We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.
/

lyrics

We like our Jazz in Portland - it soothes us with it’s song
We turn Stumptown to “Jump-Town” - Jammin' all night long

The river rose and took our homes - those were tough times we weathered
We had the blues, but Jazz was the glue - that held us all together

Chorus: If the piano player throws you a crazy chord - Improvise - set it right If life throws you a hard time - you improvise your life

Discrimination - HOPE!
We got it!….Improvise…..

(spoken) Many people think of Vanport as a tragic event, but it was a thriving city, the second largest in Oregon, with a population of 42,000 at its peak!

Red Line Drawn - NOPE!….We got it!…..Improvise…..

(spoken) Vanport had its own infrastructure - hospital, schools, shopping, theater, and 24 hour day care support that included meals for working parents.

Determination - YES!....We got it!……Improvise…

(spoken)Vanport was built in 110 days and was intended as temporary housing for ship builders during World War 2
Vanport was built on 650 acres of Columbia River flood plain.
People came to Vanport from all over - bringing more diversity and culture to Portland.

Rap: The vanport flood is going down but - everybody is courageous
The courage is contagious and - the river is outrageous
Houses are floating up - but we are crumbling down
Some friends are lost - they may have drowned
Houses are going Round and and round, water surrounds
Debris is floating on top of the water - it looks like crowns
Everybody wasn’t white and black - some were from China
After the flood in fact - a lot of us moved to Albina

(spoken) After the flood it was particularly hard for African American survivors to find new housing, as they were not free to live in many Portland neighborhods.

Chorus: If the piano player throws you a crazy chord
Improvise - set it right
If life throws you a hard time - you improvise your life

credits

from More to the Story - a 3rd Grade musical about Portland's History through a social justice lens., released June 1, 2016

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Jana Crenshaw image

Jana Crenshaw Portland, Oregon

Jana Crenshaw (aka Jana Losey) is a singer-songwriter and composer with experiences that include Broadway, a #1 video on MTVs LOGO, her own reality show, and LOTS of touring. Jana moved to Portland in 2008, has been composing for theater, and is thrilled to be working on new music! Many new singles are coming soon - stay in touch! janacrenshaw.com ... more

contact / help

Contact Jana Crenshaw

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Jana Crenshaw, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Seafood Sam joins the show to discuss his newest album, " Standing On Giant Shoulders".
listen now