About the Song
In 1967, a young singer-songwriter named Bobby Gentry released a song that would forever change the course of country music. “Ode to Billie Joe” was a haunting ballad that told the story of a young woman named Billie Joe who jumps off a bridge with her lover. The song’s cryptic lyrics and haunting melody left listeners baffled and intrigued, propelling it to the top of the charts and making Gentry a household name.
Gentry’s songwriting was inspired by her own experiences growing up in the South. She had witnessed the poverty and hardship of rural life, and she was drawn to the dark undercurrents of Southern culture. “Ode to Billie Joe” is a dark and disturbing tale, but it is also a deeply moving and poignant commentary on the human condition.
The song’s lyrics are filled with symbolism and ambiguity, leaving listeners to interpret the meaning for themselves. Some have suggested that the song is about a young woman who is pregnant and afraid to tell her parents. Others have interpreted it as a commentary on the violence and abuse that women face in the South.
Whatever the true meaning of the song, “Ode to Billie Joe” remains a powerful and disturbing work of art. It is a testament to Gentry’s talent as a songwriter and her ability to capture the dark side of human nature. The song’s enduring popularity is a testament to its timeless themes and its ability to connect with listeners on a deep emotional level.
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Lyrics: Ode to Billy Joe
It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day
I was out choppin’ cotton and my brother was balin’ hay
And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
And Mama hollered out the back door, “Y’all remember to wipe your feet”
And then she said, “I got some news this mornin’ from Choctaw Ridge
Today Billie Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge”And Papa said to Mama as he passed around the black-eyed peas
“Well, Billie Joe never had a lick of sense. Pass the biscuits, please
There’s five more acres in the lower forty I’ve got to plow”
And Mama said it was a shame about Billie Joe, anyhow
Seems like nothin’ ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
And now Billie Joe MacAllister’s jumped off the Tallahatchie BridgeAnd brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billie Joe
He put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
And wasn’t I talkin’ to him after church last Sunday night?
“I’ll have another piece of apple pie. You know, it don’t seem right
I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge
And now you tell me Billie Joe’s jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge”Mama said to me, “Child, what’s happened to your appetite?
I’ve been cookin’ all morning and you haven’t touched a single bite
That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today
Said he’d be pleased to have dinner on Sunday. Oh, by the way
He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge
And she and Billie Joe was throwing somethin’ off the Tallahatchie Bridge”A year has come ‘n’ gone since we heard the news ’bout Billie Joe
And brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo
There was a virus going ’round, Papa caught it and he died last Spring
And now Mama doesn’t seem to wanna do much of anything
And me, I spend a lot of time pickin’ flowers up on Choctaw Ridge
And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge