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The Songs of Mississippi.

Related threads:
Lyr Req: I Miss the Mississippi (17)
Lyr Add: Miss The Mississippi (13)
Lyr/Chords Req: Miss the Mississippi and You (23)


Felipa 28 Jan 17 - 04:37 PM
GUEST,Albion 28 Jan 17 - 10:21 AM
GUEST,Skunk 27 Jan 17 - 08:18 PM
Joe Offer 27 Jan 17 - 08:05 PM
Felipa 27 Jan 17 - 05:46 PM
SouthernCelt 10 Jan 07 - 01:48 PM
Black Hawk 10 Jan 07 - 01:48 PM
Black Hawk 10 Jan 07 - 01:47 PM
Black Hawk 10 Jan 07 - 01:46 PM
Black Hawk 10 Jan 07 - 01:29 PM
Black Hawk 07 Jan 07 - 11:27 AM
Elmer Fudd 07 Jan 07 - 01:26 AM
oldhippie 06 Jan 07 - 06:40 PM
Amos 06 Jan 07 - 04:13 PM
GUEST,randomly saw your post 06 Jan 07 - 03:19 PM
Bee-dubya-ell 30 Apr 03 - 08:49 PM
Art Thieme 30 Apr 03 - 08:24 PM
Art Thieme 30 Apr 03 - 08:10 PM
Frankham 30 Apr 03 - 02:49 PM
Rick Fielding 30 Apr 03 - 11:37 AM
pattyClink 30 Apr 03 - 11:34 AM
catspaw49 29 Apr 03 - 10:20 PM
khandu 29 Apr 03 - 10:19 PM
catspaw49 29 Apr 03 - 10:04 PM
khandu 29 Apr 03 - 09:53 PM
Burke 29 Apr 03 - 06:22 PM
Frankham 29 Apr 03 - 05:03 PM
Greg F. 29 Apr 03 - 10:00 AM
catspaw49 29 Apr 03 - 02:33 AM
Art Thieme 29 Apr 03 - 12:57 AM
steadigene 28 Apr 03 - 11:29 PM
Greg F. 28 Apr 03 - 11:02 PM
Rick Fielding 28 Apr 03 - 10:53 PM
Greg F. 28 Apr 03 - 10:06 PM
catspaw49 28 Apr 03 - 09:49 PM
Greg F. 28 Apr 03 - 09:22 PM
Frankham 28 Apr 03 - 06:59 PM
masato sakurai 28 Apr 03 - 02:51 AM
Art Thieme 28 Apr 03 - 12:35 AM
Rolfyboy6 28 Apr 03 - 12:10 AM
Joe Offer 28 Apr 03 - 12:02 AM
Joe Offer 27 Apr 03 - 11:41 PM
Frankham 27 Apr 03 - 08:27 PM
GUEST,Q 27 Apr 03 - 06:15 PM
GUEST,MCP 27 Apr 03 - 06:09 PM
Giac 27 Apr 03 - 05:56 PM
Giac 27 Apr 03 - 05:53 PM
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Subject: RE: Emmet Till
From: Felipa
Date: 28 Jan 17 - 04:37 PM

another article re Carolyn Bryant's admission and apology
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4165404/Woman-accused-Emmett-Till-admits-lied.html


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: GUEST,Albion
Date: 28 Jan 17 - 10:21 AM

Woman Linked to Emmett Till Lynching Says Her Claims Were False
By richard Pérez-Peñajan, Jan 27, 2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/us/emmett-till-lynching-carolyn-bryant-donham.html


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: GUEST,Skunk
Date: 27 Jan 17 - 08:18 PM

Dedicated to Jeff Sessions.


HERE'S TO THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
   -Phil Ochs

Here's to the state of Mississippi,
For underneath her borders, the devil draws no line.
If you drag her muddy rivers, nameless bodies you will find.
Oh, the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes.
The calendar is lying when it reads the present time.

CH: Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of.
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!

And here's to the people of Mississippi,
Who say the folks up north, they just don't understand,
And they tremble in the shadows at the thunder of the Klan.
Oh, the sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from off their hands,
For they smile and shrug their shoulders at the murder of a man.

And here's to the schools of Mississippi,
Where they're teaching all the children that they don't have to care.
All of rudiments of hatred are present everywhere,
And every single classroom is a factory of despair,
And there's nobody learning such a foreign word as fair.

