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 talking about
Down there we have a plant
That grows out in the woods and the fields
Looks somethin' like a turnip green
Everybody calls it Polk salad, Polk salad
Used to know a girl that lived down there
And she'd go out in the evenings and pick a mess of it
Carry it home and cook it for supper
'Cause that's about all they had to eat
But they did all right
Come down in Louisiana
Where the alligators grow so mean
There lived a girl that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look to her
Polk salad Annie, polk salad Annie
Everybody said it was a shame
Cause her mama was working on the chain-gang
A mean, vicious woman
Everyday 'fore supper time
She'd go down by the truck patch
And picked her a mess o' polk salad
And carry it home in a tote sack
Polk salad Annie, the 'gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
'Cause her mama 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
What's stealin' watermelons out of my truck patch
Polk salad Annie, the 'gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
Cause her mama was a workin' on the chain gang
Sock a little polk salad to me
You know I need a mean mess of it
Ooh - good God - ooh ....