I was very interested in hearing about the Great Flood of 1927. I had never heard about it until Dr. G told us about it. It reminded me of the saying "history repeats itself," because it basically happened all over again with Katrina. It's such a shame that the people of New Orleans never seem to get the help and treatment that they deserve. How could you let a city and people get destroyed only for change in your pocket? Do those people not have a heart? I was looking around online for different information on the Great Flood and I found out one piece of information that I thought was interesting. One of the "good" things that came out of the flood was a great cultural output from the victims. After the flood many people were inspired in their music to write about the flood. Something I never knew was that one of Led Zeppelin's famous songs, "When the Levee Breaks", was a remake of Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie's original song about the 1927 flood. Here are the lyrics and 2 videos:
"When The Levee Breaks"
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break, [X2]
When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay.
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, [X2]
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.
Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home,
You don't know which way to go?
If you're goin' down South
They go no work to do,
If you don't know about Chicago.
Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.
All last night sat on the levee and moaned, [X2]
Thinkin' about me baby and my happy home.
Going, going to Chicago... Going to Chicago... Sorry but I can't take you...
Going down... going down now... going down....
When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay.
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, [X2]
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.
Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home,
You don't know which way to go?
If you're goin' down South
They go no work to do,
If you don't know about Chicago.
Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.
All last night sat on the levee and moaned, [X2]
Thinkin' about me baby and my happy home.
Going, going to Chicago... Going to Chicago... Sorry but I can't take you...
Going down... going down now... going down....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6C_5wxkuAQ Kansas Joe and Memphis Minnie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dqp1rKCtvI&feature=fvst Led Zeppelin
The lyrics of the song speak loudly to the pain and hopelessness that the victims must have felt. Just reading them myself makes me feel sad and disappointed.
So about the Marable article..
I just finished reading it. For some reason it wasn't an easy read for me like I thought it should have been. I'm not sure why? I found myself having to go back and reread lots of paragraphs because I couldn't grasp the meaning the first time. One sentence that I instantly understood and was shocked by was the sentence, "
What these nightmarish statistics mean, is that
for most low- to middle-income African Americans, joblessness and
underemployment (e.g., working part-time, or sporadically) is now the norm;
having a real job with benefits is now the exception."It's shocking, but at the same time not really. It reminds me of the typical stereotype that we always see/hear on tv about black women looking for a "good brotha with a job and no kids." Clearly, like any other race, there are some men out there who just don't want to have a job, or who choose to sell drugs and run the streets, but for the others out there who do, do they really have a chance? It's like the odds of them being successful are slim and unlikely. The system basically works against them.
I also noticed in the article about how there was "chronic unemployment" under the Bush administration. So why does everyone feel the need to blame it on Obama? Is it because he is black? It's always easier to place blame on the abject other.
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Nikki,
ReplyDeleteI also found the great flood to be interesting as well. I like the Led Zeppelin song you posted.
great post! that song is really good :) i feel the same way about the flood and how it happened all over again with Katrina. Even after so many years of so called improvement there was still discrimination and this was only 7 years ago! Its crazy to see that even after everything we have experienced as a country and everything we learn in history, things do not seem to get any better. I always wonder what it is going to take for things to finally change.
ReplyDeleteHey Nikki,
ReplyDeleteI posted your link of the contest to my facebook so more of my friends can help you win haha!
So about the readings 1: I really liked the info on the Great Flood. I found it very sad that people had to go through that again in Katrina when the government had a chance to fix the problem before it happened. 2: I also liked the Marable article because I did not know that many people that are in jail are not able to vote or are taken their rights away to vote. I don't understand how the government wants them to move along in society if they keep blocking ways to move up the latter all the time! I like the songs you posted also. I know music is always something I would always use to make a situation that may be terrible and depressing better; it's my medicine.
Thanks Veronica! I wanna win so bad! lol... I agree about music being medicine. It always seems to help get emotions out.
ReplyDeleteNikki,
ReplyDeleteYou brought out a lot of great points. I didn't know that there was a song about the flood. I also agree that people let their most heart felt emotions out in song. Similar to 9/11, there were a number of country westerns songs that really spoke to a lot of people. Great post:)!
Nikki,
ReplyDeleteI also found myself rereading certain sections of the Marable article. The first time I learned of these injustices was at a lecture I attended last year. While it is sad, sickening, and unjust, I think the first step to change is recognizing the problem. It is important to spread this knowledge so that more people have a vested interest in changing our judicial, prison, and employment systems.
And why do people always blame the current president for past incumbents mistakes? I think a lack of critical thinking on the American people's part is largely to blame. With a little research, it is easy to see how problems evolve over time. No single person is ever to blame for something as large and damaging as the Great Recession. (Not that certain key players can't be identified.) I think the media also plays a big role in this problem, as they are generally viewed as a trusted source of information while often that is not true.
Enjoyed your post! Good luck in your bridal contest. I gave ya a "Like!" See you tomorrow.
Nikki,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting about that song. I find it interesting when people write poetry or music about such monumental things that happen. I feel like it gives us the opportunity to see a different side of the situation that happen and get a more raw feeling about. I didn't know that song existed. Thanks for sharing!