Polk Salad Annie

Tony Joe White

About Polk Salad Annie

"Polk Salad Annie” is a 1968 song written and performed by Tony Joe White. It was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Its lyrics describe the lifestyle of a poor rural Southern girl and her family. Traditionally, the term to describe the type of food highlighted in the song is polk or poke sallet, a cooked greens dish made from pokeweed. Its 1969 single release peaked at Number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, the song made No. 10 on the RPM Magazine Hot Singles chart. Elvis Presley's version also made the song popular. 


Year:
2002
40 
#1

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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)

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Tony Joe White

Tony Joe White (born July 23, 1943, Oak Grove, Louisiana, United States) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989. "Polk Salad Annie" was also recorded by Elvis Presley and Tom Jones. more »

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Written by: TONY WHITE, TONY JOE WHITE

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Original Creator
"Polk Salad Annie" was originally written and performed by Tony Joe White, not Elvis Presley. Tony Joe White was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for his hit songs in the late 1960s.
Elvis Presley's Version
Even though this song is often associated with Elvis Presley, he merely covered it. Presley's version of "Polk Salad Annie" in the early 1970s was one of his frequent live performances.
Song's Theme
The song's theme is about a girl in the South who picks polk salad, a type of dangerous, possibly poisonous, greens that grows in the wild. White claims to have known such a girl when he lived in Louisiana.
Chart Success
"Polk Salad Annie" became a major hit for White in the US in 1969, reaching top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Bobbie Gentry's Influence
When writing "Polk Salad Annie", White was inspired by Bobbie Gentry's song "Ode to Billie Joe", which also features Southern storytelling.
Usage in Films
The song has been used in several films as part of the soundtracks, including "The Specialist" (1994), "The Green Ghost" (2018), and "King of the Hill" (1997).
Live Cover Performances
Besides Elvis, other big names like Tom Jones and Joe Dassin have also performed covers of "Polk Salad Annie" in their live shows.
Misconception About the Lyrics
Many people misunderstood the term "polk salad" in the song, thinking it was "poke salad". The proper term is "polk salad", referring to the leafy plant Phytolacca americana.
Grammy Hall of Fame
In 2014, the song "Polk Salad Annie" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, marking it as one of the significant pieces of recorded music history.
Tony Joe White's Death
Interestingly, "Polk Salad Annie" was also one of White's last performances before his sudden death in 2018. He played it during a segment on the NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert only weeks before his demise.

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    Polk Salad Annie

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1969

    Billboard #8


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