Fielder’s Choice - Barry Burleson


Thursday, August 25, 2011
Community \| Obits \| Editorial & Columnists \| Society \| Sports \| Education \| Classified Ads \| Calendar of Events \| Features \| Newsbriefs \| Legals \| Archives \| Subscriptions \| Photo Gallery

Fielder’s Choice
By Barry Burleson

‘I Miss Mississippi’

Most calls from Nashville, Tenn., unless they’re from kinfolk, typically get ignored.

That’s because they’re usually from somebody trying to sell me something that I don’t need.

But a couple of months ago, John Riggs called.

I will admit; I started to push his phone call aside, too.

Then I was a bit intrigued, because he said he and a lady from Amory were promoting a song they had written together.

It initially caught my attention because of my Amory connection. I was publisher of the newspaper for several years back in the 1990s.

And then he said it mentions Holly Springs, my home for 10 years.

Riggs and Carolyn Sue Woods are hoping the Legislature will adopt it as Mississippi’s new state song.

Riggs says the current state song, “Go Mississippi,” doesn’t do justice to the state because it fails to identify anything in or about the state.

“It was adopted 50 years ago,” he said. “It doesn’t describe Mississippi any more than it does Montana or Arizona. It’s just non-descriptive.”

He says the song he and Woods wrote – “I Miss Mississippi” – captures the state in song as well as any could.

“A state song should point out the beauty, the history and the charm of the state, as well as its contributions to the country.

“This is what the song ‘I Miss Mississippi’ accomplishes, along with the underlying message that the most important thing of all is the people who live there.

“This is why we feel ‘I Miss Mississippi’ should be adopted as the state song.”

The lyrics follow.

“From her fertile Delta bottom land
To her coastline full of fine warm sand.
In my dreams I’m always glad I can...
See Mississippi.
From her cities to her peaceful farms
And where the king of rock and roll was born
There’s just no end to all the charm...
Of Mississippi.
And I miss Mississippi.
I sing those Jimmie Rodgers songs
While the blues just keep on playing on...
In Greenville
And I miss Mississippi
There’s a catfish looking at me
From the river Tallahatchie...
In Mississippi
And from Gulfport to her cotton fields
From her factories to her lumber mills
There’s no other place on earth that feels...
Like Mississippi
Antebellums fill the countryside
Where evergreens spread far and wide
When I hear her name I’m filled with pride...
In Mississippi
And I miss Mississippi
I miss Holly Springs and Jackson
And where her soldiers fell in action....
At Vicksburg
And I miss Mississippi
Where the sweet magnolia’s growing
Soon as I can pack, I’m going...

To Mississippi.

Riggs is sending copies of “I Miss Mississippi” to the members of the Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate.

I have a copy, and I like it – especially the mention of Holly Springs.

Report News: (662) 252-4261 or south@dixie-net.com
Questions, comments, corrections: south@dixie-net.com
The South Reporter
P.O. Box 278
Holly Springs, MS 38635
©2004, The South Reporter, All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site may be reproduced in any way without permission.
The South Reporter is a member of the Mississippi Press Association.

Web Site managed and maintained by
South Reporter webmasters Linda Jones, Kristian Jones
Web Site Design - The South Reporter

Back | Top of Page