Song Lyrics and Samples
Katrina, Oh Katrina (Hurricane Blues)
Words and music
by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
 Katrina, oh Katrina
You have such a lovely name
Katrina, oh Katrina
You have such a lovely name
But since Hurricane Katrina
Things will never be the same
You were born out on the water
But it was land that you would claim
You were born out on the water
But it was the earth that you would claim
Katrina, oh Katrina
You have such a lovely name
Your wind it started rising
Then your mighty waters came
Yes, your wind it started rising
Then your mighty waters came
Katrina, oh Katrina
You have such a lovely name
So many dead, so many homeless
It's a sad and crying shame
So many dead and thousands homeless
Yes, it's a sad and crying shame
But Katrina, oh Katrina
Such a lovely, deadly name
You brought ruin to New Orleans
The land where blues rose up to fame
Yes, you brought your devastation
To where these blues rose up to fame
But Katrina, oh Katrina
You have such a lovely name
The lesson you have taught us
There is no storm that man can tame
Yes, there's a lesson you have taught us
There is no storm that we can tame
Katrina, oh Katrina
You have such a lovely, deadly name
We're going to start all over
All you've destroyed we will reclaim
Yes, we're going to start all over
All you've destroyed we will reclaim
But we won't forget Katrina
Such a lovely, deadly name
Katrina, oh Katrina
You have such a lovely name
Katrina, oh Katrina
You have such a lovely name
But since Hurricane Katrina
Things will never be the same
 ©2005
M. Herman / Topaz Productions
---------------
Rocket to Chicago
words
and music by Michael A. Herman
 Winter mornin', silent snow,
The Chicago Rocket is moanin' low.
Across the river and past the
Fort,
Rolling east out of Davenport.
Out of Davenport. Out of Davenport.
(That train used to ring her bell when she crossed Government Bridge
over the Mississippi River between Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island,
Illinois. I could hear that bell cutting through the night.)
This old train is running late,
as she rolls into the Prairie
State.
Rock Island, Moline, East Moline,
When she clears the yards she's
gonna pick up steam.
She's gonna pick up steam out of East Moline.
(That train had to move real slow through the Quad Cities, and
on through the Silvis railroad yards. But when she got out toward
Greenrock, Illinois, there was nothing but corn fields all the
way to Chicago. And she could really roll under a full head of
steam.)
Elgin, Joliet, LaSalle / Peru,
This old train gonna roll right
through.
Steel wheels grinding down the railroad track,
Listen to 'em now
going clickety-clack.
Goin' clickety-clack, down the railroad track.
(Hear them drivin' wheels. Steel wheels on steel rails, popping
the joints in the track. That's what makes that clickety-clack
sound, and it sounds like music to me.)
(Twenty-five miles southwest of Chicago is a little town called
Blue Island, Illinois. When the train got to Blue Island she had
to start cutting back on the speed and steam, 'cause she was getting
close to home, the LaSalle Street Station in downtown Chicago.
They way the slowed that train down was with air brakes. I said
airrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr brakes.)
"Chicago city" the conductor said, "LaSalle Street
Station is up ahead."
It's the end of the line and the end
of my song,
'Cause the old Rock Island is dead and gone.
She's dead and gone,
she's dead and gone. (I think I hear that train coming through
just one last time. She's twenty miles out, on the west side of
Davenport, near a little town called,Durant, Iowa. I hear her blowing
that whistle long and lonesome, way off in the distance.)
"Chicago city" the conductor said, "LaSalle Street
Station is up ahead."
It's the end of the line and the end
of my song,
'Cause the old Rock Island is dead and gone.
She's dead and gone,
she's dead and gone.
(When I stepped off that train in Chicago
there was a guy selling newspapers. He said, "Hey man, where
did you get on this train?" I
said, "Davenport." He said, "Say what?" I thought
Davenport, Iowa was the center of the universe at that time. How
could he not know where Davenport is? So, I said it again. "Davenport." He
said again, "Say what?" Well, I took out my National
guitar, put the slide on the pinky of my left hand, looked him
in the eye, and decided to give this guy a lesson in Heartland
geography.)
"Davenport! Daven-port!! Da-ven-port!!!"
© 1986 Michael A. Herman
---------------
Blues for Satchell Paige
words & music
by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
I want to tell you a story about a hero named Satchell Paige.
I want to tell you a story about a hero named Satchell Paige.
Satch
pitched a baseball to earn his daily wage.
Satchell was a star
who lived way before his time.
Satchell was a star who lived way
before his time.
But he couldn't make the big leagues, his skin
color was his crime.
So, with the Negro leagues he traveled from town to town.
For
twenty long years he traveled from town to town.
He once struck
out the side with his fielders all sitting down.
Satch finally
made the majors at the age of forty-two.
Satch finally got the
call at the age of forty-two.
