Here's to the State of Mississippi
About the Song
About the song: https://philochsthing.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/heres-to-the-state-of-mississippi/
Here's to the state of Mississippi
For underheath her borders, the devil draws no lines
If you drag her muddy river, nameless bodies you will find
Whoa, the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes
The calendar is lyin' when it reads the present time
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 their shadows at the thunder of the Klan
The sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from off their hands
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 the rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
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
Their bellies bounce inside them when they knock you to the floor
No they don't like taking prisoners in their private little war
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 is 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
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
The fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust
Heaven only knows in which God they can trust
words & music by Phil Ochs. (c) Barrricade Music. All rights reserved.
Alt Lyrics
Here's to the state of Richard Nixon
Where underneath his borders the Devil draws no lines
If you drag his muddy rivers nameless bodies you will find
And the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes
And the calendar is lying when it reads the present time
(refrain) Oh here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Richard Nixon: find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the schools of Richard Nixon
Where they're teaching all the children that they don't have to care
All the rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
There's nobody learning such a foreign word as "fair"
And here's to the laws of Richard Nixon
Where the wars are fought in secret, Pearl Harbor every day
He punishes with income tax that he don't have to pay
And he's tapping his own brother just to hear what he would say
But corruption can be classic in the Richard Nixon way
And here's to the churches of Richard Nixon (and Billy Graham)
Where the cross once made of silver now is caked with rust
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust
And the fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust
And Heaven only knows in which God they can trust
And here's to the government of Richard Nixon
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging down
And criminals are posing as advisors to the crown
And they hope that no one sees the sights & no one hears the sounds
- lyrics & music by Phil Ochs
from the "Chords of Fame" album - a 2-LP compilation of folksinger Phil Ochs' career, compiled by his brother shortly after Ochs' death in 1976. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chords_of_Fame)