And here's to the cops of Mississippi.
They're chewing their tobacco as they lock the prison door,
And their bellies bounce inside them when they knock you to the floor.
No, they don't like taking prisoners in their private little war,
And behind their broken badges there are murderers and more.

And here's to the judges of Mississippi,
Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court.
They're guarding all the bastions of their phony legal fort.
Oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report.
When the black man stands accused, the trial is always short.

And here's to the government of Mississippi.
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging down,
And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns,
And they hope that no one sees the sights and no one hears the sounds,
And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown.

And here's to the laws of Mississippi.
Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay.
While the Constitution's drowning in an ocean of decay.
Unwed mothers should be sterilized, I've even heard them say.
Yes, corruption can be classic in the Mississippi way.

8. And here's to the churches of Mississippi,
Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust,
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust.
Oh, the fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust,
And heaven only knows in which God they can trust.


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Jan 17 - 08:05 PM

It took real courage for the mother of Emmet Till to allow photographs of her dead son to be published. But those photographs shocked a nation into beginning to understand the reality of racism.
Black lives do matter.
-Joe-


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Subject: Emmet Till
From: Felipa
Date: 27 Jan 17 - 05:46 PM

I looked up Emmet Till in the Mudcat search engine, and arrived at this thread. See lyrics Art Thieme posted here 28 Apr 2003

update:

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/27/1625973/-The-woman-responsible-for-Emmett-Till-s-death-admitted-he-did-nothing-to-her


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: SouthernCelt
Date: 10 Jan 07 - 01:48 PM

quoting: There's a song Rita Coolidge recorded, "Mud Island," in which the whole story went down, verse by verse, "by the banks of the Mighty Mississippi on a place they call Mud Island."

This mentions the river but not the state. Mud Island is at Memphis, TN.


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Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI MOON (J Rodgers, E McWilliams
From: Black Hawk
Date: 10 Jan 07 - 01:48 PM

MISSISSIPPI MOON
(Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)

I've heard all about the tune that's call the "Alabama Moon"
But the Mississippi moon is just as bright.

And I can't forget the time when I asked you to be mine.
For the moon was shining on that happy night.

And you promised me then what you'd wed me in June.
That's why I love the Mississippi moon.

Oh the Mississippi moon is smiling down tonight
And love just seems to fill the air.

The whippoorwills are flitting in its mellow light
And calling to the lovers there.
Let us stroll once again down the dear old lovers' lane,
Where nature seems to softly croon.

Our hearts will be so light, while we wander there tonight,
Underneath the Mississippi moon.

Oh-de-lay-ee-ay, le-oh-lay-ee, oh-de-oh-lay-ee-oh-lay-ee

Many years have come and gone since I met you there alone.
But tonight I'm thinking just as much you.
As I did when hand-in-hand we wandered in that magic land.
Where we gave our pledge to love each other true.

Come and go back with me to that spot in memory,
Just to see again that Mississippi moon.

Oh the Mississippi moon is smiling down tonight
And love just seems to fill the air.

The whippoorwills are flitting in its mellow light
And calling to the lovers there.
Let us stroll once again down the dear old lovers' lane,
Where nature seems to softly croon.

Our hearts will be so light, while we wander there tonight,
Underneath the Mississippi moon.

Oh-de-lay-ee, oh-lay-ee, oh-lay-ee.

artist: Jimmie Rodgers; Transcribed from Rounder CD 1057 "Jimmie
Rodgers: "The Early Years, 1928-1929". Recorded in Camden, NJ, June 12,
1928, featuring Jimmy on solo vocal and guitar.


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Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES (Neville, Rodgers
From: Black Hawk
Date: 10 Jan 07 - 01:47 PM

MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES
(Jack Neville and Jimmie Rodgers)

There's friends around and even pals
that I know are true,
Still I'm lonely, homesick and blue.
There's no one who can cheer me when I'm alone,
Longing for my Mississippi Home.

Way down on the delta,
on the Mississippi shore,
In that muddy water,
I long to be once more.
When night shadows creep about
and the whippoorwills call,
You can hear old mammy shout:
"Come in here you all."
Way down on the levee,
strolling in the pale moonlight,
You can see those steamboats
and the fields of snowy white.
There's a feeling I can't lose,
that muddy water's in my shoes;
When I get that Mississippi delta blues.

I long to hear them darkies sing
those old melodies;
"Swanee River" and "Old Black Joe."
Sweet magnolia perfume
floating on the breeze,
Way down South is where I long to go.

