It's been ten years since Hurricane Katrina. I was there. My life was forever changed.

I could say so much more but ...

I wrote this song in August of 2007 with some lyrical help from a friend I made in my new home in Texas - Bobby Elkins.

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RealTracks: 1827 Bass, Praise and worship Drums,
2448 Guitar, 1581 Guitar, 1582 Guitar, 2534 Guitar, 1000 Guitar,
2503 Piano, 1690 Piano,
382 Slide Guitar (soloist),
1543 Synth Pad, 685 Harmonica, 1756 Pedal Steel (and Reverse 1756 Pedal Steel), 1173 Accordion


A Vessel In A Storm (August 2007)

Lyrics by Lawrence Olivier and Bobby Elkins


I’ve seen twenty-five years in Louisiana
Until she came ashore
She took me away from my city Lord
Can you really blame a man for moving on

I’m a vessel on a vessel in the middle of a storm
I’m like a candle in a hurricane
Sometimes you don’t know what it takes, takes to carry on
You’ve got to find the joy in the pain

I’ve seen the levees brake and bleed her
With the waters from Lake Pontchartrain
A city just can’t take that kind of beating
So can you really blame a man for moving on

Can you feel the streets of Bourbon, and the spirits coming down
Tell me how long will I have to wait
Can you see the virgins praying, and angels that surround
The white laced lady Pontchartrain


It’s been a hard climb, It’s gonna be a hard climb
It’s been a hard time, It’s gonna be a hard time

I’m a vessel on a vessel in the middle of a storm
I’m like a candle in a hurricane
Sometimes you don’t know what it takes, takes to carry on
Did you find the joy in the pain

I’ve seen twenty-five years in Louisiana
Till Hurricane Katrina came ashore
She took me away from my city Lord
So can you really blame a man for moving on

Nicely done -heartfelt lyrics - hard to imagine here in Australia what it was like.(from a musical perspective the slide fits really well).

Hello Lawrence,

well, there is not much not to like about this song .
Cool vocals as always. A nice rhythmic feel, and like Peter said, the slide guitar fits this song like a glove.

Rob & Anne-Marie

Hi Lawrence,

everything fits perfectly.
And above all I like your vocals.
Very enjoyable listen.

Guenter

Lawrence,

Good song. I can relate. A hurricane changes you forever. We were living right near the coast where Andrew made landfall in '92. Our house was the only one in our neighborhood that still had a roof the next day! Six hours of sheer terror.
Afterwards, we didn't have electricity or water for six months. I'll never go camping again!


I hope the song was therapeutic.


Regards,

Bob




p.s.

Looks like Erika will be over our area on Tuesday. We have a gig on Tuesday - I think.

hi Lawrence awesome work love your stuff thanks eric

Your tunes consistently have very professional sounding production and arrangements. On top of that you are a genuinely talented singer. The song has a bit of Bruce Hornsby thing going, and I can easily imagine hearing this without ever thinking of Band in a Box, or anything other than "cool song, wonder what the album sounds like".

The ten year anniversary of Katrina makes one think about the fragility of life and the resourcefulness and determination of people in the face of it. The song put me in the place of thinking about that, and that's a fine thing.

I’m a vessel on a vessel in the middle of a storm
I’m like a candle in a hurricane
Sometimes you don’t know what it takes, takes to carry on
You’ve got to find the joy in the pain

That is some great writing!! You never cease to amaze me Lawrence. This is a hit! Should be on a hundred radio stations. Vocal is amazing, arrangement rocks, everything works!!

Take care. Greg

Thank you Peter. I auditioned several soloists and the slide guitar was the best fit by far. Although I tried to make the tenor sax work because it's a song about New Orleans.

Thank you. I enjoy the rhythmic feel of these drums. I would like a bit of control of the kit though.

Thank you again for stopping in for a listen. I'm glad you liked it.

I just read that Erika has weakened. I'm happy your sake. I only had 5 weeks of no services. Eating MRE's that we would pick up from the National Guard in the parking lot of a closed down grocery store. That and Ice were what we lived on. My Condo was undamaged though many around me were either flooded or lost the roof.

Thank you again Eric.

Thanks for taking time to stop by and comment and for the kind words. Fragile indeed. Nothing is promised most of all tomorrow.

That is very generous of you Greg. Thank you for that.

Yes I did.

I took over the "front page".

I'm not above that. lol

Awesome song, I love the sound of the slide guitar, it fits so well in the mix.

