- [Clinton] Now let's talk about the '27 flood.

Were you in Greenville then?

- [Daisy] I had just come back from Thibodeaux where my sister was teaching.

[gentle music] The papers had said that there was no need for alarm.

There was no flood.

Early that morning, we got up, and we looked up North Broadway, and you could see a little silver ribbon of water coming down the gutters on either side.

And as time passed, that ribbon grew larger and larger, and before we knew it, the street was covered with water.

So I said, "Mama, I can't take this."

So she said, "Well, you go to the city, to your uncle."

[calm music] There was a barge, an oil barge that loaded up people and took them to Vicksburg.

All the people were just singing the old spirituals, and they're echoing on the water, and the sun was going down.

It was very romantic, you know.

But after we [indistinct], the romance was lost.

When we arrived in Vicksburg, believe it or not, I'm not saying this to hurt your feelings, but this is true.

Before we could get off that barge, we were detained quite some time because some white man said he wanted to get us to sing some song often the preachers would sing.

And they would not open their mouth.

[water lapping] [calm music] [ambient music]