Where were you when the sky cracked open? / Heading for shelter and barely coping / Thinking you could ride the storm out / Hoping it would be all right / Where were you when they gave the warning? / Hundred-fifty mile winds by morning / Category four making landfall in the wild gray light / Where were you? / Where were you?

Where were you in the social order? / The Lower Nine or a hotel in the Quarter / Which side of the border between rich and poor? / Where were you going to evacuate to? (I’m getting out of here with my kids) / Assuming there was any way to (Find out where that bus is) / Where, if you didn’t own a car? (Or some other way) / Where were you? / Where were you?

Where were you when you understood / However decent, however good / However hard some people try / They only barely make it by? (Where were you?) / They’re born to live their entire lives (Putting them) / In harm’s way (So now where we gonna go?)

Where were you when you heard the stranded / The injured and the empty-handed / Were running out of food and water at the Superdome? / With the newborn and the elderly / Exposed to even more misery / While those in charge of rescue / Waited for the Guard to come / And those who left the Convention Center / Were stopped on the bridge when they tried to enter / The safety of the west bank and higher ground / And when the Guard finally did arrive / And got to work on about day five / Mainly they were used to keep the looting down / Where were you? / Where were you?

Where were you when you realized / However strong, however wise / However true our leaders appear to be (Oh) / When they talk about prosperity (Always talking ’bout we) / However hard this Country strives (Who are we?) / When property is valued more than lives / How strong will we ever really be? (How strong will we ever really be?) / How long do we imagine we’ll be free? (How long do we imagine we’ll be free?)

We hold the truth self evident / The photograph of the President / From Air Force One, he views the devastation / Shaved face, rested eyes / Looking down, he circles twice / On his way home from his vacation / Where were you, when you got the picture? / Where were you? (Where were you?) / Where were you when the streets filled up with black water?

Where were you when defeat and destruction / Reigned in the Crescent? / Where were you when it blew from every direction? / Where were you when the promise was made / To return and rebuild, and restore to its people / The city that gave us the first American music? / True inspiration and the freedom to use it / Where will we find it again, if we lose it? / And where will we be if we ever cease to love? (If we ever cease to love)…

[By Jackson Browne – Kevin McCormick – Mark Goldenberg – Mauricio Lewak – Jeff Young © Swallow Turn Music – Eye Cue Music / Bossypants Music – Songs of Windswept Pacific / Bmi – Bateria Music – Glad Brad Music, 2008]