Way down on the delta,
on the Mississippi shore,
In that muddy water,
I long to be once more.
When night shadows creep about
and the whippoorwills call,
You can hear old mammy shout:
"Come in here you all."
Way down on the levee,
strolling in the pale moonlight,
You can see those steamboats
and the fields of snowy white.
There's a feeling I can't lose,
that muddy water's in my shoes;
When I get that Mississippi delta blues.


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Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI RIVER BLUES (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Black Hawk
Date: 10 Jan 07 - 01:46 PM

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BLUES
(Jimmie Rodgers)

The Mississippi River blues.

Oh, you Mississippi River with water so deep and wide,
My thoughts of you keep rising just like an evening tide.
I'm just like a seagull that's left the sea.
Oh, your muddy waters they keep on calling me.

I'm going to pack my grip and head that way.
You'll see me hanging 'round again someday,
'Cause I know that's the only way to lose
The Mississippi River blues,
The Mississippi River blues.

I've often ridden on your bosom from Memphis down to New Orleans
Dreaming over muddy waters flowing through familiar scenes,
And when I hear the whistle of an old steamboat,
Down that Mississippi River again I'm going to float.

I'm gonna pack my grip and head that way.
You'll see me hanging 'round again someday
'Cause I know that's the only way to lose
That mean old Mississippi River blues,
The Mississippi River blues.

Sung by Jimmie Rodgers
Copyright 1931 by Peer International Corp.


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Black Hawk
Date: 10 Jan 07 - 01:29 PM

Mississippi Delta Blues
Mississippi Moon
The Mississippi River Blues
all by Jimmie Rodgers
Miss the Mississippi and You already mentioned


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Black Hawk
Date: 07 Jan 07 - 11:27 AM

Mississippi Sands sung by Johnny Cash!


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Elmer Fudd
Date: 07 Jan 07 - 01:26 AM

There's a song Rita Coolidge recorded, "Mud Island," in which the whole story went down, verse by verse, "by the banks of the Mighty Mississippi on a place they call Mud Island."

However, sure as shootin' I can't find the lyrics in the DT or from Google.

Elmer


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: oldhippie
Date: 06 Jan 07 - 06:40 PM

not folk, but there's also "Mississippi" by Sheryl Crow

"The only thing the I did wrong
I stayed in Mississippi way too long"


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jan 07 - 04:13 PM

I know WIlly-O has a beautiful song about the upper waters of the Mississippi but I can't find the damn thing just now.

A


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: GUEST,randomly saw your post
Date: 06 Jan 07 - 03:19 PM

Mississippi on my Mind, sung by Jesse Winchester in 1974.
Here's a link where you can listen. :-)
http://members.vpchat.com/SouthernComfort-/MissOnMyMind.html


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Subject: Lyr Add: LELAND MISSISSIPPI BLUES (Johnny Winter)
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 08:49 PM

I remembered hearing this one years ago by Johnny Winter who was born in Leland, Mississippi but was reared mainly in Beaumont, Texas.

Of course, Johnny is only the second most famous person to have been born in Leland. The most famous would be Kermit the Frog. Well.... I guess Kermit was actually hatched, not born there, but let's not split hairs, okay?


LELAND MISSISSIPPI BLUES
(Johnny Winter)

I've been in Texas, I've been on the run
I've been in Texas, I've been on the run
I'm going to Leland, Mississippi, mama
You all know that's where I come from
Right down on the Delta, man
Well, I'm alone, baby, I'm free free from my home
Well, I'm alone, I'm free from my home
You know I was sittin' right down people
On my daddy's cotton farm
Come hear, baby, let your long hair down
Ah, come here, woman, let your hair down
I want you to love me with a feeling
'Cause I'm Mississippi bound
The best woman, the best waist in town
The best woman, the best waist in town
Oh yeah
You'll never keep me woman
'Cause I have a travellin' mind


Hey, I didn't say it was a good song, but it is about Mississippi.

Bruce


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Art Thieme
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 08:24 PM

Rick,

When Balladeer talks to Len Chandler, give him regards from Mary and Fritz Schuler in Mantowoc, Wisconsin. Mary did a very nice drawing of Len that wound up in Sing Out many years back. If he wants to make contact with her, I have all the details.

