Letter Re: Recommendations on Body Armor

Mr. Rawles:
I’ve seen your advice on guns and commo gear, but what do you recommend for bulletproof vests? Should I have one for concealment, and a separate [heavier] one for a stand-up fight in the worst case? Or is there a compromise thickness? Also, what do the [NIJ vest rating] “Levels” stand for, exactly? Thank Ye Much, – Arnie V.

JWR Replies: I forwarded your questions to Nick at BullterProofME.com, since his knowledge of body armor dwarfs my own. Here is his response:

Dear Arnie:
Your questions are very well put.  The most basic question of Body Armor is – do I need to stop rifle fire or pistol fire?  It’s all a tradeoff of weight and concealability versus protection.

Soft concealable vests (e.g., Kevlar) will NOT stop rifle fire, but are rated Level II-A or Level II for standard handgun threats, or Level III-A for more exotic pistol threats such as 9mm sub-machine-gun or .44 Magnum.  Weight is only 3 to 6 lbs. (1.4 to 2.7 kg.) generally.

Rigid Rifle Plates are rated Level III to stop lead core .308 Full Metal Jacket (NATO 7.62 x 51mm), or Level IV to stop steel core .30-06  Armor-Piercing (AP).  Rifle Plates, are generally 10″ by 12″ (25 by 30 cm.) and will add 7 to 18 lbs. to a vest, depending on the type chosen, as you need a pair for Front and Back protection, .

For technical details on the NIJ ratings, see the ballistic ratings chart.

Tactical Body Armor, e.g., the Interceptor vest we are running a special on is roughly twice the weight of a concealable, torso protection vest at 10 lbs. (4.5 kg.), but twice the coverage area with extended torso protection, plus neck and groin protection.  But then you add the weight of Rifle Plates!

Here’s a quick and dirty guide as to how armor can be configured – click the links for example photos:

1.  Concealable Vest for pistol protection on the torso e.g., 4 lbs. (1.8 kg.)

2.  Concealable vest with Rifle Plate Pockets and  Level IV Rifle Plates Front & Back, and pistol protection all around, e.g.,  ~16.5 lb. (7.5 kg.) – this would be “concealable under a jacket”

3.  Level IV Stand-Alone Rifle Plates in a Rifle Plates Carrier for rifle protection only on the Front & Back, ~15 lbs. (6.8 kg.) – this would be “concealable under a jacket”.  Level III Ultra-light Polyethylene plates would be just 7 lbs. (3.2 kg.)

4.  Overt Tactical Body Armor for pistol and sub-machine-gun protection, ~10 lbs. (4.5 kg.) (without Rifle Plates)
– “concealable under a jacket” if neck and Groin Protection taken off.

5.  Overt Tactical Body Armor with Level IV Ceramic Rifle Plates, e.g., 22.5 lbs. (10.2 kg.)   (You can also add side Rifle Plates)

For running around town to protect against street crime, a concealable vest makes the most sense as handguns are the most common threat.  Just as important, being concealable, light, and easy to wear, it will be worn more often.  As we say – the best vest for you is the one you actually have on when being shot at!  (As opposed to a heavier vest left at home in the closet.)  We spend a lot of time talking folks out of concealable Level III-A vests for more concealable Level II vests that are easier to hide under light clothing.

For continuous use in a low threat environment, it might even make sense to forgo the vest and use a ballistic insert to make a Ballistic Backpack or Briefcase. A briefcase or backpack will usually be around, rather than a vest that won’t always be worn because of heat buildup, or clothing choices.

For high threat situations, e.g., glass breaking at 3 o’-clock in the morning, or standing guard in a Hurricane Katrina style disaster, maximum protection in both coverage area and protection level makes the most sense.  Hence Tactical Body Armor with Rifle Plates, and maybe even Side Rifle Plates.  The extended coverage and rifle protection gives you a much “warmer and fuzzier” feeling when you are in a real “two-way range” situation!

So, if you can afford it, both a concealable torso vest, and an extended coverage Tactical vest with Rifle Plates is the optimal solution.  Just as pistols and rifles serve different purposes with different capabilities – it’s always a tradeoff between convenience and weight vs. protection.

If your budget dictates one or the other, go with what fits your circumstances most often.  Discreet, concealed wear all day in low threat areas, or overt Tactical armor for shorter duration, high risk situations.

