New Mardi Gras Classics

SAMPLE MP3s

* Performed by the Abitians

1 Koo Koo La Ba 2:20 * Vocals By Dyane Mitchell

Koo Koo La Ba - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

It’s Saturday night, it’s Mardi Gras, here’s what’s going on
We go to mid city, meet our friends for Endymion

It’s Sunday night, it’s Mardi Gras, we got it made
I got ladders on St. Charles for the Bacchus parade

It’s Monday night, it’s Mardi Gras, here’s what we do
Orpheus, on Napoleon - yeah that my Krewe

It’s Tuesday morning, I’m feeling beat, but it’s Mardi Gras
It’s the big day and all I can say is, “Ku Ku La Ba”

It’s Wednesday morning, it’s all over, but just one thing
Go to church see Deacon John, hear angles sing

2 This Is Endymion 2:14 * Vocals By Jerry Hess

This Is Endymion - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

Anonymous gypsies, maids and queens
Exploded in light down in New Orleans
It was brilliant theater, Bohemian luck, this is Endymion

The traveling empire’s brief commission
Blessed the crowds with rogue ambition
I saw civilization collapse, and erupt again.

CHORUS:
She smiled and looked out to sea, in waves of moving hands
Looking for her lover, inside this wonderland
From the float her view was clear, this feral neutral ground
But that flambeau who stole her heart, he was never found

Troubadours rode this wild tableau
With Melpoumeen and Papa Joe
An expedition painted in lights, this is Endymion

CHORUS

Let every one here raise their glass
To our kings and queens of the past
And to our new host, I sing to you “this is Endymion”

At the Mardi Gras - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

Come on you all
We’re gonna have a ball
At the Mardi Gras
We’ll be at Lee Circle
All dressed in purnurple
At the Mardi Gras

Now I got a friend
Down on Caffin Avenue
Who can give us a thrill
He’s down at Puglia’s
Rite on the side singing Blueberry Hill

We’re having a party
Everybody’s having fun
We’re having a party

I got a godson,
He’s got a shotgun
Rite on the route
He got barbecue
Wait for the krewe
And get ready to shout

We’re having a party
Everybody’s having fun
We’re having a party

Float rolls by
Your feet will fly
To the St. Aug band
And when it turns around
Hits the neutral ground
We’re gonna catch it again

King Zulu - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

It started in Africa wound up on Jackson Avenue
It started in Africa wound up on Jackson Avenue
You see him on that float, that’s my King Zulu

Bring your baby, but man you better watch her
They got a Big Shot and a witch doctor
You see him on that float, that’s my King Zulu

The music so loud you got hold your ears
They be hearin that drum line all the way in Algiers
They be throwin beads and them big old spears

We’ll party on Jackson and get all messed up
We’ll hear the bands and watch the big girls strut
I’m gonna gets my baby a real gold coconut

Mardi Gras In Evangeline - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

Chookie plays in a Cajun band
He plays the accordion
They play in Tee Mamou
And Church Point too

On Mardi Gras Chookie and the band
Ride their ponies cross the land
They got their costumes on
Man they cutting it up

CHORUS
It’s Mardi Gras In Evangeline
Everybody’s passing a good time
It’s Mardi Gras In Evangeline
Everybody’s passing a good time

Chookie calls his horse Boudreaux
They’re riding for a big gumbo
They got the roosters and rice
And some Cajun spice

Now Mardi Gras comes just once a year
But Chookie and the boys are always here
They know where it’s at
And that’s just lagniappe

6 I See The Parade 3:21 Performed by Bobby Lounge

I See The Parade - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

Do you know the king?

Well the City Park Horses, gonna fly in tune
I see the parades, Lord, a coming soon
And there’s a big green trout in the back lagoon

I saw the Queen by the China ball tree
Lets all give a hand to the N, O, P, D
Do you know, Lord, do you know the king?

Ah when I die, well you can second line
And eulogize me, Lord, all in rhyme
Oh do you know, you know the king?

When The Levees Broke - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

I had a dream about Mardi Gras
And a girl Katrina
Saw some floats floating away
When the levees broke on Mardi Gras Day

Floating down the avenue
Saw coconuts and King Zulu
He was on a sacalait
When the levees broke on Mardi Gras Day

CHORUS
When the levees broke on Mardi Gras Day
When the levees broke on Mardi Gras Day
From Holly Grove to Vieux Carre
When the levees broke on Mardi Gras Day

Deacon John was on a baby grand
On a roof was the St. Aug Band
Ernie K-Doe was singing away
When the levees broke on Mardi Gras Day

CHORUS

The dream was wild, man you know
I should be on top Touro
And then I woke on up
And there I was with a wet coconut

CHORUS

The Prettiest Girl On Mardi Gras - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

Some girls dream of a beach condo
Others want a playboy with plenty of dough
Some even want to be a movie star
I just want to be the prettiest girl on Mardi Gras

I’ll wear some high heel shoes and a bustier
To some it may be a little risqué
But I’ll be the cutest thing you ever saw
I want to be the prettiest girl on Mardi Gras

CHORUS
Now when I go out on Mardi Gras day
I’ll have the all boys all looking my way
Even the King of Rex will be in awe
I want to be the prettiest girl on Mardi Gras

I want to be the prettiest gal on Mardi Gras
I want all the boys to say ooh la la
Give me rhinestones, sequins and a convertible car
I want to be the prettiest girl on Mardi Gras

I’ll celebrate the day with my boy friends
And when midnight comes oh that’s the end
I’ll be on Bourbon to the last hurrah
Where I was the prettiest girl on Mardi Gras

