Here's To The State Of Mississippi — Phil Ochs
Chords and lyrics for Here's To The State Of Mississippi by Phil Ochs (key of C).
Verse 1
[D]Here's to the [Bm]state of Mississippi,[A]
[D]for underneath her borders, the devil draws [C]no lines.
[D]If you drag her muddy rivers, nameless bodies you [C]will find.
[D]whoa, the fat trees of the forest have [C]hid a thousand crimes,
[D]the calender is[Bm] lyin' when it [Em]reads the present time.[A]
[D]Whoa, here's to [Bm]the land you've [G]torn out the heart [D]of,
[Bm]Mississippi, find [A]yourself another [D]country to be part of!
[D]And here's to the [Bm]people of Mississippi,[A]
[D]who say the folks up north, they just [C]don't understand.
[D]And they tremble in their shadows at the thunder [C]of the Klan,
[D]the sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from [C]off their hands,
[D]they smile and shrug their [Bm]shoulders at the murder of[Em] a man.[A]
[D]Whoa, here's to [Bm]the land you've [G]torn out the heart [D]of,
[Bm]Mississippi, find [A]yourself another [D]country to be part of!
[D]And here's to the [Bm]schools of Mississippi,[A]
[D]where they're teaching all the children that [C]they don't have to care,
[D]all the rudiments of hatred are [C]present everywhere,
[D]and every single classroom is a factory [C]of despair,
[D]and there's[Bm] nobody learning such[Em] a foreign word as [A]“fair”.
[D]Whoa, here's to [Bm]the land you've [G]torn out the heart [D]of,
[Bm]Mississippi, find [A]yourself another [D]country to be part of!
[D]And here's to the [Bm]cops of Mississippi,[A]
[D]they're chewing their tobacco as they lock [C]the prison door,
[D]their bellies bounce inside them when they knock you to the [C]floor,
[D]no, they don't like taking prisoners in their private[C] little war,
[D]and behind their broken [Bm]badges there are murderers [Em]and more.[A]
[D]Whoa, here's to [Bm]the land you've [G]torn out the heart [D]of,
[Bm]Mississippi, find [A]yourself another [D]country to be part of!
[D]And, here's to [Bm]the judges of Mississippi,[A]
[D]who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into [C]the court,
[D]they're guarding all the bastions of their phony [C]legal fort,
[D]oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners [C]report,
[D]when the black man stands [Bm]accused the [Em]trial is always short.[A]
[D]Whoa, here's to [Bm]the land you've [G]torn out the heart [D]of,
[Bm]Mississippi, find [A]yourself another [D]country to be part of!
[D]And here's to the [Bm]government of Mississippi,[A]
[D]in the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always [C]bogging down,
[D]and criminals are posing as the mayors of [C]the towns,
[D]and they hope that no one sees the sights,
[C]and no one hears the sounds,
[D]and the speeches of[Bm] the governor are the [Em]ravings of a clown.[A]
[D]Whoa, here's to [Bm]the land you've [G]torn out the heart [D]of,
[Bm]Mississippi, find [A]yourself another [D]country to be part of!
[D]And here's to the[Bm] laws of [A]Mississippi,
[D]Congressmen will gather in a circus of [C]delay,
[D]while the Constitution’s drowning in an [C]ocean of decay,
[D]unwed mothers should be sterilized, I've even [C]heard them say,
[D]yes, corruption can be[Bm] classic in the [Em]Mississippi way.[A]
[D]Whoa, here's to [Bm]the land you've [G]torn out the heart [D]of,
[Bm]Mississippi, find [A]yourself another [D]country to be part of!
[D]And here's to the [Bm]churches of Mississippi,[A]
[D]where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked [C]with rust,
[D]and the Sunday morning sermons pander to[C] their lust,
[D]the fallen face of Jesus is choking [C]in the dust,
[D]and heaven only [Bm]knows in which[Em] God they can trust.[A]
[D]Whoa, here's to [Bm]the land you've [G]torn out the heart [D]of,
[Bm]Mississippi, find [A]yourself another [D]country to be part of!
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