The Prattle of New Orleans 1 G.Hurwitz (2012) Bb Eb As a hist’ry buff, I thought that I should delve, F7 Bb Into some stated details ‘bout the War of Bb Eb Cause before the BP oil-spill and the Storm they called Katrin’ F7 Bb Was a diff’rent kind o’battle near the Town of New Orleans. Bb Hup 2,3,4, C Hup 2,3,4, Bb3211 Eb3331 F C5543

The Prattle of New Orleans 2 C I’d heard of Laura Secord, and the F White House getting torched G7 C And a bit of British Caribbean forces getting zorched. C I checked it with my Southern spouse, her F knowledge too was pale, G7 But we both knew Jimmy Driftwood’s folksy C song could tell the tale. C0003 F2010 G70212

The Prattle of New Orleans 3 C We knew by heart the Johnny Horton version C G7 With the poor alligator that got used as C cannon-bore. C It topped the charts over here as well as Britain C Though it clearly smudged the history, and G7 C magnified the lore. C0003 G70212

The Prattle of New Orleans 4 C F Was Old Hick’ry drinkin’ buds with Jean Laffitte? G7 C And why’d the British bring along so many drums to beat? C F And who’d believe the dyin’ words of General Pakenham G7 Were “you better quit a-foolin’ with your C cousin Uncle Sam”? C0003 F2010 G70212

The Prattle of New Orleans 5 C F Did seasoned soldiers turn and do the rabbit-run, G7 C When confronted with militia who were firing squirrel-guns? C F So I took a couple Beanos, then I snarfed on nacho-chips, G7 And I googled “Town of New Orleans and C British fighting ships”. C Hup, 2, 3, 4 D Hup, 2, 3, 4 C0003 F2010 G70212 D2220

The Prattle of New Orleans 6 It seems… D G The Brits had occupied the west bank Mississip’, A7 D Fog lifted, they got blasted sneakin’ over in their ships, D More leaders killed and wounded as they G tried to storm the Town, A7 So their troops were not “a-runnin’”, they D just stood and got mowed down. D2220 G0232 A70100

The Prattle of New Orleans 7 D G Weeks thence, per Wikiped’ in Feb’ 1815, A7 D The English, reassembled, sailed out east from New Orleans, D G They targeted more mischief ‘long the coast of Alabam’ A7 (In the hold the rum-packed body of their D Gen’ral Pakenham). D2220 G0232 A70100

The Prattle of New Orleans 8 D They left Mobile standing when the orders finally reached ’em, D A7 “No territory changing,just return to D status quo”. D On Christmas Eve belligerents had penned the Ghent treaty, D So the Indies Fleet went home across the A7 D Gulf of Mexico. D2220 A70100

The Prattle of New Orleans 9 D So the War that began with maritime embargoes D Was a strange and pointless offshoot of A7 D Napoleonic woes. A If “agreed on as a triumph” on the 2 sides of the border, D It’s the writing and the citing and the A7 D singing makes it so. D2220 A70100

The Prattle of New Orleans 10 D Hup, 2, 3, 4 C Hup, 2, 3, 4 REPEAT Pages 3 and 4 Hup, 2, 3, 4 D2220 C0003 END