Here’s to the State of Mississippi (1965)

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Here's to the State of Mississippi is a civil rights protest song by Phil Ochs, an American topical singer and songwriter in the 1960s. Ochs is best known for his anti-war and freedom songs. "Here's to the State of Mississippi" was released in 1965 as the last track on his album I Ain't Marching Anymore. The song criticizes the state of Mississippi for its mistreatment of African Americans. He points out various problems with the social constructs that allowed for oppression of the race. Jim Crow laws and white supremacy in the South fueled an imbalance in the civil structure of the state. "Here's to the State of Mississippi" touches on various issues like segregation, corrupt and biased school systems, and the negligence and crookedness of society and of government officials.[1]

Key Lyrics

And here's to the judges of Mississippi

Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court

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


Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of

Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of

Background

Adaptation

Reference

  1. Here’s to the State of Mississippi. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 2, 2021.