Carrollton Station Foundation

Marc Belloni with Theresa Andersson
"The Suitcase I Left Behind"

Lyrics

THE SUITCASE I LEFT BEHIND

She came raging
Like an uncaged animal
Turning with the fury of an angry vengeful god

We heard the warnings
Like a siren screaming
Don't just walk away this time I think you'd better run

So I packed up my guitar
Put the lady with the baby in the backseat of the car
Turned around just in time
To see that there was a suitcase that I left behind

On a moment's notice
I grabbed my Jimmy Mac CDs,
My Tolkien DVDs, 3 t-shirts and an ice chest and an unwashed pair of jeans

Without a second thought
When my flip-flops hit the gas
All the landmarks that I'd pass
Became the victims of a ghost town war-zone home

Now I'm floating on a raft
My memories and history I packed too fast
Turned around just in time
To see I packed them in the suitcase that I left behind

Christmas gifts and birthday cards
There's no way I could save it all
I just won't remember

Lovers, friends and trips I took
I packed in too many photo books
There's no way I'll remember

Now that life is lost and done
Is this a sign to just move on?
All the world I used to know
Just fades away
Until it's gone

I spent a lifetime
Having the time of my life
Always trying to prove I was right and fight the noble fight

I get a brand new lifetime
Free from the burdens and mistakes
Like the ones I made along the way that made me stronger every day

Now I live on a magic raft
Unencumbered by that past
Free to be whatever this new wind might find
I'm leaving but not grieving
That suitcase I left behind.

Lyrics and music by Marc E. Belloni 10/10/05

Credits

Marc Belloni - vocals
www.marcbelloni.com
Theresa Andersson - vocals and violin
www.theresaandersson.com
Matt Beeson - guitars
Paul Clement - bass
Tucker Crawford - drums

Recorded at The Music Shed
Engineered and mixed by Lu Rojas
Theresa Andersson appears courtesy of Basin Street Records

Story

Story behind the Suitcase

I never leave for hurricanes. I think I was not alone in making that assertion as a local New Orleanian. BUT, then Sunday morning begat reports of a cat 5 heading our way and I thought that this was finally the ONE.

I began to pack. What was I going to bring with me as an evacuation priority item that I would not regret leaving behind forever. I started stuffing things in my biggest suitcase, the personal irreplaceable items like photo books, concert t-shirts, cards from x girlfriends and the like. Then the phone rang.

My dear friend, a single mom, called and needed a ride out. Her car, she feared, could not make the anticipated nightmare of getting out of town and to make matters more dire, she had a 9 month old daughter. The issue of taking her with me was not even at question BUT what now was in my head was what was I going to bring now that my little 4 door could fit given the new passengers. On the 12 hour putter to Lafayette, the joke was made that my patience and sanity were left in the suitcase that I left behind. I had a title.

For the next 6 weeks, many were in a state of constant unsurity for the survival of our possessions, our histories. I played with the title not knowing whether I had anything left from my life. I came to the ultimate conclusion that it is not the "stuff" that defines us. It will not be a "loss" that guides the next direction of my destiny. I began to see, understand and embrace that with this catastrophe came an opportunity for change, growth and maybe even redemption.

The Carrollton Station Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization designed for hurricane relief for New Orleans musicians.
Its officers are: Eric Orlando, Marc Belloni & Tucker Crawford.