Story Behind The Song

A former resident of New Orleans, my first Mardi Gras was in 1979 when the woefully underpaid police went on strike. Tourists were encouraged to stay away because carnival had been "cancelled." As if that were possible. The National Guard were called in to "police" the city, hence the reference to the national guard and the state police. That celebration was lauded by locals as the best carnival ever. The reference also applies to my most recent Mardi Gras. After Katrina in 2006 my wife and I (she's also a former New Orleanian) *had* to go when the media began supposing that it would be somehow *wrong* to celebrate after the flood. (Tourists...they just don't get it.) King Cake, for the uninitiated, is a basic coffee cake concoction served during the carnival season. A tiny plastic baby (representing jesus) is poked into the cake. Whoever gets the baby in their slice has to throw the next King Cake party. Other elements of the song harken to my experiences with carnival back in the day. I was lucky enough to have co-workers (I was a carriage driver in the French Quarter in 1979) who showed me what it's about. We went to Wild Tchopitoulis Indian practice nights at a little uptown bar in advance of Mardi Gras. The "trash can street parade" line refers to the early incarnation of the now popular Rebirth Brass Band. When they just little pre-teen kids they would pass by our apartment on their way to Jackson Square to play for tips...they were *terrible*, it was complete cacophony but played with heart. My downtown friends clued me into the gay community's way of celebrating which led to the lines referencing female impersonation and sexual ambiguity. Barbara Steisand and Judy Garland were popular icons with older performers at the drag shows on Rampart St. God bless New Orleanians and their audacity to party even in the face of disaster. The sybolism of the masks of comedy and tragedy say it all. Welcome to the theater of *life*, deal with it.

Song Description

It's a short song.

Lyrics

King Cake

Rex and Bacchus, Krewe Du Vieux
Uptown, downtown here come Zulu
Skull and Bone Gang have gone ninja
Make way for the Injuns

Kid on trumpet born to play
In a trash can street parade
Up too late, drank too much
What the hell was in that punch

Alcohol breakfast, alcohol brunch
Alcohol snack, alcohol lunch
Flambeaux mambo down the street
Here come the guard and the state police

I like your costume and your style
And your legs and your smile
I like girls, you like girls
Oh...you like girls

Old hag Barbara, old hag Judy
Fab and fruity, shake your booty
Glitter and glue, heels and makeup
Tuesday noon time to wake up

You're so sweet and so tardy
Baby in a king cake
it's a party