Also, Rick, could we be talking about two different songs??? Were Dylan's words the same as the ones I posted in this thread ? The tune had a kind of swing to it with that one little sharped or flatted note at the end of the third line of every verse. (Can you tell I played by ear??? I've got calluses on my lobes to ptove it. ;-)

Art Thieme


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Art Thieme
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 08:10 PM

Rick,

I don't know Sammy Walker. But this was early 1960s----not long at all after Till's death. I thought of it as a real folksong since it was taken right from the event. It seemed like a heartfelt and spontaneous outpouring of emotion much like my big collection of songs about John F. Kennedy.

Art Thieme


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Subject: Lyr Add: ROLL ON MISSISSIPPI ROLL ON
From: Frankham
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 02:49 PM

I finally found what I was looking for. Had a hard time locating it. Found it in a Charles Anderson Fake Book through a banjo player.
It's a fun little tune with a set of razz-a-ma-tazz diminished seventh chords at the climax.

ROLL ON MISSISSIPPI ROLL ON
(Eugen West, James McCaffrey and Dave Ringle)
Recorded by Snooks' Memphis Ramblers (1931)
______________________________________________

Verse:
Hear that whistle, there goes the bell.
That means we're on our way.
All a-board! Boy I'm feelin' swell.
This is my happy day!
Paddle wheel, you're mighty mighty slow.
That's why I keep shouting "Let her go!"

Chorus:
Roll on you Mississippi, Roll on.
Come on you lazy steamer, move on.
Clear the river, here we come.
Watch her smoke, boy,
Hear that engine hummin' Lawdy!
Take a look at the shore..
Soon I'll be with the folks I adore.
There's a spot 'round the bend.
That's my home, my journey's end.
Come n you Old Man River, come on!
Roll on you Mississippi, roll on!

Frank Hamilton


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 11:37 AM

Hi Art. Hmmmmm....got an idea. Dylan wrote "The Death of Emmett Till" pretty early on. It was printed in Broadside, but not in Sing-Out (I think)

I have a live version of him singing it (perhaps 1961) for Cynthia Gooding on her radio show, where the Zimmster says "I uh..stole...heh, heh, the chords for this from Len Chandler...heh, heh,... burp....suck-exhale..belch, heh, heh,...."

Up til then she's highly unimpressed by Bobby and his interpretations of blues and country songs. She hears Emmett Till (with the "House of the rising sun" chords) and simply freaks. She's dumbfounded.

Chandler used the D9th (with F# in the bass) a lot. Any chance the recording may have been his?

By the way, Mudcatter Balladeer is buddies with Len and keeps in touch with him.

Cheers

Rick


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: pattyClink
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 11:34 AM

Thank you, khandu. Adopted Mississippian here, it is a beautiful place and a rich mix of people. Lots of people moving back, as did Eudora Welty, herself partly for "the pastoral beauty".


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 10:20 PM

Thank you. Strong images I can feel, smell, and hear!

Spaw


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Subject: Lyr Add: DIRT ROAD SHOES (Ken Whitfield)
From: khandu
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 10:19 PM

DIRT ROAD SHOES
(Ken Whitfield)- khandu

"Put me on the front porch
Hand me that guitar
Put my woman at my side
Moonshine whiskey
Makes her frisky
Got me singin' 'I'm Satisfied'"

"Take me to the sands of the Petticocowa
Watch the frogs jump in
Kudzu creeping, willow weepin'
Momma gettin' frisky again"

"Take me back down to Mississippi
Play them 'Carroll County Blues'
I wanna hear a little of Willie on the fiddle
And I'm puttin' on my dirt road shoes"

"Jesse's in the kitchen
Cookin up them bisquits
Lawd, how good they smell
Maxwell House is brewing,
Do ya' hear what John is doing
He singin' bout his Creole Belle"

"Take me back down to Mississippi
Play them John Hurt Blues
Play me the 'Candy Man'
Or the 'Slidin' Delta'
Cause I'm puttin on my dirt road shoes"

copyright 2003 Ken Whitfield


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 10:04 PM

Well wipe the kerosene off your hands and post it! Geeziz, y'all are always bitchin' about us damn yankees and yet I swear I gotta' tell you everything! Post the song dumbass..........or do we need another Flamin' Mary/Twirlin' Jesus debacle to get you started?

Spaw


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: khandu
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 09:53 PM

Uh...Art...that's "M-o-n-e-y", Mississippi, not "M-u-n-y".

I love this state. I am quite happy to be native Mississippian. It is a beautiful land, even with all the kudzu. Even with all the negative views many have held toward us for decades. Even with the still-existing problems, I love this place.