If you need to split the difference, you might want to consider a modular Rifle Plates Carrier to upgrade your concealable vest with rifle protection.   Going the other way, you can strip down an Interceptor vest, removing the neck and groin components for a torso vest concealable under a light jacket. Yours truly – Nick, Manager, BulletProofME.com

Letter Re: Request for Investing Advice

Mr. Rawles:
After reading “Patriots” last year, much like Mr. H., I was decidedly ready to act, but largely unprepared logistically. It can be overwhelming and the feeling that “I had a long way to go” was ever present (it still is and I suspect always will be as my education never ends). I’d just like to remind the author to not worry, you’ll get the stuff; you’ve already taken the first step and done something. But preparedness is more than material, the mindset is most important. Start to live right, be frugal, be healthy. Don’t be reliant on outside institutions. Grind that grain, learn to eat and use whole foods. You’ll not only be saving money in this inflationary environment as you prepare, you’ll also enjoy health benefits and be doing your family service by breaking them out of the consumerist mentality that inundates us all and welcoming them into a life of self sufficiency. Most importantly by being a good, guiding father and husband.

Once you get your mind right and start thinking, you’ll learn to set priorities and focus on certain aspects of preparedness individually. Over time you will accumulate materials and skills necessary to not only survive in TEOTWAWKI, but to thrive in everyday life.

Last year I submitted an article called What if The Schumer Doesn’t Hit The Fan? – Reasons to Prepare Anyway. I stand by my writing but have learned a lot since and think we are ever closer to rough times.

In less than one year, I’ve accumulated most importantly a wealth of knowledge, but also several months worth of grain and dried food for my family, a grain mill of course, defense items, several books, communication equipment, a generator, a modest gasoline supply, first aid supplies, a pocket water filter and several other items. We also now raise backyard chickens, expanded our garden, increased savings (the most difficult part by far), and I am finally working on starting a small dog training business.

Since deciding to really prepare, it’s amazing how far I’ve come, but I was also amazed at how receptive my wife and kids have been and how much we were either already doing or mentally prepared to do which mesh well with a preparedness lifestyle. Things like home schooling, camping, eliminating debt, learning to do without. I still have a long way to go but I am proud of our accomplishments and enjoying the lifestyle change.

In closing, I’d like to say it’s awesome how many people’s lives you are changing. Thank you, Mr. Rawles for all you do. – MB

Odds ‘n Sods:

Larry in Cincinnati spotted this sobering Banking Times article: Central bank body warns of Great Depression. Gee, have they been reading SurvivalBlog?

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Jack B. flagged this from Scotland: Petrol supplies dwindling as tanker drivers’ strike fuels panic buying

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If you are wealthy and want to own the ultimate “Get Out of Dodge” vehicle, I noticed that there is an U.S. Army/ARVN configuration Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando wheeled armored personnel carrier listed for sale at Dave Uhrig’s site. It make the up-armored Ferret Mark 4 that I once owned look wimpy, by comparison. (My Ferret only had seats for two, and a single M1919A4 belt-fed .30 caliber in the turret.)

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Five Ways to Survive Any Disaster–Survival researcher Amanda Ripley explains how to get through the next earthquake/hurricane/plane crash/terrorist attack. A good article, from Mother Jones magazine of all places! This illustrates that survivalism increasingly knows no politics. ( A hat tip to “OSOM”, for the link.)

Note from JWR:

The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tonight (Sunday, June 15th), at midnight, eastern time. The high bid is now at $1,110. This big auction is for any of you that are gun enthusiasts. It includes 17 items: A four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate, which was kindly donated by Naish Piazza of Front Sight (worth up to $2,000), a $200 gift certificate from Choate Machine and Tool Company (the makers of excellent fiberglass stocks, folding stocks, and shotgun magazine extensions), $450+ worth of full capacity magazines from my personal collection including five scarce original Ruger-made 20 round Mini-14 magazines and five scarce 20 round Beretta M92 magazines, and an autographed copy of the book “Boston’s Gun Bible.” The total value of this 17 item auction lot is $2,700! (See the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction page for details on exactly what is included.) Note: Because this auction includes full capacity magazines, no bids will be accepted from outside of the US or from a resident of any state with magazine restrictions. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments. Place your bid soon! Today, with permission, we present a guest article by Mike Morgan:

Florida at the Precipice of Depression, by Mike Morgan, J.D., CRS, GRI

I was going to call this “Banks March Us Into Depression,” or maybe more fitting is . . . “Complete Collapse of US Banking System.” Folks, that is what we are looking at. I don’t see any way around it. What we’re seeing here in Florida, is your crystal ball. And what happens here, is coming to a town near you . . . soon.

