tunnel,
He heard the voice travel on the magic wire,
But he loved the silence of the river,
He watched the dog piss on the cannon's wheel.
I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,
And even at the darkest hour,
His presence will remain.
I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.
One day you'll know the truth,
They can't pull out the roots,
Come and take me home,
To weep for my lost brother.
They gather still, the clouds of Taranaki,
His children's children wearing the white plume,
So take me for the sins of these sad islands,
The wave still breaks on the rock of Rouhotu.
And when you taste the salt that's on your pudding,
And when you taste the sugar in your soup,
Think of Te Whiti, he'll never be defeated,
Even at the darkest hour,
His presence will remain,
I'll sing for you the song of Parihaka,
Come to Parihaka,
Weep for my lost brother,
The spirit of nonviolence,
Has come to fill the silence,
Come to Parihaka.
Take care.
I've been thinking of you guys every day. Good luck. Peace.
hey mike, thanks for the poem, 'they can't pull out the roots', beautiful ...it made us cry, but i guess we can and need to for now ...
thanks laura it all means so much, even the little thoughts, and we are gonna need a bunch of 'em.
hey sleepy
you know...everything will be all right in the end. It is a sad thing what it is happening...I'm with you, my friend. I miss your words.
hugs
Susana
I'll post a copy of the album on my blog tomorrow evening-ish. Ill put it in the "Hear-Ye" section and name it "Sleepy Finn".
Another great post. I hope you find your cousin soon.
All of us here in the U.K. send our best wishes. Hope you find all your friends and loved ones.
Whats more to the point - that they are all safe and well is what i meant to say!
Sleepybob, we are with you in spirit even if we can't be there in body.
Sorry for the two-day delay. Tim Finn is transfering to my ftp site as we speak... or write.
thanks again ya'll! everybody thanks ....
and hipster, i remember a lot of chef's at degas' but they all had a nickname, like 'cook' or 'spoons' or something just as silly. i'll ask jacques if he remembers too, he is much better than i about such matters.
Post a Comment