Alabama – Song of the South, is a song written by Bob McDill. First recorded by American country music artist Bobby Bare on his 1980 album Drunk & Crazy, a version by Johnny Russell reached number 57 on the U.S. Billboard country chart in 1981. Another cover by Tom T. Hall and Earl Scruggs peaked at number 72 in 1982 from the album Storyteller and the Banjo Man. A cover released in November 1988 by American country music group Alabama, from their album Southern Star, reached number 1 on both the U.S. and Canadian country charts.
The song tells the story of a poor Southern cotton farm-family during the Great Depression. “Cotton on the roadside, cotton in the ditch. We all picked the cotton but we never got rich.” “Well, somebody told us Wall Street fell, but we was so poor that we couldn’t tell.” The song references President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in the line, “The cotton was short and the weeds was tall, but Mr. Roosevelt’s gonna save us all.”‘ The father of the family is a Southern Democrat; “Daddy was a veteran, a Southern Democrat. They oughta get a rich man to vote like that.” The family loses the farm after the mother becomes ill. “The county got the farm and they moved to town.” In the end, the family ends up living comfortably well, having sought a life in a more urban location; “Well, papa got a job with the TVA, we bought a washing machine, and then a Chevrolet.”
Alabama – Song of the South
From the album Southern Star
B-side (I Wish It Could Always Be) ’55”
Released November 7, 1988
Recorded January 1, 1988
Genre Country, country rock, Southern rock
Length 3:12
Label RCA Nashville
Songwriter(s) Bob McDill
Producer(s) Alabama Larry Michael Lee Josh Leo
COUNTRYPEDIA
Alabama – Song of the South lyrics
Song, Song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain’t no body looking back again
Cotton on roadside, cotton on the ditch
We all picked the cotton but we never got rich
Daddy was a veteran, a Southern Democrat
They oughta get rich man to vote like that
Singing:
Song song of the south
Sweet potato pie, and I shut my mouth
Gone gone with the wind
There ain’t no body looking back again
Well somebody told us Wall Street fell
But we were so poor that we couldn’t tell
The cotton was short, and the weeds was tall
But Mr. Roosevelt’s a’ gonna save us all
Well momma got sick, and daddy got down
The county got the farm, and we moved to town
Poppa got a job with the TVA
We bought a washing machine, and then a Chevrolet
[Outro x 6]
Singing: Song song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain’t nobody looking back again
GENIUS
