Tony Joe White’s eerbetoon – of misschien wel liefdesverklaring – aan een vrouw uit het Diepe Zuiden met een niet bepaald lelieblanke familie. Vaderlief is een beroepswerkloze, moeder ligt aan de ketens in een chain gang en haar broers zijn dieven. Geen ideale omstandigheden om in op te groeien, maar Annie probeert er het beste van te maken. Niet dat ze zielig is: There lived a girl that I swear to the world/Made the alligators look tame. De song was een vast onderdeel van Elvis Presley’s shows in de jaren 70.
[Spoken Introduction]
Uh!
If some of ya’ll never been down south too much
I’m gonna tell you a little bit about this
So that you’ll understand what I’m talkin’ about
Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods and
The fields
Looks somethin’ like a turnip green
Everybody calls it polk salad
Polk salad
Uh!
Used to know a girl lived down there
And she’d go out in the evenings and pick her a mess of it
Carry it home and cook it for supper
‘Cause that’s about all they had to eat
They did alright
[Verse 1]
And down in Louisiana
Where the alligators grow so mean
There lived a girl that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame
[Chorus]
Polk salad Annie, polk salad Annie
Everybody said it was a shame
‘Cause her momma was a-workin’ on the chain gang
(A mean, vicious woman) Uh!
[Verse 2]
Every day ‘for suppertime
She’d go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess of polk salad
Carry it home in a tote sack
[Chorus]
Polk salad Annie
The gators got your granny, chomp, chomp, chomp
Everybody says it was a shame
‘Cause her momma was a workin’ on the chain gang
(A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin’ woman, heh-heh)
(Lord, have mercy, pick a mess of it)
[Harmonica Solo]
Uh!
[Verse 3]
Her daddy was lazy and no ‘count
Claimed he had a bad back
All her brothers were fit for was stealin’ watermelons
Out of my truck patch
[Chorus]
Polk salad Annie
The gators got your granny, woah ooh-hoo
Everybody said it was a shame
‘Cause her momma was a-workin’ on the chain gang
[Outro]
(Sock a little polk salad to me
You know I need a mean mess of it)
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Good God
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh-uh-uh!
Got to have me
Ate her up, heh
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