Thirty miles out on 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
He 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"
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
He said "Don't you listen to that boy
The water'll 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 on 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
He 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
Oh, that high black water, a devil's daughter
It's hard and it's cold, and it's mean
But we finally taught her that it takes a lot of water
To wash away New Orleans