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Mark Carson
"The Other Side Of Town"
(The Murmurs)

 

Lyrics

Looked out that window 'bout a thousand times
Tuned in to every scrap of news, even all the lies
Hammered on that cell phone, tried to bring it back to life
Calling everyone I knew, to make sure they were alright

As the storm surge drove the water higher
The wind blew trees to the ground
We were fine,
But I hoped that everyone had made it out
On the other side of town

People opened up their wallets, got down on their knees and prayed
Troops brought in food and water, tried to keep the old folks safe
They saved my buddy from his rooftop, he'd been there two days
To meet these kinds of heroes, it takes a hurricane

And the storm surge drove the water higher
And the wind blew houses to the ground
I saw the hand of God in a stranger, who flew in just to help out
On the other side of town

They say we can't go back there, they say it'll take a while
But hope has a funny way of keeping dreams alive

The storm surge drove the water higher
And we all saw the wall came tumbling down
The Saints played in NewYork on Monday, when I looked into the crowd
For that one night I realized that we all lived
On the other side of town

And I prayed that we'd survive, when I heard that the wall came tumbling down
On the other side of town

But I prayed that signs of life could be found
(wondered whether any signs of life could be found)
(prayed that they found a way to make it out)
(prayed they'd find a way out)
(wondered whether anyone could get out)
( whether one could be found)
On the other side of town

(we only see these heroes in a hurricane

Saw 'bout a thousand people living for a better day (living for today)
we only see that much love in a hurricane

(to see so much love, it takes a hurricane)

Wondered whether anyone could make it out

 

Credits

Words and Music: Mark Carson
Produced by: Mike Lemmler and Mark Carson
Engineered by: Mike Lemmler

Mark Carson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Timmy Baudier: Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Mike Lemmler: Keyboards
Wayne Maureau: Drums
hometown.aol.com/mcarson578

 

Story

Story behind the song: My wife is a nurse, so my family and I spent the week after Katrina at East Jefferson Hospital. We were high and dry, and pretty much trapped there because there was a lot of water in the streets for a few days. Right outside the room they gave us there was a big window where you could see the trees blown over and the big holes in the roof. It seems we spent hours there checking to see if the water subsided. As was common with most people, I knew a lot of people, both family and friends, who lived in New Orleans and could contact none of them on the cell phone in the days immediately following the hurricane.

Besides hospital workers and their families, a large number of law enforcement officers were at the hospital. They'd come in after their shifts and tell us stories about what they saw and their emotions after having dealt with saving people trapped in attics, on roofs, and so on (as I said in the song, one of my friends was rescued by officers). These people were ordinary guys like a lot of us, but were thrown into extraordinary circumstances. They'd probably say they were just doing their jobs, but we all knew who the heroes were. The song came out of the experiences of my family and all of us there. The final part of the last chorus describes what I saw when the Saints played the New York Giants the week after Katrina. As the camera panned the crowd I saw a signed that read "Tonight we're all Saints fans." It was in New York, supposed to be a Saints "home game," and the Saints, as usual, didn't play so well. There was plenty of room for cynicism. But it genuinely moved me. At least for that night there was some way in which America could reach out and help the people who were struggling on the "other side of town" from where I was.

Feeder Bands on the Run A New Orleans inspired compilation CD by local songwriters about Hope, Havoc & Home