Polk Salad Annie Lyrics - Black And White - Tony Joe White

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 thats 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, pick 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)