Far back as I can remember
Either had to plow or hoe
One of those long ol’ nine feet sacks
Standin’ at the old turn row
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where I come from...
Nothing I got ‘gainst Mississippi
It also was the home of my wife
But I count myself a lucky man
Just to get away with my life.
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where I come from...
They had a huntin’ season on a rabbit
If you shoot him you went to jail
The season was always open on me
Nobody needed no bail.
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where I come from...
Either had to plow or hoe
One of those long ol’ nine feet sacks
Standin’ at the old turn row
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where I come from...
Nothing I got ‘gainst Mississippi
It also was the home of my wife
But I count myself a lucky man
Just to get away with my life.
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where I come from...
They had a huntin’ season on a rabbit
If you shoot him you went to jail
The season was always open on me
Nobody needed no bail.
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where I come from...
Contributed by Bernart Bartleby - 2016/1/14 - 20:23
Language: English
La versione cantata di Mavis Staples con una strofa recitata nel finale
DOWN IN MISSISSIPPI
As far back as I can remember
I either had a plow or hoe
One of those 'ole nine foot sacs
Standing at the old turn row
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where i come from
They had a hunting season on the rabbit
If you shoot em you went to jail
Season was a always open on men
Nobody needed no bail
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where i come from
I remember, I use to walk down that gravel road, walking with my grandma,
Mississippi sun, beaming down
I went to get some water
My grandma said, young 'un you can't drink that water, she said you drink from that fountain over there, heha
and that fountain had a sign
said for color only
I was so glad I had my grandma and my papa, a huh, and I wont leave you out grandpa
My grandpa was so pround of me yall
I went down in forest Mississippi one time na,
didn't know no better, but i intergrated, a
washa terrier,
He was telling everybody, my grandbaby mavis, she went up to washa terrier, and washed some clothes, and all the black ladies fallowed her on up in there, I'm proud of my grandbaby,
I saw many more of those signs as i lived in mississippi,
I'm so glad I can say that I saw everyone of those signs, Dr. King saw that everyone of those signs got taken down, down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where i come from
As far back as I can remember
I either had a plow or hoe
One of those 'ole nine foot sacs
Standing at the old turn row
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where i come from
They had a hunting season on the rabbit
If you shoot em you went to jail
Season was a always open on men
Nobody needed no bail
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where i come from
I remember, I use to walk down that gravel road, walking with my grandma,
Mississippi sun, beaming down
I went to get some water
My grandma said, young 'un you can't drink that water, she said you drink from that fountain over there, heha
and that fountain had a sign
said for color only
I was so glad I had my grandma and my papa, a huh, and I wont leave you out grandpa
My grandpa was so pround of me yall
I went down in forest Mississippi one time na,
didn't know no better, but i intergrated, a
washa terrier,
He was telling everybody, my grandbaby mavis, she went up to washa terrier, and washed some clothes, and all the black ladies fallowed her on up in there, I'm proud of my grandbaby,
I saw many more of those signs as i lived in mississippi,
I'm so glad I can say that I saw everyone of those signs, Dr. King saw that everyone of those signs got taken down, down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I was born
Down in Mississippi where i come from
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Parole e musica di J. B. Lenoir
Outtake dell’album intitolato “Alabama Blues!” del 1966, con Freddie Below e Willie Dixon
Si trova in una riedizione degli anni 90 per i tipi della tedesca Bellaphon
In seguito interpretata anche da Ry Cooder e Mavis Staples
His description of the Mississippi hunting season is a chilling reminder of the state’s history of lynchings, shootings, and bombings, the assassination of Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963, and the murdered bodies of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, found buried in an earthen dam in 1964.
(estratto da Blues from the Streets of ‘The Other America’, di Terry Messman)
Agghiacciante l’ultima strofa: “Loro (i bianchi) hanno una stagione di caccia al coniglio. Se gli spari (fuori stagione) finisci in galera. Invece la stagione di caccia (ai neri) è aperta tutto l’anno e nessuno rischia nemmeno una multa”