When The Levee Breaks

Page/ Plant/ Johnes/ Bonham/ Memphis Minnie
Записана в 1971 в Headley Grange, Hampshire
на передвижной студии The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Инженер Энди Джонс (Andy Johns).
Смикширована Энди Джонсом на студии Sunset Sounds, LA.
Впервые выпущена 8 ноября 1971 на альбоме "[untitled]" (Atlantic 19129).
Выпускалась также 6 мая 1990 года на сборнике "Box Set" (Atlantic 82144) , 6 октября 1993 года на сборнике "The Complete Studio Recordings" (Atlantic 82526) и в 1999 году на трибьют-альбоме "Great Zeppelin" (Axekiller) группы Great White.

Заимствование
A radically different version of an old blues song originally written and performed by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy which they recorded on June 18, 1928.

Содержание
The story behind this song is that, after the civil war, many black freemen and former slaves settled on farms in an area along the Mississippi side of the Mississippi river. This area, known as the Delta, is from Greenville north to Memphis, Tennessee. Obviously, this is not the only delta on the Mississippi, and should not be confused with the one south of New Orleans. The reason for settling in this area was the richness of the soil, primarily because of semi-annual floodings In response to this phenomenen a 45 foot tall dirt levee, a ridge of soil, was constructed along the side of the river for mile after mile. Early in the century, a series of floods managed to penetrate the levee and flood the area, devastating crops and farms. Thousands of familes moved upriver to Chicago as a result of this, and also due to the hope that jobs were plentiful and homes inexpensive in that area. However, levees were not just the haunts of farmers. Criminals such as prostitutes, bootleggers and thieves often lived in levee camps, as the people who ran them found it very hard to enforce the rules and were prepared to turn a blind eye to their activities. In such an environment, early bluesmen found a place to play and learn their trade, people such as Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson and Son House. The levee camps were dangerous places and if a musician failed to impress the patrons there was a good chance he could be in serious trouble.

Текст

If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break, (X2)
When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay.

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, (X2)
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.

Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home,
You don't know which way to go?
If you're goin' down South
They go no work to do,
If you don't know about Chicago.

Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.

All last night sat on the levee and moaned, (X2)
Thinkin' about me baby and my happy home.
Going, going to Chicago… Going to Chicago… Sorry but I can't take you… 
Going down… going down now… going down…. 

Переводы

Перевод Ильи Кормильцева
Перевод на украинский Павла Лехновського
Перевод компании Софтел