I am proud of the diversity of music that has come from here; the Delta Bluesmen, Elvis, Jimmie Rogers, Three Doors Down, Bobbie Gentry, to name a few.

I am proud of the social changes that have taken place, though there is a long, long way to go.

I am proud that we are not stagnant, but rather, we are progressive, yet we still honor and hold dear our heritage.

As for Mississippi songs, those which I thought of are already listed, with one exception...there is an obscure song of Mississippi by an obscure artist named "khandu" which is titled "Dirt Road Shoes". It is one of my favorites! ;-)

khandu


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Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI DELTA (Bobbie Gentry)
From: Burke
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 06:22 PM

Here's on that I was thinking of.

MISSISSIPPI DELTA By Bobbie Gentry

M I double S I double S I double P I.
M I double S I double S I double P I.
Right in the middle of the cotton belt,
Down in the Mississippi Delta,
Wearin' last years possum belt,
Smack dab in the Mississippi Delta.

Have me a little that Johnny cake,
A little bit of that apple pan dowdy.
Picking them scuppernon's off that vine.
Chigger bite, it's goin' to beat howdy.

Ate me a bucket of Muscadine,
Sit on the riverbank after dark.
Drop my line down a crawdad hole,
Do him in with a scaly bark.

One-ree-o-ree-ee-reeanni.
Fidderliss-farce-nickory-john-queery-quan.

M I double S I double S I double P I.
M I double S I double S I double P I.
Right in the middle of the cotton belt,
Down in the Mississippi Delta,
Wearin' last years possum belt,
Smack dab in the Mississippi Delta.

Sittin and scratchin' mosquito bites.
Old fox done give him the slip.
Watchin' the mornin' glories grow,
In Biloxi on an overnight trip.

I bet five dollars to win two bits,
Eat a peppermint stick on Sunday.
Ain't no use in'a hurrying up,
Can't leave till a week from Monday.

One-ree-o-ree-ee-reeanni.
Fidderliss-farce-nickory-john-queery-quan.

In the Mississippi Delta,
Miss-iss-siss-ippi Delta.

Mississippi Delta: Bobbie Gentry.
Written by Bobbie Gentry.
(© Northridge Music Company/Universal MCA Music Publishing.)
From "Golden Classics of Bobbie Gentry", © 1998, Collectables.
Originally © 1967, Capitol Records.
Lyrics from www.coquet-shack.com


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Frankham
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 05:03 PM

More info on the song I was searching for.
ROLL ON MISSISSIPPI, ROLL ON        Eugene West, James McCaffrey & Dave Ringle        1931        

Looked all over the net and could only locate a MIDI melody but no lyrics.

Can anybody help? Thanks.

Frank


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Greg F.
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 10:00 AM

Sheesh- that's what I get for not payin' attention.

Thank you, Spaw, and thank you Joe!

Best, Greg


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 02:33 AM

HEY GREG!!!

Father Joebro has just blessed us with his transcriptions of both Alma Mater and FLNKKK. The one is on the "Mitchell Trio Songbook" thread and the other is on a thread titled FLNKKK.

Thank you Joe!

Spaw


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Art Thieme
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 12:57 AM

No, Rick, it wasn't either of those two---definitely not Dylan. It was sung by someone I'd never heard of before or since----possibly the one who wrote it. It was on no label I'd ever seen before or since also. I bought it on Lincoln St. in Evansville, Indiana--- a rather quiet ghetto part of that city where I spent summers working in my uncle's factory while in school. Those were more timid times with the phrase "in yo face" not even thought of yet, but the laid back street was awakening. First, mild awareness---and then, when Martin Luther King was killed, the rage that erupted just about levelled that part of Evansville. I didn't get back to Evansville until I was called to an emergency at 3:00 AM. I had to work out new nursing home arrangements for my aunt 'cause she had decked the head nurse with a vicious right and they were gonna put her out of her nursing facility with all her belongings. (But that's another story.)

I never knew Dylan had recorded "Emmett Till".

Art Thieme

I should've read the entire thread before posting to it. That'll teach me. Sorry if I reposted what had already been discussed.


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: steadigene
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 11:29 PM

Someone asked about Mississippi On My Mind. I can't remeber who wrote it (he was draft dodging in Canada at the time), but it is on Jerry Jeff Walker's "Ridin High" album. From about 1976.

