Elvis Presley – Polk Salad Annie

About the Song

Get Down and Dirty with Polk Salad Annie: A Taste of Elvis’s Gritty Gusto
Ah, Elvis Presley, the King himself. Need I say more? His name alone conjures up images of slicked-back hair, a rhinestone jumpsuit, and hips that couldn’t help but swivel. But Elvis wasn’t just about the polished veneer. He was a chameleon, a musical melting pot who could croon a ballad like nobody’s business and then turn around and tear up the stage with raw, unbridled energy. And that’s where “Polk Salad Annie” comes in.

Forget the velvet suits and the dreamy serenades. This song is a down-home, swamp-stompin’ good time, a slice of Southern grit served with a side of Presley’s trademark swagger. It’s a story teller’s tale, drawlin’ you in with the opening line, “Now, you all never been down South too much…” and taking you on a wild ride through the backwoods of Louisiana, where the gators are mean and the Polk salad is plentiful.

Polk Salad Annie, the song’s namesake, is a woman who’s cut from the same cloth as the Southern soil. She’s tough, she’s independent, and she knows how to live off the land. She picks her supper from the wild, cooks it up in a tote sack, and doesn’t flinch when the ‘gators come callin’. This ain’t your grandmother’s country music, folks. This is the blues, the funk, the rock and roll all rolled into one, seasoned with a heaping helping of Southern drawl and Elvis’s own brand of rockabilly heat.

The music itself is a barn burner. The drums pound like a gator’s heart, the guitar twangs like a mosquito on a hot summer night, and Elvis’s voice? Well, it’s like a shot of moonshine straight to the soul. He growls, he shouts, he whispers sweet nothings to that Polk Salad Annie, and you can’t help but get caught up in the rhythm.

So, if you’re looking for a taste of the real Elvis, the raw, unfiltered King, then buckle up and get ready for “Polk Salad Annie.” It’s a song that’ll make you want to stomp your feet, shake your hips, and holler along. It’s a reminder that Elvis wasn’t just a pretty face and a fancy suit. He was a force of nature, a musical tornado that could blow you away with his grit, his soul, and his undeniable talent. And “Polk Salad Annie” is just one delicious example of the storm he could conjure up.

Now, turn up the volume, grab a plate of Polk salad (or maybe just some fried chicken), and let Elvis take you on a journey to the heart of the South. You won’t regret it.

Video

Lyrics

If some of ya’ll never been down south too much
Some y’all never been down s-
I’m gonna tell you a little story so’s you’ll understand what I’m talkin’ about
Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods, and the fields
And it looks somethin’ like a turnip green
Everybody calls it polk salad
Now that’s polk salad
Used to know a girl lived down there and she’d go out in the evenings and
Pick her a mess of it
Carry it home and cook it for supper
Because that’s about all they had to eat
But they did all right
Down in Louisiana, where the alligators grow so mean
Lived a girl, that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame
Polk salad Annie, gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
Because her momma was a workin’ on the chain gang
A mean vicious woman
Everyday before supper time, she’d go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess of polk salad, and carry it home in a tow sack
Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
Everybody says it was a shame
Because her momma was a workin’ on the chain gang
A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin’ woman
Lord have Mercy, pick a mess of it
Sock a little polk salad to me
Her daddy was lazy and no-count, claimed he had a bad back
All her brothers were fit for
Was stealin’ watermelons out of my truck patch
Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
Because her momma was a workin’ on the chain gang
Yeah, sock a little polk salad to me, you know I need me a mess of it
Sock a little
Sock a little polk salad to me, you know I need a real mess of it (chick-a-boom)
Sock a little polk salad, you know I need a real (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)