Heres to the State of Mississippi
Phil Ochs
[Verse 1]
Here's to the state of Mississippi
For underneath her borders
The devil draws no line
If you drag her muddy river
Nameless bodies you will find
Oh, the fat trees of the forest
Have hid a thousand crimes
The calendar is lyin'
When it reads the present time

[Chorus]
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

[Verse 2]
And here's to the people of Mississippi
Who say the folks up north
They just don't understand
And they tremble in the shadows
At the thunder of the Klan
Oh, the sweating of their souls
Can't wash the blood from off their hands
Or they smile and shrug their shoulders
At the murder of a man
[Chorus]
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

[Verse 3]
And here's to the schools of Mississippi
Where they're teaching all the children
That they don't have to care
All the rudiments of hatred
Are present everywhere
And every single classroom
Is a factory of despair
And there's nobody learning
Such a foreign word as "fair"

[Chorus]
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

[Verse 4]
And here's to the cops of Mississippi
They're chewing their tobacco
As they lock the prison door
And their bellies bounce inside them
When they knock you to the floor
No, they don't like taking prisoners
In their private little wars
And behind their broken badges
There are murderers and more
[Chorus]
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

[Verse 5]
And here's to the judges of Mississippi
Who wear the robe of honor
As they crawl into the court
And they're guarding all the bastions
Of their phony legal fort
Oh, justice is a stranger
When the prisoners report
When the black man stands accused
The trial is always short

[Chorus]
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

[Verse 6]
And here's to the government of Mississippi
In the swamp of their bureaucracy
They're always bogging down
And criminals are posing
As the mayors of the towns
And they hope that no one sees the sights
And no one hears the sounds
And the speeches of the governor
Are the ravings of a clown
[Chorus]
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

[Verse 7]
And here's to the laws of Mississippi
Congressmen will gather
In a circus of delay
While the Constitution's drowning
In an ocean of decay
"Unwed mothers should be sterilized"
I've even heard them say
Yes, corruption can be classic
In the Mississippi way

[Chorus]
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

[Verse 8]
And here's to the churches of Mississippi
Where the cross once made of silver
Now is caked with rust
And the Sunday morning sermons
Pander to their lust
Oh, the fallen face of Jesus
Is choking in the dust
And heaven only knows
In which God they can trust

[Chorus]
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of
Write the lyrics for a country song made in 1965, titled "Heres to the State of Mississippi", by artist "Phil Ochs".