This past week I didn’t write anything, because what I am seeing unravel is disturbing to the point I had to question what I was seeing and hearing. So I decided to take as much time as I needed to digest it all, and then put something together for you. So here goes . . .

I could prepare volumes of spread sheets with Bernankesque numbers. I could talk about commodity prices and oil and Third World politics and a dozen other metrics that all lead to the same conclusion. But let me give you a ground zero look. That’s what I do best. I will leave the manipulation of the numbers to the folks on Wall Street that do it best. The same folks that have created the precipice they will soon push us off.

I spend a great deal of time dealing with Asset Managers hired by banks stuck with REOs. So as not to re-hash the events leading to the housing crisis, I will not discuss the free-money policies of the past, and I will not discuss the absolute lack of accountability in making the bad loans of the past. Let’s just deal with how the banks are attempting to recover.

Unfortunately, banks are not making a realistic effort to address the crisis. That may be because they cannot. As the banks and builders have announced write down after write down, my mantra has been . . . and continues to be: not enough, not enough, not enough. I still believe that. The builders and the banks have underestimated the magnitude of the problem, and they continue to do so. Analysts continue to look at the rear-view mirror and attempt to manipulate numbers based misguided historical assumptions. The NAR and the economists continue to twist the numbers, lie and then slip in prior-month adjustments without actually comparing apples to apples. But that is another article. The bankers and the fat cats on Wall Street sit back and watch the carnival, collecting fees from everyone they can snooker.

I have recently started turning away REO properties from banks and asset managers, even though hundreds of thousands of real estate agents nationwide are lined up waiting for these listings. I made the decision because we have reached a point where these listings are costing us money, and the asset managers are squeezing harder and harder . . . because they can. There are great asset managers and there are incompetent ones. The majority fall into the incompetent bucket, but we eliminate them quickly. The banks, on the other hand, continue to throw away money with the bucket of incompetent managers. It seems like the mortgage brokers that pushed funny money for the last six years are now starting asset management companies. We still work with a number of asset managers and banks directly, but the list of asset managers is growing smaller as properties fail to sell. When that happens, properties are bundled up and sold in bulk or at auction. This puts further downward pressure on markets because of lower prices and the inventory was not absorbed . . . it just changed hands.

Banks cannot afford to take 50-75% hits on mortgages, and that is exactly what is happening. The precipice is here, and we are on it. Recent reports about home sales rebounding are insignificant, because no one is accurately describing the growing inventory build-up. Banks simply don’t have the margins to deal with this crisis. And for that reason, we will see massive bank failures and this will snowball into a complete economic meltdown. If you have an argument against this scenario, I’d love to debate you on a live conference call. We deal with the banks. We know what is going on before the numbers show up at the Fed or any analysts desks. We deal with the public, so we hear the desperation at all levels. I listen to grown men cry about how to explain to their families that they are losing everything. I listen to people that I fear are on the verge of suicide. I read about people committing crimes simply to put food on the table. Spend a week with me, and you’ll understand why there is no feasible way to avoid a Depression.

The banks will fail, just as they failed in 1929 . . . but worse because this time some of this leverage is as high as 40:1. Insurance? Where is that going to come from? There is no insurance that can cover the cost of the coming bank failure, unless we just print more money. We are two generations removed from 1929. I am talking about Biblical 40 year generations. And when you look at who we were in 1929 and who we are now, you’ll realize just how ugly it is going to be. In 1929 there was a stronger base of family values. There was a work ethic that we don’t see today. The generation from 1929 – 1969 grew up with a totally different set of values than the generation from 1969 – 2009. The first generation worked their way out of the Depression. Today’s generation doesn’t understand work. We only understand creative financing and how to live off the next generation. And sadly, that is where we are today. We are at the precipice, and we are going to push our children over the edge because we lived so far above our means and ignored all of the warning signs. We lived just like the Romans in their final days.

