Thursday, October 23, 2014

ATF: Bayou Babes

This weekly series will include as many of my all-time favorite (ATF) tunes as I can get my grubby little hands on (so to speak).  Now, each one included in each edition will have some connection with the other—albeit only as a figment of my imagination, but they will not be numbered.  For I just cannot bring myself to rate some higher than others.  So, this will not be a countdown, but if you are enjoying them as much as I do, it won’t matter.  Besides, with no countdown, this could go on forever and ever!  Oh, and despite the fact that there is absolutely no way your musical tastes could be as exquisite as mine, I welcome any suggestions you might dare to make.  For I am, after all, quite magnanimous by nature.



Polk Salad Annie
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 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

Every day 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
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
Lord have mercy
Pick me 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

Got to have me
A ladle of it




Marie LaVeau
Bobby Bare
Down in Louisiana
Where the black trees grow
Lives a voodoo lady
Named Marie LeVeau
She got a black cat tooth
And a mojo bone
And anyone wouldn't
Leave her alone
She’d go
Greeeeeee
Another man done gone

She lives in a swamp
In a hollow log
With a one-eyed snake
And a three-legged dog
She got a bent bony body
And stringy hair
And if she ever seen you-all
Messin' ‘round there
She’d go
Greeeeeee
Another man done gone

And then one night
When the moon was black
Into the swamp
Come Handsome Jack
A no good man
Like you-all know
When he was lookin' around
For Marie LeVeau
He said
Marie LeVeau
You lovely witch
Gimme a little charm
That'll make me rich
Gimme a million dollars
And I tell you what I'll do
This very night
I'm gonna marry you
And it'll be
Ummmmmmm
Another man done gone

So Marie done some magic
And she shook a little sand
Made a million dollars
And she put it in his hands
Then she giggled
And she wiggled
And she said
Hey hey
I'm gettin' ready
For my weddin' day
But ol' Handsome Jack
He said goodbye Marie
You're too damn ugly
For a rich man like me
Then Marie started numblin'
Her fangs started gnashin'
Her body started tremblin'
And her eyes started flashin'
And she went
Greeeeeee
Another man done gone

So if you ever get down
Where the black trees grow
And meet a voodoo lady
Named Marie LeVeau
If she ever asks you
To make her your wife
Man you better stay with her
For the rest of your life
Or it'll be
Ooooo weee
Another man done gone

Lyrics From: [eLyrics.net]

16 comments:

  1. Can't imagine why I've never heard of Tony Joe White - maybe he never made it across the pond. Reminded me a bit of the great John Lee Hooker.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Mike!!! Polk Salad Annie is pure delta blues, of which John Lee Hooker was a highly-respected master. The song is the only really big hit for White. So, maybe it came and went back there while you weren't paying enough attention? (LOL?)

      Delete
  2. Keep the guitar, chuck the rest away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Adullamite!!! Well, great guitar playing makes for a great delta blues song.

      Delete
  3. HI Y'all!

    Oh!!! Bobby Bare is my Human Mama's favorite! Like all good southerners, she has a recipe for Polk salad. That and Ramps are spring favorites. What your average reader doesn't know is that the people and things written about in these old songs was about real life and real people and real happenings...

    Anyway, I really stopped to tell you I gave your blog a "shoutout" in todays post.

    Y'all hurry on by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Hawk!!! Oh yeah, I've ate my share of polk over the years. It was never one of my favorite foods, though. Does she find it interesting that the berries are poisonous while the leaves are quite edible? Oh, and I'll be by to check out what you published muy pronto!

      Delete
  4. Polk Salad Annie is on our playlist...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Grace!!! As it should be! (LOL?)

      Delete
  5. Funny how songs back then just seemed to make so much sense, like this one, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrT-TQTLoiw
    Of course I had to put on thanks to you putting it in my head- it's one that still makes me DANCE and Rock!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Karen!!! I was thinking that there was a video of White performing Polk Salad Annie on the old Playboy TV Show, but is is actually of him doing his Groupie Girl, which will probably not be one that will make your pants want to get up and dance (a Dr. Hook reference here).

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4d7aSB2Wnw

      Delete
  6. I've heard these songs but never knew the artists involved. Thanks for adding to my music appreciation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Stephen!!! Your bill is starting to really add up. Can I expect to receive a check in the mail soon?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Jerry, I really like the first song, though I never heard the second song before. Catherine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Catherine!!! You probably wouldn't have ever heard Marie LaVeau unless you were listening to a country/western station way back when. For I don't think it ever crossed over.

      Delete
  9. You're digging up some good old memories. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Lee!!! I am really glad you enjoyed this.

      Delete

Since the Blogger spam filter has been found sorely lacking lately, I will start moderating comments. Be assured that I am only interested in deleting spam. So, if you feel a need to take me to task over something—even anonymously, go ahead and let 'er rip, and I will publish it as soon as I can.