Ode to Billie Joe

Patricia BarberPatricia Barber 

Follow 1 fan

Patricia Barber

Patricia Barber (born November 8, 1955, Chicago, Illinois) is an American jazz and blues singer, pianist, songwriter, and bandleader. She was awarded Guggenheim Fellowship in 2003 in Creative Arts - Music Composition field. more »

Year:

1994

5:20

191 Views

Playlists:

#2

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com

it was the 3rd of june another sleepy dusty delta day 
i was out choppin' cotton and my brother was bailin' hay. 
at dinner time we stopped off on down to the house to eat 
and mama hollered out the backdoor y'all remember to wipe your feet. 

she said i got some of news this mornin' from choctaw ridge 
seems that billy joe macallister's jumped off the tallahatchee bridge. 

well papa said to mama as he passed around the black eyed peas 
billy joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits please 
there's 5 more acres in the lower 40 i got to plow 
mama said was a shame about billy joe anyhow 
seems that nothin' never comes to no good up on choctaw ridge and now you 
tell me billy joe has jumped off the tallahatchee bridge. 

brother recollected when he and tom and billy joe 
put a frog down my back at the carol couty picture show 
and wasnt i talkin' to him after church last sunday night 
i'll have another peice of apple pie but oh it dont seem right 
saw him at the sawmill yesterday up on choctaw ridge 
and now you tell me billy joe has jumped off the tallahatchee bridge 

mama said to me child what's happened to your appetite? 
i've been cooking all morning and you havent touched a single bite 

that nice young preacher brother taylor dropped by today, 
said he'd be pleased have dinner on sunday, 
oh by the way 
said he saw a girl who looked alot like you up on choctaw ridge 
and she and billy joe was throwin' something off the tallahatchee bridge. 

a year's come and gone since we heard the news about billy joe 
brother married becky thompson and they bought a store in tupelo 
was a virus goin round and papa caught it and he died last spring 
now mama doesnt seem to wanto do much of anything 
me i spend alot of my time pickin flowers up on choctaw ridge 
and throw 'em into the muddy water off the tallahatchee bridge. 

 Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!