Elvis Presley

Polk Salad Annie

(words & music by Tony Joe White)

Intro (spoken)

Some of you never been down South too much.
Some of you all never been down South too.
I'm gonna tell you a little story,
so you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Down there we have a plant
that grows out in the woods and the fields,
and it looks some like a turnip green.
Everybody calls it Polk salad.
Now that's Polk - salad!

Used to know a girl that lived down there
and she'd go out in the evenings to pick 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.

1
Down in Louisiana
Where the alligators grow so mean
Lived a girl that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame

Polk salad Annie
'Gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
For the mama was working on the chain-gang
What a mean, vicious woman

2
Everyday before suppertime
She'd go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess of Polk salad
And carry it home in a tote sack

Polk salad Annie
'Gators got you granny
Everybody said it was a shame
'Cause the mama was working on the chain-gang
Whoo, how wretched, spiteful,
straight-razor totin' woman,
Lord have mercy.

Sock a little Polk salad to him
Yeah, you know what, yeah, yeah...

3
Her daddy was so lazy and no-count
Claimed he had a bad back
All her brothers were fit for
Was stealing watermelons out of my truck

Polk salad Annie
'Gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
For the mama was working on the chain-gang

Sock a little Polk salad to him
You know what means a meal mention
You sock a little
Hey, hey, hey, yeah, yeah...

Chic a bon, chic a bon, chic a bon bon bon bon
Chic a bon, chic a bon, chic a bon bon bon bon
Sock a little Polk salad to him
You know I need a meal miss
Sock a little Polk salad to him
You know I need a meal miss
Chinc, chinc, chinc, chin, ling, ling ling
(repeat)