Kenny

Great song from a seasoned musician.
Rob

As usual, excellent work. The vocals are great, as I have come to expect from you. I grew up outside of Houston, and have seen my share of hurricanes. Katrina was a real mess. So many lost so much. Glad you survived. Enjoyed the song.

Steve

Lawrence,
What an awful event!
You and Bobby have collaborated for a beautiful song



As others have said, all fits perfectly

a good, but sad, listen

Alyn

A touching story. I have nearly 40 years on the east coast where I lived and shared similar stories with folks encountering natural disasters such as hurricanes, tropical storms, floods and tornadoes as a insurance claims adjuster. Working along side an adjuster who had his own home destroyed but out helping others suffering the same fate. Meeting people who had to be rescued from tree tops, roof tops or cars being swept away by floodwaters.

Nature can be hard to reckon with.

Good song, excellent vocals and production.


Charlie

I like everything about this one, Lawrence.

Terrific arrangement and mix. Spectacular vocals - as always!

(We just dogged a bullet here... had a flight back in last night... so I was concerned for a while..)

floyd

Thank you Kenny. I spent a lot of time lately studying the left-right-center panning technique like it sounds like you used on "Miracle Mile". I'm staring to dig it and plan to use it on my next recording.

Thanks for stopping in for a listen.

Steve, thanks for listening. And yes Katrina was a mess.

Ayln thank you for listening. It was sad indeed.

Thank you Charlie. Nature will let you know just who is really in charge.

I was keeping track of that storm too. Glad you liked the song.

Great song, strong production, awesome vocal.

It's interesting that you mentioned you'd auditioned the tenor sax instead of the slide. I'd always associated the trumpet with New Orleans.

Hello,

I really like this song.
great mixing of sounds, very soft and enjoyable.

Great voice too.

Hello.
Sergio.

Spectacular in what has become your signature
vocal and mix. Americana channels should be
all over this.

We've watched a couple of specials this week
re the 10th anniversary of the storm. Unbelievable
destruction tearing buildings down and people
apart. The resiliency of the human spirit is
always amazing.

Great production Mr Gruve. We loved it and
are always happy to add another one of yours
to the SC play list.

This is top notch in every way!

J&B

Thank you David, and you're right about the trumpet.

Thanks for listening Sergio.

I always look forward to hearing from you. Yes, the human spirit is remarkable!

ps. I've been studying and working on a new mixing style referencing what Lucinda is doing. I've been listening to her latest CD as you've suggested, and am trying to emulate that sound. It's a work in progress.

Janice and I were streaming this while driving home today. It just gets stronger and stronger. Janice said she had a feel of pouring rain while listening today.

Let me know how the Lucinda vibe works out...so I can steal your RT's

Hi,

Having lived through Hurricane Camille the year before I went to Viet Nam and living here in south Florida, these type of songs have a special meaning for me.

I rode out a hurricane in my sail boat at sea, alone. Not a big one, but winds of around 100 miles an hour. Fifteen to eighteen foot seas on the quarter, so not really all that bad. Enough to make it hard to sleep...lol...young and bullet proof at that time in my life...

If your lucky you die, if you are unlucky everyone around you dies and you have to go on with life wondering why you made it out alive. The stuff of nightmares.

Thanks for the song.

Billy

Excellent write.

As I listened to the song I thought "A Vessel In A Storm" would be a good song for Darius Rucker. The feel and phrasing is similiar to some of the songs he has sung.

Very good production.

Hi Lawrence
I really loved this. Heartfelt. Beautiful. Great production and even better vocal. Nice to have you back!

You reminded me of that scene in Forrest Gump with Lt Dan in the hurricane. It's funny that you actually rode out a hurricane in a boat because that is kind of the imagery I was going for with the "vessel on a vessel" bit

I remember growing up and hearing stories about Camille and Betsy. Thanks for listening

Thank you Jim. He sure was successful with his style.

Thank you very much Josie.

Janice and I were streaming this while driving home today. It just gets stronger and stronger. Janice said she had a feel of pouring rain while listening today.

Let me know how the Lucinda vibe works out...so I can steal your RT's [/quote] I've been surfing the net, watching everything I can about mixing. I finally know what a multiband compressor is really for lol! And I watched a simple but "ear" opening video about the wonders of LCR panning.

OMG, this song is a masterpiece...
At the other side of the earch, I cannot say I feel what you felt, but in the song, I do feel something.

Again the vocal is so touching, do you ever consider writing a series of songs of K? 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, though it must be very tough to look back but, can you really blame a musician for looking back?