Well, there's floodin' down in Texas
All of the telephone lines are down
Well, there's floodin' down in Texas
All of the telephone lines are down
And I've been tryin' to call my baby
Lord, and I can't get a single sound
Well, dark clouds are rollin' in
Man, I'm standin' out in the rain
Well, dark clouds are rollin' in
Man, I'm standin' out in the rain
Yeah, flood water keep a rollin'
Man, it's about to drive poor me insane
Well, I'm leavin' you, baby
Lord, and I'm goin' back home to stay
Well, I'm leavin' you, baby
Lord, and I'm goin' back home to stay
Well, back home are no floods or tornados
Baby, and the sun shines every day
~ Joseph Scott & Larry Davis (performed by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble)
It's a good day to be singing the blues. "Texas Flood" was written and performed by Larry Davis in 1958. But this video, recorded at the Presidential Inaugural Concert for George H.W. Bush in 1989, features Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band Double Trouble. The studio track can be found on the album of the same name, recorded in 1983.
And there's an interesting story there. Stevie Ray (before he was famous) performed at a jazz festival in Switzerland in 1982 and was seen by both Jackson Browne and David Bowie. They were impressed. Bowie invited him to play on his 1983 Let's Dance album, and Jackson invited him to visit his studio in California. It was there that Texas Flood was recorded in only three days. And suddenly, the world was introduced to the legendary Stevie Ray. And speaking of legendary, be sure to watch the video to see Vaughan play his guitar behind his back, the signature move of a great guitarist.
Vaughan hailed from Dallas, Texas, and often played blues clubs in Houston, now the target of Harvey, a storm that will go down in history as catastrophic and then some. Vaughan was the victim of a different catastrophe when he was killed in a helicopter crash 27 years ago yesterday. He was 36 years old.
I don't know about you, but I've been feeling emotionally exhausted lately. Coming off the high of the total eclipse, I feel clobbered by the death of an old friend, the flooding in Texas, the ongoing nightmare of the current administration. Man, it's about to drive poor me insane. While I am not directly a victim of any of these things, and my life continues relatively untouched by tragedy, I find myself falling prey to a certain malaise, a kind of hopelessness. Maybe you feel it, too? I am trying to remind myself to count my blessings and take heart in a "glad it's not me" attitude. And yet, that seems so heartless and selfish!
Ed's sister and brother-in-law live in a suburb of Houston. Randall, with whom we shared the eclipse experience just one week ago, is keeping us posted. While they remain safe right now, they have experienced 27" of rain so far and are expecting 15" more. In his most recent post, Randall had this to say: "I was running around outside in rain boots, trying to figure out what I could do to stave off the imagined disaster. The answer I came to: there was absolutely nothing I could do."
There is something I can do. Today, I will decide on a charity to support. I am thinking of one that will take care of the displaced pets in the Houston area. Perhaps it will alleviate the helplessness I am feeling.
What will you do?
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