Someone else mentioned Mississippi Delta Blues and that it was posted somehwere? I can't find it. Can anyone help me on this?

I'm hoping to find the chords and lyrics.


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Greg F.
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 11:02 PM

and then there's This One too
(Too Many Martyrs - Ochs)


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 10:53 PM

Hi Art. This was in my initial post:

"Dylan's "Oxford Town", and "Emmett Til" also come to mind, but then I started to think of much
more 'positive' songs about the Mississippi (State AND river).

If the 45 you had wasn't Dylan, might it have been Sammy Walker?

Cheers

Rick


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Greg F.
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 10:06 PM

As long as we're researching the Mitchell trio, how about the words to
Your Friendly, Liberal, Neighborhood Ku Klux Klan?

That's Mississippi related as well.


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: catspaw49
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 09:49 PM

Well damn Greg....I don't know how any of us forgot that one. Thanks.

For all of the beauty and great history of Mississippi, the state also has a very troubled past, and some present as well. But that history and those who have worked hard to overcome and change things have my deepest respect. Like 'Catter and good friend "khandu." Rather than follow along he has been there and worked toward the changes which brought Mississippi out of those dark and violent times. And he still has a smile and a laugh and takes all of my ribbing with far more than good grace. I admire him a lot.

another of those songs, this one with a more humorous bent was the Mitchell Trio's "Alma Mater." I can't find the words on the net anywhere but I know they are in a few songbooks. A real classic....a few lines I remember.....

We'll miss the cafeteria
That's shrouded in wisteria
We'll miss the classrooms where we learned
And effigies we burned.

My girl was only seventeen
When she was chosen
Riot Queeen
These memories we'll ne'er forget
God bless you
Ross Barnett.


Anybody got this thing? I know we've had a few threads on the Mitchell Trio and someone has a songbook.

Spaw
I posted it here (click), Spaw.
-Joe Offer-


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Greg F.
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 09:22 PM

(Here's) another ode to Mississippi in the 1960's. This libelous too?? The times were considerably worse than "strange".

Best, Greg


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Frankham
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 06:59 PM

Joe,

Thanks for trying for me.

No, the Randy Sparks version isn't the one.

The song is apparently called "Roll on you Mississippi". It starts off "Roll on you Mississippi, roll on, roll on you lazy river.....

something like the Sparks song which was probably a re-write of this earlier song from the 20's I believe. It's associated with the early jazz band banjos. It culminates in a series of diminished seventh chords.

Frank


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: masato sakurai
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 02:51 AM

Burke, this (from the Levy collection) may not be the one, but a spelling song.

Title: Frances White's Spelling Song M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I.
Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Lyric by Bert Hanlon and Benny Ryan. Melody by Harry Tierney.
Benny Ryan Harry Tierney Publication: New York: William Jerome Publishing Corp., Strand Theatre Bldg., 47th St., 1916.
Form of Composition: strophic with chorus
Instrumentation: piano and voice
First Line: When I was seven years of age I used to go to school
First Line of Chorus: M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, That used to be so hard to spell

~Masato


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Subject: Lyr Add: BALLAD OF EMMIT TILL
From: Art Thieme
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 12:35 AM

I had a 45 rpm record of a song called "The Ballad Of Emmit Till". Just a guy and his guitar----the way I like folksongs to be done. Emmet Till was a young Afro-American boy from Chicago who went down to Muny, Mississippi and made the mistake of thinking a white woman was pretty. He was murdered for that. I only have my long-hand transcription of that song. The 45 is long gone.

----------------------------------------------------------------

BALLAD OF EMMIT TILL
Songwriter ??

Folks, listen to my story,
It's one you all should know,
Of a Negro boy by the name of Emmit Till,
From Chicago to Mississippi
To see his Uncle Mose,
And over him the waters all did flow.

CH)
Emmit Till, oh, Emmit Till,
Your name will be remembered we all know,
To Talahache, Mississippi to see his Uncle Mose,
But we won't see little Emmit any more.

When younger he had polio----his mother's only child,
She loved him as any mother should,
His dad,he wore the khacki, fought bravely for Uncle Sam,
That his son might have the privilege that he should.

Was a few boys in Talahache---Emmit with all his pals,
To a Mississippi grocery store to buy,
They bought everything they wanted from the woman at the store,
As they turned to leave, little Emmit said, "Goodbye."

One friend said to him, "Just look at that gal,
The one in the grocery store."
They said, "She is good looking."---Emmit said, "You're right."
And that remark cost Emmit Till his life.