Harsh? Like I said, spend one week with me, and you will go home with a new outlook about life, people and the crisis that is unfolding. You will go home with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. Guaranteed.

Just Florida? No, but Florida is your crystal ball.

The next generation? I would like to think we will eventually build ourselves out of this Depression with nuclear plants, solar and wind farms, seawater desalinization plants new roads and bridges and state of the art cars and trucks. Unfortunately, who is going to get their hands dirty? For those that study history, how would we manage a WPA with today’s generation? It will be a much tougher recovery, because we have lost the fundamentals that made us the greatest country in the world.

Conference Call: I am going to hold a conference call on June 26th. If you would like to join the call, please e-mail me.

Note: If interested in additional information, visit my institutional web site at www.Morgan-Florida.org or my institutional blog or our consumer web site. If you would like to be added to our distribution list, please e-mail me. Since I originally wrote this piece, I have received hundreds of e-mails and comments. Unfortunately, I can’t possibly respond to all of them. If you would like to receive my articles, I can add you to my Quick Notes distribution list. Just e-mail me. You can also read prior articles at my web site and on the left hand side you can sort through prior posts by title and date. Thank You all for the nice comments and e-mails. I encourage everyone to email this piece to your Congressman and Senators. The links for e-mailing them are here: House and Senate.

Letter Re: E85 Ethanol Compatible Vehicles

Sir;
I saw 85% Ethanol (E85) for the first time around me at a gas station for $3.49. Plus or minus the lost gas mileage, I will still be paying the same per mile. If I should choose to equip my vehicles with something like FlexTek, which is an electronic module that changes how long the fuel injectors fire, do you think it would be worth it? In other words, do you think ethanol will go up or down compared to gasoline? If the gap continues to separate to more than 50 cents difference, E85 becomes a real option, do you think this is possible?

You are about the only person I can think of with a broad enough spectrum of knowledge to even make an educated guess. Thanks, Andrew D.

JWR Replies: In the new fuel price paradigm, having at least one E85-compatible vehicle is certainly wise. These “Flex Fuel” Vehicles (FFVs) have fuel tanks and fuel lines designed to handle alcohol as well as ignition systems that automatically sense the flash point of the fuel, and compensate accordingly. (Hence, they can run on unleaded gasoline, E85, or any mixture of the two.) I have been recommending buying E85-compatible vehicles in SurvivalBlog since September of 2005. Rather than doing a conversion, which will void most manufacturer’s engine warranties and can even require a gas tank replacement for older vehicles, I generally recommend simply waiting until the next time you replace a vehicle. Finding a FFV is getting easier with each passing year, since they are getting produced in greater numbers by nearly all of the major car and truck makers. The best way to find one is to do a used vehicle search at Edmunds.com, and include the phrase “Flex Fuel” or “FFV”.

It is difficult to predict what will happen with fuel prices. Even given general trends, taxation is a “wild card” that is impossible to predict. But it is just plain common sense to buy the most flexible vehicles and and generators available, especially when getting that flexibility doesn’t cost much more than buying standard single-fuel engines.

If the price of regular gas rises above $4.50 per gallon (and it likely will), I suspect that E85 ethanol will remain under $3.60 per gallon in the Midwest, making it quite cost effective. (Although E85 has a 100 to 105 octane rating, a FFV burning E85 gets 28% fewer miles per gallon than when burning unleaded gasoline.)

As always, regardless of the make and model you choose, I am not in favor of buying factory new cars and trucks. There are huge cost savings in buying a vehicle with 20,000 to 35,000 miles on the odometer.

Odds ‘n Sods:

RBS sent us the link to an editorial posted at Numismaster: U.S. May Be on Brink of Financial Crisis

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There are just two weeks left in BulletProofME.com’s special sale on Interceptor Body Armor and Kevlar helmets, just for SurvivalBlog readers. They only rarely offer prices this low, so don’t miss out!

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Mary R. mentioned this news story from New Zealand: Four weeks until power cuts

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“If Americans feel they are being pick-pocketed by inflation, they should take a look overseas” writes Richard Benson in With Inflation There’s No Free Lunch. His chart comparing this past year’s inflation rate for 24 nations is informative. (A hat tip to Kevin A. for the link.)

