CHECK IT OUT!  An original rendition of the classic “Good Night, Irene,” performed by 20 different musicians in NYC on the night of the Hurricane.  I sent out the original mp3 of just me and my acoustic, and then everyone sent me their parts via email and I put the mix together in my room.  ENJOY! (and if you’re on the East Coast: STAY SAFE!)

http://thereverendjohndelore.bandcamp.com/album/hurricane-irene-nyc-2011

   “Conceived, recorded & produced within a 10-hour span on Saturday, August 28, 2011. All the tracks on this song were recorded by 19 different individuals, in different rooms all across the 5 boroughs, as we sat waiting for Hurricane Irene to arrive over NYC.

    “I tweaked the lyrics of this classic Leadbelly song to fit the Big Apple, recorded a solo-acoustic version around 3pm, and then sent it out to a number of my talented musician friends. They recorded their individual parts, emailed them back to me, and I put the mix together.

    “As I write this, it’s 2:03am, and I’m going to go sit down and have a beer on my stoop, and say, “Good Night, Irene.”

    “Thanks to everyone who contributed their energy to making this song happen, and here’s to Irene: have mercy on our fair city.”

    Onward, Upward…
    —Rev. John DeLore

    p.s. Thanks for not knocking the electricity out while we were putting this together.

——-

LYRICS:
    On Saturday night, she got angry.
    She stormed up the Long Island Sound.
    But still she had some tears to shed
    So she headed for New York town.

    Irene, good night. Irene, good night.
    Good night, Irene. Good night, Irene.
    I’ll see you in my dreams.

    My baby lives in Manhattan,
    But the trains are all shut down.
    I’d swim across the East River.
    But I fear that I might drown.

    Irene, good night. Irene, good night.
    Good night, Irene. Good night, Irene.
    I’ll see you in my dreams.

    Irene she rides the Cyclone,
    She cries on Jersey shore awhile
    She stops to play in Far Rockaway,
    And dances on Staten Isle.

    Irene, good night. Irene, good night.
    Good night, Irene. Good night, Irene.
    I’ll see you in my dreams.

    Stop your rumbling, stop your cryin’
    Stop your thunder don’t turn out the lights.
    Go to sleep out on the Ocean
    Can’t you hear us sing, Good Night.

    Oh, Irene, good night. Irene, good night.
    Good night, Irene. Good night, Irene.
    I’ll see you in my dreams.