If he'd of been a white man he would
have made it at twenty-two.
Millions of people never got to see him pitch his game.
Millions
of people never got to see him pitch his game.
But now his name
stands forever in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
© 1990 Michael Herman
---------------
Give Me a Grandma Every Time
words
and music by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
If your sweetheart is a grandma, boys, that don't mean a thing
Yes, if your sugar is a grandma, well that don't mean a thing.
She can love me all night long, she's already had her diamond ring.
If your sweetheart she's a grandma, well, she ain't no a baby
child.
Yes, If your sugar she's a grandma, she may not be a baby
child.
But she knows what grandpa needs, yes, she knows what drives
him wild.
You can keep your younger women all they'll do is make you blue.
Yes, you can have those mini-skirts, all they do is make you blue.
I don't need the latest model, I'll take the one that's tried and
true.
Boys, if there's one thing that I've learned, being a grandma
ain't no crime.
Boys there's one thing that I've learned, being
a grandma ain't no crime.
'Cause when it comes to making' real good
lovin', give me a grandma every time, every time, every time, every
time, every time... (fade out).
© 1995 Michael A. Herman/ Topaz Productions
---------------
The Great Flood of '93
words
and music by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
Wasn't that a time, the summer of 1993?
A time we'll
all remember, July of '93.
When the great Mississippi River
flooded, and it went down in history.
The river started rising, as the rain came pouring down.
Muddy
water started rising, as the rain came pouring down.
And all the
folks down in the lowlands had to move to higher ground.
You can tame a mountain lion, you can train a bulldog too.
Yes,
you can tame a mountain lion, you can tame a bulldog too.
But when
a river jumps its banks, there ain't a thing that
you can do.
All the people pulled together with one thing upon there minds.
Yes, all the people filling sandbags with one thing upon there
minds.
Ain't it funny how disaster can become the tie that
binds.
Life holds many lessons, watch and remember every sign.
We all
know life holds many lessons, watch and remember every sign.
Respect
it when it warns you, and the river will treat you fine.
Wasn't that a time, the summer of 1993?
A time we'll
all remember, July of '93.
When the great Mississippi River
flooded, and it went down in history.
Words and Music by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
© 1993
Michael Herman / Topaz Productions
---------------
Hawk's Worried Blues
words
and music by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
Worried blues, worried blues, give me your right hand.
Worried
blues, worried blues, give me your right hand.
I'm going to sing
my song, and I sure don't need no band.
You don't know, you don't know, you don't know my mind.
You don't
know, you don't know, you don't know my mind.
'Cause when you see
me laughing, I'm laughing to keep from cryin'.
When a woman gets blue, she gets blue, she hangs her head and
cries.
When a woman gets blue, she gets blue, she hangs her head
and cries.
But when a man gets blue he jumps on a Harley and rides.
You can't see, you can't see, you can't see me now.
You can't
see, you can't see, you can't see me now.
'Cause I'm a long time
gone and I ain't coming back no how.
Worried blues, worried blues, give me your right hand.
Worried
blues, worried blues, give me your right hand.
I'm going to sing
my blues, and I sure don't need no band.
©1997 Michael A. Herman
---------------
I Used To Ride That Train
words
and music by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
I used to ride that train, but I sure don't ride no more.
I used
to ride that train, but I sure don't ride no more.
I thought she
loved me 'til she walked right out that door.
I didn't see no train, but I heard its whistle moan.
I didn't
see no train, but I heard its whistle moan.
She said, "Daddy,
I'm leaving," and it chilled me to
the bone.
She got my money, my house, my charge card, and my car.
She got
my money, my house, my charge card, and my car.
All she left me
with was these blues and my guitar.
I'm gonna play these blues 'til I get some peace of mind.
I'm
gonna sing my blues 'til I get some peace of mind.
I'm gonna find
me a woman who'll treat me nice and kind.
I used to ride that train, but now it's just a memory.
I used
to ride that train, but now it's just a memory.
Ya know, I got
a brand new woman, and she's sweet as she can be.
I used to ride that train, I used to ride that train,
I used
to ride that train, I used to ride that train,
I used to ride that
train, but I sure don't ride no more.
I used to ride that train, I used to ride that train,
I used
to ride that train, I used to ride that train,
I used to ride that
train, but I sure don't ride no more.
©1997 Michael A. Herman
---------------
New Crossroads
Words
and music by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
This world is at the crossroads and the time is slipping by.
The world is at the crossroads, yes and the time is slipping by.
If we don't end the madness, I believe the earth is going to die.
A gentle breeze is blowing, and the rain begins to fall.
A gentle
breeze is blowing, and the rain begins to fall.
Why should these
acts of nature bring pain and worry to us all?
If we don't end the madness , we will end the human race.
We've
got to end the madness, or we will end the human race.
Let's do
it for the children, and make the earth a better place.