Note from JWR:

The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tomorrow (Sunday, June 15th.) The high bid is now at $920. This big auction is for any of you that are gun enthusiasts. It includes 17 items: A four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate, which was kindly donated by Naish Piazza of Front Sight (worth up to $2,000), a $200 gift certificate from Choate Machine and Tool Company (the makers of excellent fiberglass stocks, folding stocks, and shotgun magazine extensions), $450+ worth of full capacity magazines from my personal collection including five scarce original Ruger-made 20 round Mini-14 magazines and five scarce 20 round Beretta M92 magazines, and an autographed copy of the book “Boston’s Gun Bible.” The total value of this 17 item auction lot is $2,700! (See the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction page for details on exactly what is included.) Note: Because this auction includes full capacity magazines, no bids will be accepted from outside of the US or from a resident of any state with magazine restrictions. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments. Place your bid soon!

Two Letters Re: Some Observations on Recent Flooding in the US Midwest

James,
I got this from a friend in Indiana:
All is well at our house but the town is suffering. Here are a few comments for your edification.
– Small rivers come up fast with 10 inches of rainfall. Unknown to me, but if I had delayed another 30 minutes in going home, I would not have been with my family where I was needed.
– This was the first time other than snow events when I could not leave town. All roads underwater, including interstates and state highways.
– My Chevy 4WD pickup will go through deeper water than most cars. Don’t purchase any used cars from Indiana for awhile.
– The portable generator worked great. With smart load management I could essentially run the entire house including frig, freezer, microwave, geothermal air conditioning, and lights. Total power off time was 12 hours with less that 6 hours of generator run time. Now I want to have more fuel on hand. A quieter generator would have been a plus.
– When the power went off and it was expected to be off for the duration of this emergency, we all immediately took showers to use the available hot water. Sometime later the city water pressure went way down but not completely off. Toilets remained operational.
– The hospital was flooded and will be closed for an indeterminate length of time. All patients were evacuated. Plan your medical emergencies accordingly.
– I’m in the market for a battery powered AM/FM radio with headphone jack so I can listen to local news without disturbing others during the night. Local radio seems to be the best source of information. Cable went off line. The weather band radio was useful as they routinely give river level conditions.
– The middle school and later the high school were opened for those seeking shelter. I’d rather sleep in the woods.
– My brother lives 30 miles away but works here. He was stranded and spent the night with us. He appreciated the hot shower, clean bed, dinner, etc. He’s now thinking that a bug out kit would be a good thing. He would have slept in his truck rather than go to the shelter. Drinking water would have been his first issue.
– Cell phone communications stayed up but were overloaded. Too many folks use them for non-essential communications. Same for 911 calls. I don’t have a good work around but will give this some thought.
– There was no car or pedestrian traffic in our subdivision during the night. I anticipate this would change if the situation had stretched for several days. With no street lights or city ambient lighting, night vision [equipment] would have been helpful.
– The headlamp on a headband really makes the odd jobs in the dark much easier to manage. LED flashlights are a good thing. Surefire [flashlight]s were kept in reserve.
The town is in clean up mode now. Thanks and Best Wishes, – Bill N.

Mr. Rawles

Hello from a long time reader. Thanks for all the info. I thought I could give everyone a heads up on what is happening in the new Wisconsin wetlands. First off it is amazing how foolish people act when a disaster strikes. There a literally hundreds of people walking around in backed up sewer water which is waist deep. Without even shoes? People think that if they drive their sports car fast enough through the water they can make it. People who live within sight of a river are on television saying how shocked they are. Didn’t it ever occur to anyone that if you live within 20 feet of a body of water it might rise someday?

My house is fine, on a hill in the higher part of town. Our Bug Out Location (B.O.L.) is fine too, just called and got the”okay” word. It is nice to know which ways to take out of town in the event of a flood for next time. Make a note of this it might come in handy. People are helping each other sand bag their homes and businesses. I wonder how long people will work together if food were to not be trucked in. It was funny to watch my neighbors load groceries into their house in the pouring rain. Preps come in handy on a rainy day, literally.

