It was the calm before the storm The day before the levy broke Fishin' off the bank And the smell of the fire bed smoke Life was pretty good There was a warm breeze in the air Nobody can know What was about to happen here Monday, August 29 And the rain fell heavy from the sky 17th Street canal Was the first to let the water by Nobody could predict Where the next wall was gonna fall The only sure thing Was we couldn't do nothin' at all We just needed help (just a little) From somebody Help (just a little) Can anybody hear us Hear our call We just needed help (just a little) From somebody Help (just a little) Can anybody hear us Hear our call The whole downtown Was up to its neck in sand Nobody came for days Politicians didn't have a plan Just put the blame on someone innocent Let the people clear up the mess But how long does it take Some things are better left unsaid We just needed help (just a little) From somebody Help (just a little) Can anybody hear us Hear our call We just needed help (just a little) From somebody Help (just a little) Can anybody hear us Hear our call We just needed help (just a little) From somebody Help (just a little) Can anybody hear us Hear our call We just needed help (just a little) From somebody Help (just a little) Can anybody hear us Hear our call We just needed help (just a little) From somebody Help (just a little) Can anybody hear us Hear our call We just needed help (just a little) From somebody Help (just a little) Can anybody hear us Hear our call