Oh! Marie Laveau | Day 5 of 365 days of stories

Marie Laveau’s Final Resting Place, New Orleans

MARIE LAVEAU
As sung by Papa Celestin

There lived a conjure lady not long ago
In New Orleans Lou’siana named Marie Laveau.
Believe it or not, strange as it seems,
She made a fortune sellin’ voodoo and interpretin’ dreams.
She was known throughout the nation as the voodoo queen.
Folks come to her from miles and miles around.
She’d show them how to put that voodoo down.
To the voodoo lady they all would go,
Rich, educated, ign’ant, and po’.
She’d snap her fingers and shake her head.
Then tell ’em ’bout they lovers livin’ or dead.
An old, old lady named Widow Brown
She asked why her lover stopped comin’ around.
The voodoo gazed at her and squawk:
“I seen him kissin’ a young girl way up in Shakespeare’s Park
Hangin’ round an oak tree in the dark.”

CHORUS: Oh, Marie Laveau (Hey, Marie Laveau)
Hey, Marie Laveau (Yeah, Marie Laveau)
Oh Marie Laveau, voodoo queen
Way down yonder in New Orleans.

Now old Widow Brown she lost her speech.
Tears start rollin’ down her cheeks.
She says: “Hush, my darlin’. Don’t you cry.
I’ll make him come back by and by.
Now sprinkle this snake dust all over your floor.
He’ll come back Friday morning when the rooster crow.”

CHORUS: Oh, Marie Laveau (Hey, Marie Laveau)
Hey, Marie Laveau (Yeah, Marie Laveau)
Oh Marie Laveau, voodoo queen
Way down yonder in New Orleans.

Now Marie Laveau, held ’em in her hand.
New Orleans was her promised land.
Quality folks come from far and near
This wonder woman for to hear.
They were afraid to be seen at her gate.
And would creep through the dark to hear they fate.
Holdin’ dark veils over they head,
They would tremble to hear what Marie Laveau said.

CHORUS: Oh, Marie Laveau (Hey, Marie Laveau)
Hey, Marie Laveau (Yeah, Marie Laveau)
Oh Marie Laveau, voodoo queen
Way down yonder in New Orleans.

Now she made gris-gris (She made it) with a ol’ ram horn,
Stuck with feathers, shuck from a corn,
A big black candle an’ a catfish fin
Made a man get religion, give up his sin.

CHORUS: Oh, Marie Laveau (Hey, Marie Laveau)
Hey, Marie Laveau (Yeah, Marie Laveau)
Oh Marie Laveau, voodoo queen
She got rich on voodoo in New Orleans.

Sad news got out one mornin’ at the dawn of day.
Marie Laveau had passed away.
In Saint Louis cemetery she lays in a tomb.
She was buried at night on the waste of the moon.

CHORUS: Oh, Marie Laveau (Hey, Marie Laveau)
Hey, Marie Laveau (Yeah, Marie Laveau)
The folks still believe in the voodoo queen
Way down yonder in New Orleans.
Way down yonder in New Orleans.

That’s it.