Story Behind The Song
Monica Dillon wrote this song after evacuating from Hurricane Katrina, losing everything she owned. She returned to the city to rebuild and witness the city after Hurricane Katrina.
Song Description
When the Levee broke is about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how people tried to make sense of the ordeal.
| Song Length |
4:27 |
Genre |
R & B - Soul, R & B - Classic |
| Tempo |
Slow (71 - 90) |
Lead Vocal |
Female Vocal |
| Mood |
Moving, Poignant |
Subject |
Sadness, Disasters |
| Similar Artists |
Stevie Wonder, Norah Jones |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
Verse:
When the levee broke
My kin folk
Scattered a thousand ways
When the levee broke
My kin folk
I didn?t hear from them for days
Didn?t sleep at night
Something wasn?t right
My heart was so heavy
When the levee broke
When the levee broke
Verse:
When the levee broke
My kin folk
They left with the shoes on their feet
And the only thing
That they could save
Was a baby picture of me
When the levee broke
My kin folk
Lost everything they knew
Except the love for each other
My father, my mother
Oh Lord, who knew
Who knew, who knew
Who knew, who knew
Lord, who knew
Verse:
When the level broke
It took away the best friend
I ever had
She said y?all leave me be
I?m going to see
My maker in that other land
When the levee broke
My kin folk
Scattered a thousand ways
When the levee broke
When the levee broke