I thought I saw 'most everything 
'Til I saw what went on in New Orleans 
By that bend in the Mississippi River
    That used to be 
    New Orleans 

You know high water and ocean rain 
'Scaped from Lake Borgne, from old Pontchartrain 
Filled New Orleans City with death and blame
    Oh what a shame for
    New Orleans 

The levees was weak but nobody really cared 
Army Corps dough was spent way over there 
Across the sea, the stormy sea 
    That took
    New Orleans 

The National Guard was off in Iraq 
Some of them will never come back 
The ones that do got nothing to 
    Come home to 

Nobody helped us, I did all I could do 
I saved twenty people in my old canoe 
While the cops was shootin', it was they who was lootin'
    My New Orleans 

The President said, "It's not our fault.  We done all we can."
Mayor Nagin said:  "What you been smokin', Mr. Presiden'?" 
Ol' Lady Bush said: "Sleepin' in a dome, better than home 
    In New Orleans" 

Down the 9th Ward (spoken)

Mr. Halliburton, Kellogg Root and Brown 
Gonna rebuild my city but I´m locked out of town 
I´m bein' evicted, got nowhere to stay, what can I say 
    They screwed
    New Orleans 

I thought I saw damn near everything 
Till I saw what went on in New Orleans 
Oh, she's gone, long long gone 
    My ol' New Orleans