'Twas on the following Sunday----they say about two A.M.
Two men came and knocked at Mose's door,
They said to Uncle Mose, "We have come to take the boy,
He whistled at that woman in the store."

He was taken to a stable---beat and shot right through the head,
All one could hear were blows and Emmit's cries,
Last words were "Mama, save me. Have mercy on me Lord."
The blows still fell----but Emmit he had died.

Weights were placed upon his body---in the river they did fling,
Believing that fiendish crime to hide,
But in time the body came afloat still wearing his father's ring,
Ring and feet Uncle Mose Identified.

The two men went to trial---sat and grinned and smoked and chewed,
As the fearful witnesses all did testify,
Jurors out 65 minutes returned verdict in hand,
Not Guilty was the very prompt reply.

Art Thieme




Art Thieme


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Subject: Lyr Add: BORN DEAD (J B Lenoir)
From: Rolfyboy6
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 12:10 AM

Another grim one from JB Lenoir:

Born Dead

J B recorded in the Sixties a number of blues addressing race issues in words that were uncommonly direct for the blues. "Born Dead" is probably the "sharpest" of those songs.

BORN DEAD
(J B Lenoir)

Lord why was I born in Mississippi,
       when it's so hard to get ahead
Why was I born in Mississippi,
       when it's so hard to get ahead
Every black child born in Mississippi
       you know the poor child is born dead

When he came into the world
       the doctor spank him, the black baby cry
When he came into the world
       the doctor spank him, the black baby cry
Everybody thought he had a life
       and that's why the black baby died

He will never speak his language
       the poor baby will never speak his mind
Lord he will never speak his language
       the poor baby will never speak his mind
The poor child will never know his mind
       why in the world he's so poor

Lord why was I born in Mississippi
       when it's so hard to get ahead
Lord why was I born in Mississippi
       when it's so hard to get ahead
Every black child born in Mississippi
       you know the poor child was born dead


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Subject: Lyr Add: SET ME FREE (Hans Theessink)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 12:02 AM

Hmmmm. Maybe it's this one...maybe not. Hans Theessink???
I found it here (click).
-Joe Offer-


SET ME FREE
(Hans Theessink)

Congregation gathered by the river
Early morning - dawning of the day
Reverend Jones reads his sermon
In the distance you can hear the people pray

Roll on mighty Mississippi - wash your waters to the sea
Roll on mighty Mississippi - wash away our sins and set us free
Lord above - as you look upon us
Hallowed be Thy name - we testify
Lord, you give and take - don´t turn these souls away
Lead us to that mansion in the sky

Roll on mighty Mississippi ...

Down in the delta at the crossroads
The ghost of Robert Johnson roams the land
Telling the news - preaching the blues
Lending the devil a hand

Roll on mighty Mississippi ...

Mojo people gather by the river
Eternal beating of the drum
Mumbling a prayer - there´s voodoo in the air
The spirit of the motherland returns

Roll on mighty Mississippi ...


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Subject: ADDPOP: Mighty Mississippi (Randy Sparks)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 11:41 PM

Frank, could this be the song you want? I found it here (click). It was unattributed at that Website, but I've heard it sung by the New Christy Minstrels. Yeah, it's Randy Sparks - and I suppose it's not the one you want.
-Joe Offer-


MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI
(Randy Sparks)
    Mighty Mississippi, roll along
    Lazy river, sing your song
    And it's away, Dixie, steady as you go
    On your way down to the Gulf of Mexico
Oh! ol' man river keeps on callin' me
There ain't no place on earth I'd rather be
Well it's Greenville, Vicksburg and Natchez down the line
It's fare-thee-well ol' Memphis, Tennesse
    Mighty Mississippi, roll along
    Lazy river, sing your song
    And it's away, Dixie, steady as you go
    On your way down to the Gulf of Mexico
Well, I used to ride aboard that River Queen
It was many a game of fortune I have seen
Oh, once I lost a million and I won it back again
On the way from Baton Rouge to New Orleans
    Mighty Mississippi, roll along
    Lazy river, sing your song
    And it's away, Dixie, steady as you go
    On your way down to the Gulf my honey!
    On your way down to the Gulf my baby!
    On your way down to the Gulf of Mexico
    "One more time!"
    On your way down to the Gulf of Mexico
transcribed from The Definitive New Christy Minstrels CD. This song was on the Ramblin' album, recording in 1962-63.