There has been lots of damage around all of Wisconsin, I had to take an alternate route to work as they shutdown a few of the lower roads. Seeing the damage first hand is sad and at the same time I think is good for people because it makes them realize how quickly everything can be lost. Coming home from my in-laws’ house, I had a man hole cover blow off two feet from my truck, due to the water pressure. The next day there was an article in the local paper on how one woman’s SUV was totaled because she wasn’t so lucky.

Now I’m just waiting wondering if I will have a job, if the d**n on Phantom Lake goes, so does the building that I work at. – Bill C. in Wisconsin

From David in Israel Re: Some Preparedness Implications of Rapidly Escalating Fuel Prices

James
We are all seeing the rise in fuel prices affecting food prices. I would like the readers to do a acres of farm to miles traveled evaluation of their plans when planning for a world with sparse petro-fuels.
The current option is to ignore the prices and continue to fuel large SUVs and pickup trucks even for for “pick me up milk” runs.
A fuel efficient car or motorcycle makes more sense depending on the number of passengers travelling.

Bio-diesel or ethanol from your field rarely makes sense for anything other than a few very important drives per year or towing a harvester, the effort to farm these crops are better fed to work animals and
human workers. Although if you really only make these few drives it might even out considering you make one or two batches of fuel and garage the truck the rest of the year, no daily feeding of a huge hungry beast.

Horses and oxen are very useful on a large post-petroleum farm, replacing the tractor and truck, but you need to feed that large living muscle mass even in the dead of winter when there is little
important(to your survival bottom line) travel or work. It is important to remember that even into the steam age before bicycles and automobiles reduced the number of work animals around half of the US farm output went into the mouths of work and transportation animals. Even if you are able to graze in the fair months of the year most Americans in the northern
states need to have plans to safely mow and store large amounts of hay and grains to feed your livestock. A donkey or mule is smaller and must pull a smaller plow or load but in the off months they are
a smaller idle eater and need less exercise to stay healthy and content .

The last stop in labor is the human body, around the world many poorer peoples use themselves as farming machines. You will see a man pulling a plow with his wife or child steering. A bicycle converts muscle energy many times over saving calories and time for longer range travel, as long as the bicycle can be maintained. The trick with human energy is we don’t slaughter ourselves if times get tight, and we can still do useful work even in winter when most work animals are idle eaters. This is why the farm family has always rejoiced in another new baby, not only was it filling the command to be fruitful and multiply but it was another helping hand.(Have you ever noticed that the more religious families even in urban areas often have many children?)

On the plus calorie side chickens, goats, sheep and larger free grazed food animals add calories to your bottom line by metabolizing insects, kitchen scraps, and cellulose like grass into food that humans can easily consume. We need not say that the beast deal is gathered fruits, honey, netted fish, and hunted or tapped nutrition which require tiny amounts of exertion compared to the calories obtained.
Shalom, – David in Israel

Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric sent us this one: Man Retrofits Freezer to Make an Ultra-Efficient Fridge

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Courtesy of Bob from Minnesota: BIO5 Researcher Identifies Cities at Risk for Bioterrorism. Generally, this is yet another piece of confirmation for my preferences in the SurvivalBlog Recommended Retreat Areas page.

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Frank S. flagged this: Too Much Money: Inflation Goes Global

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Carl H. found this MakerFaire video on making crystal iodine from potassium iodide. This, BTW, ties in to the DEA restrictions on Polar Pure crystals–previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

I remember hearing:

How high’s the water, mama?
Two feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Two feet high and risin’

We can make it to the road in a homemade boat
That’s the only thing we got left that’ll float
It’s already over all the wheat and the oats,
Two feet high and risin’

How high’s the water, mama?
Three feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Three feet high and risin’

Well, the hives are gone,
I’ve lost my bees
The chickens are sleepin’
In the willow trees
Cow’s in water up past her knees,
Three feet high and risin’

How high’s the water, mama?
Four feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Four feet high and risin’

Hey, come look through the window pane,
The bus is comin’, gonna take us to the train
Looks like we’ll be blessed with a little more rain,
Four feet high and risin’

How high’s the water, mama?
Five feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Five feet high and risin’

Well, the rails are washed out north of town
We gotta head for higher ground
We can’t come back till the water comes down,
Five feet high and risin’

Well, it’s five feet high and risin’

– Johnny Cash, Five Feet High and Rising