Polk Salad Annie

Album: Black and White (1968)
Charted: 8
Play Video
  • 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 in the fields looks somethin' like a turnip green
    And everybody calls it polk salad, polk salad

    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, but they did all right

    Down in Louisiana, where the alligators grow so mean
    There lived a girl that I swear to the world
    Made the alligators look tame
    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)

    Everyday for supper time, she'd go down by the truck patch
    And pick her a mess of polk salad, and carry it home in a tow sack
    Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
    Everybody says it was a shame
    'Cause her momma was a workin' on the chain gang
    (A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin' woman
    Lord have Mercy, take a mess of it)

    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
    Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
    Everybody said it was a shame
    'Cause her momma was a workin' on the chain gang
    (Sock a little polk salad to me, you know I need me a mess of it) Writer/s: Tony Joe White
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyPer: http://www.oldiesmusic.com/news.htm {10-25-2018}...
    Tony Joe White, the Oak Grove, Louisiana native best known writing and performing the swamp rock classic “Polk Salad Annie” (#8 in 1969), died of a heart attack Wednesday (October 24th, 2018) at his home in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, he was 75...
    Though his only other top 50 tune was the follow-up, “Roosevelt And Ira Lee” (#44) that same year, Tony Joe also wrote Brook Benton’s “Rainy Night In Georgia” (#4 in 1970) as well as four tunes on Tina Turner’s 1989 album, 'Foreign Affair', one of which was the single “Steamy Windows” (#39 in 1990)...
    He appeared in the 1974 film version of 'Catch My Soul', a rock opera version of Shakespeare’s 'Othello', with Richie Havens...
    May he R.I.P.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 14th 1969, Tony Joe White performed "Polk Salad Annie" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand''...
    Fifteen days later on June 29th, 1969 "Polk Salad Annie" would entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #86; seven weeks later on August 17th it would peak at #8 {for 1 week} and it stayed on the chart for 12 weeks...
    He had three other records make Top 100 chart; "Roosevelt and Ira Lee (Night of the Mossacin)" {#44 in 1969}, "Save Your Sugar for Me" {#94 in 1970}, and "I Get Off On It" {#79 in 1980}...
    Tony Joe White will celebrate his 72nd birthday next month on July 23rd {2015}.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

Victoria Williams

Victoria WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."