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Frankham
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 08:27 PM

Hey, anybody got the lyrics for "Mississippi Roll On"? The chorus starts "You mighty Mississipi roll on....." It does a thing with long diminished seventh chords at the end of the stanza.

Thanks,

Frank Hamilton


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 06:15 PM

Way, way back, 24 Aug 98, Gene posted "Mississippi Mud," by Patti Page, in thread 1330: Mississippi Mud
Hey! Hey! Uncle Jack! Anything sung by Patti Page was golden.


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 06:09 PM

Harry Barris (author above) along with Bing Crosby and Al Rinker were The Rhythm Boys and had a hit with Mississippi Mud (with Paul Whiteman's Orchestra).

Mick


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Giac
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 05:56 PM

And, here's a link to the site where I found the lyrics for Mississippi Mud. It has a midi that sounds pretty good.

Mississippi Mud midi


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Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI MUD (Cavanaugh/Barris)
From: Giac
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 05:53 PM

Rick, here's this'n that yo mama probably played (I learned it in summer camp, too many years ago):

MISSISSIPPI MUD
(James Cavanaugh/Harry Barris)

When the sun goes down, the tide goes out,
The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout,
"Hey! Hey! Uncle Dud,
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud.
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud".

What a dance do they do!
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you...
They don't need no band...
They keep time by clappin' their hand...
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud,
When the people beat their feet on the Mississippi Mud.

Lordy, how they play it!
Goodness, how they sway it!
Uncle Joe, Uncle Jim,
How they pound the mire with vigor and vim!
Joy! that music thrills me!
Boy! it nearly kills me!
What a show when they go!
Say! they beat it up either fast or slow.

When the sun goes down, the tide goes out,
The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout,
"Hey! Hey! Uncle Dud,
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud.
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud".

What a dance do they do!
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you...
They don't need no band...
They keep time by clappin' their hand.
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud.
When the people beat their feet on the Mississippi Mud.

Mary


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Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Neighmond
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 04:20 PM

Alanabit mentioned "Mississippi Delta Blues"... I think Jimmie Rodgers sang it, and later Leon Redbone did it.

Chaz


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Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI YOU'RE ON MY MIND (Winchester
From: Rolfyboy6
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 02:33 PM

MISSISSIPPI YOU'RE ON MY MIND
(Jesse Winchester)

I think I see a wagon rutted road
With the weeds growing tall between the tracks
And along one side runs a rusty barbed wire fence
And beyond that sits an old tar paper shack

Mississippi you're on my mind
Mississippi you're on my mind
Oh, Mississippi you're on my mind

I think I hear a noisy old John Deere
In a field specked with dirty cotton lint
And below the field runs a shady little creek
And there you'll find the cool green leaves of mint

Mississippi you're on my mind
Mississippi you're on my mind
Oh, Mississippi you're on my mind

I think I smell the honeysuckle vine
The heavy sweetness like to make me sick
And the dogs, my God, they're hungry all the time
And the snakes are sleeping where the weeds are thick

Mississippi you're on my mind
Mississippi you're on my mind
Oh, Mississippi you're on my mind

I think I feel an angry oven heat
The Southern Sun just blazes in the sky
In the dusty weeds a fat grasshopper jumps
I want to make it to that creek before I fry

Mississippi you're on my mind
Mississippi you're on my mind
Oh, Mississippi you're on my mind

©1974 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "Learn To Love It"


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Subject: Lyr Add: MISS THE MISSISSIPPI AND YOU (Bill Halley
From: Rolfyboy6
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 02:29 PM

MISS THE MISSISSIPPI AND YOU
by Bill Halley

I'm growing tired of the big city lights
Tired of the glamour and tired of the sights
In all my dreams I am roaming once more
Back to my home on the old river shore

I am sad and weary far away from home
Miss the Mississippi and you dear
Days are dark and dreary everywhere I roam
Miss the Mississippi and you

Roaming the wide world over
Always along and blue, so blue
Nothing seems to cheer me under heaven's dome
Miss the Mississippi and you

Memories are bringing happy days of yore
Miss the Mississippi and you
Mocking birds are singing 'round the cabin door
Miss the Mississippi and you

Roamin the wide world over
Always alone and blue
Longing form my homeland, muddy water shore
Miss the Mississippi and you

©1932 Southern Music Publishing Company, Inc (ASCAP)
All Rights Reserved.


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