Polk Salad Annie – Elvis Presley

Introduction

Polk Salad Annie: A Southern Tale of Grit and Gumption

In the heart of Louisiana, where alligators roam and the air hums with the rhythm of the blues, there lived a woman named Polk Salad Annie. A force of nature, she embodied the spirit of the South, her strength and resilience shining through her every action.

Elvis Presley’s “Polk Salad Annie” is a vibrant ode to this Southern belle, capturing her untamed spirit and the essence of life in the rural South. The song’s opening lines paint a vivid picture of Annie’s humble origins, raised amidst the hardships of poverty and the watchful eyes of alligators.

Annie’s family faced challenges, with her mother working on a chain gang and her father burdened by laziness. Yet, Annie remained undeterred, her spirit unbroken by the obstacles life threw her way. She found solace in the simple pleasures of life, gathering Polk salad from the fields to nourish her family.

“Polk Salad Annie” is more than just a song; it’s an anthem for the strong-willed and independent, a testament to the indomitable spirit of the South. Annie’s story reminds us that even in the face of adversity, we can find joy and fulfillment in the simple things, embracing life’s challenges with grit and determination.

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Lyrics

Some of you all never been down South too much…
I’ gonna tell you a little story, so you’ll understand where I’m talking about
Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods and the fields,
and it looks something 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.

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

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, dispiteful, straight-razor totin’ woman,
Lord have mercy.

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

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

For once 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 meets 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 what meets a meal mention
Sock a little Polk salad to him
You know what meets a meal mention
Chinc, chinc, chinc, chin, ling, ling ling