Anna stares out of the window 
It's her eighty-fifth spring 
She tries to concentrate on something 
Her face is strained and she's confused 
At the walls in this room 
And all the strangers standing around her chair 
They brought her photographs in frames 
They are using her name 
But she just smiles politely at their embrace 
And Anna Introduces herself again 
A man picks up her hand 
And says, "Anna, look, the spring has come" 
And your carousel is waiting 

It's 1925 in New Orleans 
You are in your favorite dress 
Your brother is at your dad's hand 
And you're on your way to the Harborfest 
There will be apples on sticks and fish stands 
And you'll get to wave at the passing ships 
And your daddy will buy you something 
At the end 

And Anna tries to form a thought 
But at the end she's forgotten where she started from 
There's something she would like to say 
But the words in her head seem to have got away 
Can Anna come out and play 
And over all that is inside her 
A curtain is closing in her deep brown eyes 
Well it's like someone's built a wall 
And through the very last cracks 
Anna extends her hand and a little girl calls 
"Please don't let me fall" 

It's 1925 in New Orleans 
You are in your favorite dress 
Your brother is at your dad's hand 
And you're on your way to the Harborfest 
There will be apples on sticks and fish stands 
And you'll get to wave at the passing ships 
And your daddy will buy you something 
At the end 

Well there's so much you must have witnessed 
As the whole world changed, child 
At the onset of the Jazz Age 
And it was long before Elvis 
And rock and roll 
They told you, "There will be music 
You just wait" 

It's 1925 in New Orleans 
You are in your favorite dress 
Your brother is at your dad's hand 
And you're on your way to the Harborfest 
There will be apples on sticks and fish stands 
And you'll get to wave at the passing ships 
And your daddy will buy you something 
At the end 

What do you think of it all 
As you are so small 
Under your blanket here in this hospital 
I love you 
Tell your bones not to let go 
But your heart is beating slowly now 
The spring has come 
But one small leaf was falling, falling, falling