This world is at the crossroads and the time is slipping by.
People, this world is at the crossroads and the time is slipping
by.
If we don't end the madness, the earth is going to die.
© 1986 Topaz Productions / Michael A. Herman
This
song was written the day after the Chernobyl disaster. It is a
plea for people to take more responsibility for the environment.
The song was was recorded on the album, Everyday Living,
by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman. It is in a twelve-bar blues
form, and can use any type of suitable accompaniment, at a medium
tempo. I use the slide guitar when performing this song.
---------------
Rock Island
words & music
by Michael A. Herman
Well, I was born in a Mississippi River town.
The world is factory
work and farming 'til the sun goes down.
"You better grow
up straight," I heard my momma say,
So I learned all the games
that little children play.
(chorus)
I was a teenage boy just a starting to grow
When I heard a rockin'
rhythm on my radio.
Well, I forgot all my troubles, started moving
my feet.
I swore I'd never forget that jumpin' boogie woogie
beat.
I saved up my money and went shopping around.
I bought a pawnshop
guitar that had me rhythm bound.
I spent my days alone, just that
guitar and me,
To turn that boogie rhythm into a melody.
(chorus)
My poppa said, "Son, I believe you're wasting your time.
You're gonna go through this life never having a dime.
You've got
to work in this world, it can't be all fun."
And I said, "Pop,
can't ya see I've got the blues on the run?"
(chorus)
Now I've got to play my music 'cause it feels so right.
Yes,
it's the friend that warms my body on a cold, cold night.
And though
I know that life is filled with many crazy things,
I know it
all falls into place when I can pull the strings.
(chorus)
© 1975 Michael A. Herman / Redwood Music
---------------
Truck Stop Blues
words
and music by Michael A. Herman
Truck stops are okay, if you're highballin' down the road,
Making
it to some bright lights with another heavy load.
Imagine what
it's like, living in between,
On highway 99, just a pumpin' gasoline.
(chorus)
Regular's alright, with "ethyl" you can't loose.
She
can't help me now 'cause I got them truck stop blues.
Ain't much
conversation passing over my coffee cup.
Just two magic words,
and those are "fill 'er up."
"Sure is pretty country," is
enough to make me boil.
Country ain't so pretty when you're busy changin' oil.
(chorus)
Truck stops are alright, if you're just passing through.
But
if you're stuck here pumping gas, it will start to get to you.
Watching big old diesels as they roll down the line,
A thousand
miles from nowhere, on highway 99.
(chorus)
I'm washing down the cab, and the rig that it's a towin'.
Wondering
to myself where it's been and where it's goin'.
Truckers sit and
talk about the mountains and the sea.
They climb on in their
semis, and they wave good-bye to me.
(chorus)
© 1974 Michael A. Herman
---------------
The Phantom of the Juke Box
words & music
by Michael A. Herman
I've never been much good at keeping rhythm,
and my voice may
not suit your appetite.
Though I've never had a lick of special
training,
I play music in a bar most every night.
(chorus)
I become the phantom of the juke box,
with the power to make
you smile or bring a tear.
I'm the guy who can't resist a juke
box,
and I hope I play the songs you want to hear.
Like most folks, I appreciate good music,
though some folks think
my taste is mighty strange.
They laugh and pray that I run out
of quarters,
but I always seem to have some extra change.
(chorus)
So the next time you're sitting on a bar stool,
with smoke and
idle chatter everywhere,
you can be the phantom of the juke box,
and let the power of the
music fill the air.
(chorus)
© 1987 Michael A. Herman
---------------
The Beaver That Ate Moline
words
and music by Michael A. Herman
On the shores of the old Mississippi
Stood a town that became
the cuisine
Of a giant so rare
None will ever compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
Most stories of horrible creatures
Are told upon Halloween.
Yarns of fear and despair
But none will ever compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
The tale of the Loch Ness monster
Is that of a serpentine.
But are you aware
That his tail can't compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
The great white shark's reputation
Is that of a killing machine.
With jaws to beware
But there is none to compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
The Bigfoot roams the Northwest
Where forests grow tall and green.
Huge and covered with hair,
But there is none to compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
There are strange things that
creep in the night
They are heard, but seldom seen.
But if you want a scare
There is none to compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
There are those who refuse to believe it
They say, "Too
much alcohol or caffeine."
But the faithful all swear
That there is none to compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
Ancient oak trees once grew
In a shady, secluded ravine.
Now, just oak stumps are there
For who's work can compare
To the beaver that ate Moline?
The officials might say that they've caught him,
"Case closed,
all simply routine."
But he's busy somewhere
And still none can compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
On the shores of the old Mississippi
Stood a town that became
the cuisine
Of a giant so rare
None will ever compare
To the beaver that ate Moline.
© 1995 Michael A. Herman |