Do The Mardi Gras - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

Kathieeeee
Kathie, wash my car
Kathie, Kathie, wash my car
And you can be my queen at the Mardi Gras

Gina, Gina, cut my yard
Gina, Gina, cut my yard
And you can be my queen at the Mardi Gras

Dewey, Dewey, La, La Ba
Ku Ku, Ku Ku, La, La Ba
Come on everybody come on and do the Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras On The Mind - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

Oh goodness gracious
We’re gonna have a blast
The car’s all packed now
There’s a whole full tank of gas
We’re driving down South
Everyone will be there
To have a crazy time
It’s carnival season
We got Mardi Gras on the mind

Buddy Bob out in Santa Fe
called the other night
He was feeling kind of funky
So booked his Southern flight
He’s flying down to party
And join the conga line
It’s carnival season
He’s got Mardi Gras on the mind

Now Lou’s out in LA
She wants a good road trip
Her rig’s out on the interstate
She’s gonna let it rip
With Al Johnson on the CD
Chasing down that I-10 sign
It’s carnival season
She’s got Mardi Gras on the mind

All across the USA
You can feel it in the air
It’s the Super Bowl of parties
And they all want to be there
So come on everybody
Take it easy and unwind
It’s carnival season
They got Mardi Gras on the mind

I was birthed at Charity on Mardi Gras Day
Momma saw me they heard her say
This child it the prettiest I ever seen
One day he’s cooler then the ice machine
Gonna name my baby …. she moans
Gonna names that child Mardi Gras Jones

Rent a house off lower St. Charles
Find me every night at the Mardi Gras Balls
I go it alone but that’s my intention
Late that night I seek divine intervention
I take my baby to places unknown
I’m the dude, Mardi Gras Jones

I’m getting psyched up for the big day
Worked two jobs, get good pay
Have a silk tie with a monogram
M G J, I’m the man
Alligator shoes, musk colognes
I’m the dude, Mardi Gras Jones

Mardi Gras, Spend a little dough
Armani suit a white limo
Have my driver bring me around
Early in the morning I’m in Gert Town
On my ring that ain’t rhinestones
I’m the dude called Mardi Gras Jones

I see Indians and they see me
They run me off cause I’m so pretty
Go see Zulu on Jackson
I’m the center of all the action
Gots purple green and gold cell phones
I’m the dude, Mardi Gras Jones

Now when I die I stay above ground
I want to still hear the bands get down
Beads gonna hang around my grave
Friends walk by they all gonna say
In this grave there’s more than bones
There lies the dude called Mardi Gras Jones

Carnival Memories - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

My carnival memories sing out snapshots of you
Your funny dance, your happy shoes
Thank you for the dreams
Sweet Mardi Gras dreams

It's great to look back to those carnival days
Going out and watching parades, laughing with the kids
Catching kisses in the air

Oh the costume you wore would make a peacock jealous
The music you made you could have been a Marsalis
We had a party everyday
We had a Mardi Gras World

If I were Blain Kerna and you a cotton truck
I paint you Shamrocks and call you Lady Luck
We had our parade
We had our Mardi Gras World

The King of Bacchus - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

There were grand attendants, footmen and drivers
One hundred stallions and one hundred riders
I saw ushers escorting their imperial guests
Surveyed the crowds I spied a million at best
The florescent archangels strolled
As the King of Bacchus rolled

Chalices of plastic burst through the night
From a pneumatic cannon to the crowd’s delight
I saw tubas of gold and white fiberglass
I danced with a child as St. Augustine passed
And the arc lights beamed out of control
The King of Bacchus rolled

No fact-based logic could prepare me for this
I never imagined this could ever exist
With divine elation and a triumphant heart
Trading Cézanne for Kern, Toussaint for Mozart
As the jazz scholars deliberate their soul
The King of Bacchus rolled

To live in this village of mystical anecdotes
And grow from the asphalt like the giant live oaks
See every parade and hear every drum
Breed with the madness and embrace all the fun
Praised with the purple, green and gold
And the King of Bacchus rolled

Then as the last float passed and the crowd let it go
I could still hear in a distant, that last oboe
And I embraced those notes like the streets of this town
And I surrendered to its blush and magical sound
I trust the troupe achieved its goal
As the King of Bacchus rolled

14 Mardi Gras Season 3:17 * Vocals By Jerry Hess

It’s Mardi Gras Season - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

It’s beginning to be that time, that season
We’ll throw away all normalcy and reason
There’s a king cake party in Gentilly
Your new costume – big time silly
It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans.

Let’s go see the Muses and the flambeaus
We’ll follow that Zulu wherever he goes
Al Johnson, Fess, and big Earl King
We’ll hear them whistle and hear them sing
It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans.

Our first kiss was at the crazy M.O.M.’s Ball
I was Sam Spade you were Lauren Bacall
You’re so much fun when you’re not you
Let’s do it again for the Krewe du Vieux
It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans.

We pass through this life, a little at a time
And when it’s over, we don’t have a dime
Just remember we’re always young
Ask your self: What would be fun?
It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans.

15 Orpheus Night 2:33 Performed by Dash Rip Rock

Orpheus night - words and music by John Preble, Louisiana

There’s something outside, out in the air now
It sounds like a tom, a bass and a snare now
I see police and a flashing light
Looks like we got an Orpheus night

Napoleon’s looking extraordinary
With the Trojan horse and Smokey Mary
And those butterflies are out of sight
Looks like we got an Orpheus night

Let’s hit the party when the parade is done
And join up with Leviathan
We’ll dance till we see daylight
And celebrate this Orpheus night