“They’re Tryin’ To Wash Us Away.”

The lyrics and origin of "Saint James Infirmary" are the cause of much dispute. Ambiguity and uncertainty surround the song like a diaphanous veil. There have been subtle and not so subtle changes to the song. The song is organic and therefore alive, not some museum piece in the Smithsonian. A death has spawned many versions and live-ly debate. Rob Walker's one-song-centered site, the only such site that I know of, bears this out. This is part of the allure of the song, not to mention the timeless unforgettable melody of the mournful dirge. Similarly, Randy Newman's "Louisiana 1927" has become a folk song in much the same way. Though, there's not much ambiguity here. Since the Federally built levees collapsed in August 2005, this song has taken on an aura that can not be denied. We all saw it on television. Bodies floated through the streets of a major city. It is branded on the country's forehead forever. In the Lower 9th Ward, 1,200 people out of 14,000 (8.5%) are back.

Today, I read Mark Folse's take on the first weekend of this years Jazz Fest. Mark knows his music and I always look forward to his posts that are musically bent. Yesterday, he stopped by Ashley Morris' grave in St. Louis Cemetery #3 before he went to Jazz Fest. The Hot 8 Brass Band played at Ashley's jazz funeral. They played St. James Infirmary, dirge first then an uptempo repeat on the way home. Dineral Shavers, a crack snare drummer for the Hot 8, was shot and killed December 28th 2006. Ashley, on snare, had been part of the Silence is Violence march on Perdido Street in Januray 2007. Following a string of acquittals, the person suspected of shooting Shavers was acquitted the day before Ashley's funeral. The song is always there.

"This is the life. You know what they’re eating in Houston right now? Quiznos.” — Ashley Morris while sharing a meal from Dooky Chase's with a friend

"remembrance descends from the tongue to the heart and from the heart to the soul"