Levee Wail Blues

Down in the Delta Where the cotton fields stretch wide Mississippi mud clings to weary gallows hands Sun beats down like a judge's gavel No place to hide Chains of the past echo in the midnight jams Hearts heavy with pain Voices bending low, chasing away the rain Oh, the blues, they call my name In the dead of night Blue notes wailing through the harmonica side Hardship carved in every string Resilience in the fight From the deep south soul We sing to touch the sky Yeah, the blues, they hear African rhythms Mixed with the whip's cruel cry Communities rising from the ashes of despair Guitar weeps like a lover who ain't coming back Twelve bars of truth Laid bare in the air No silver spoon Just a ball and the bending note Turning tears to fire Keeping hope afloat Oh, the blues, they call my name In the dead of night Blue notes wailing through the harmonica side Hardship carved in every string Resilience in the fight From the deep south soul We sing to touch the sky Now the lights of Chicago Pull us northbound From field hollers to stages The story's unbound Emotions flood like the river's endless sweet No more shadows No more shadows Just the light and the loving Blues forever, ever sing Generations carry the flame through the storm Personal tales in every lonesome cold Resilient hearts Though the nights stay warm It's the sound of surviving The poetry of the lost Blues in my blood No matter the cost Oh, the blues, they call my name In the dead of night Blue notes wailing through the harmonica side Hardship carved in every string Resilience in the fight From the deep south soul We sing to touch the sky Yeah, the blues, they heal Expressive cries Rising up like smoke