The Historic New Orleans Streetcars
First drawn by horses in 1832...
Connected Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River
Along beautiful Elysian Fields Avenue...

This was soon followed
By the Poydras-Magazine Line...
And then Lafayette (Jackson) and Nayades (St. Charles),
Totally by design...

Everyone loves the streetcar
When it’s coming down the track...
If you want to see New Orleans by streetcar
You can take it there and back...

In the year 1850
Even more streetcar lines came about...
With the Louisiana and Napoleon Lines
The Uptown Rulers began to clap and shout...

The years of 1860 and 1861
Saw major expansion for our historic streetcars...
The Magazine, Camp and Dauphine Lines were added
Bringing even more citizen applause...

Everyone loves the streetcar
When it’s coming down the track...
If you want to see New Orleans by streetcar
You can take it there and back...

The electric cars soon arrived
Clickety clacking along in 1893...
Eventually combining our people with commerce
For more than a century...

A Streetcar Named Desire
Was written by Tennessee Williams, in 1945...
It’s considered a great American literary achievement
But not enough to keep the Desire Line alive...

Everyone loves the streetcar
When it’s coming down the track...
If you want to see New Orleans by streetcar
You can take it there and back...

The St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
Is the one and only streetcar line...
To continuously operate in New Orleans'
Throughout our historic streetcar’s time...

Most of the old streetcar lines
Are no longer in use today...
Replaced by cars and most recently bicycles
As our historic city gets lost in the fray...

Everyone loves the streetcar
When it’s coming down the track...
If you want to see New Orleans by streetcar
You can take it there and back...

The good old glory days
Of the Historic New Orleans Streetcars...
Will eventually be faded from memory
As our way of life changes with progressive laws...

The wonderful days of old
When we could go round trip for a shiny nickel...
Will soon see our beloved streetcars
Retired like a plate with a half-eaten pickle...

Everyone loves the streetcar
When it’s coming down the track...
If you want to see New Orleans by streetcar
You can take it there and back...

Image: Historic New Orleans Streetcars

© 2020 Jeffrey Pipes Guice