Phil Ochs – Here's To The State Of Mississippi lyrics

Here's to the State of Mississippi,
For underneath her borders, the devil draws no lines,
If you drag her muddy rivers, nameless bodies you will find.
Oh the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,
The calender is lyin' when it reads the present time.
Whoa here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!

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
For they smile and shrug their shoulders at the murder of a man.
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of

And here's to the schools of Mississippi
Where they're teachin' 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'
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of

And here's to the cops of Mississippi
They're chewin' 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 takin' prisoners in their private little wars
And behind their broken badges there are murderers and more
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of

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

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

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

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