Phil Ochs – Heres To The State Of Mississippi (Guitar)

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Chords

D                 Bm                 A
[tab]D                                            C
for underneath her borders, the devil draws no lines.

D                                                 C
If you drag her muddy rivers, nameless bodies you will find.

D                                        C
whoa, the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,

D              Bm               Em                       A
the calender is lyin' when it reads the present time.

D                Bm              G                  D
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,

Bm                A                   D
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!

D                  Bm                    A
And here's to the people of Mississippi,

D                                        C
who say the folks up north, they just don't understand.

D                                                C
And they tremble in their shadows at the thunder of the Klan,

D                                                       C
the sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from off their hands,

D                              Bm                    Em               A
they smile and shrug their shoulders at the murder of a man.

D                Bm              G                  D
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,

Bm                A                   D
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!

D                      Bm                 A
And here's to the schools of Mississippi,

D                                            C
where they're teaching all the children that they don't have to care,

D                                     C
all the rudiments of hatred are present everywhere,

D                                        C
and every single classroom is a factory of despair,

D          Bm                   Em                     A
and there's nobody learning such a foreign word as “fair”.

D                Bm              G                  D
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,

Bm                A                   D
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!

D                 Bm                  A
And here's to the cops of Mississippi,

D                                            C
they're chewing their tobacco as they lock the prison door,

D                                                            C
their bellies bounce inside them when they knock you to the floor,

D                                                    C
no, they don't like taking prisoners in their private little war,

D                         Bm                       Em                     A
and behind their broken badges there are murderers and more.

D                Bm              G                  D
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,

Bm                A                   D
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!

D                Bm                      A
And, here's to the judges of Mississippi,

D                                               C
who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court,

D                                                  C
they're guarding all the bastions of their phony legal fort,

D                                               C
oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report,

D                            Bm           Em                     A
when the black man stands accused the trial is always short.

D                Bm              G                  D
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,

Bm                A                   D
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!

D                 Bm                             A
And here's to the government of Mississippi,

D                                                   C
in the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging down,

D                                         C
and criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns,

D
and they hope that no one sees the sights,

C
and no one hears the sounds,

D                  Bm                      Em                A
and the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown.

D                Bm              G                  D
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,

Bm                A                   D
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!

D                Bm                 A
And here's to the laws of Mississippi,

D                                           C
Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay,

D                                           C
while the Constitution’s drowning in an ocean of decay,

D                                                 C
unwed mothers should be sterilized, I've even heard them say,

D                     Bm               Em               A
yes, corruption can be classic in the Mississippi way.

D                Bm              G                  D
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,

Bm                A                   D
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!

D                  Bm                       A
And here's to the churches of Mississippi,

D                                                   C
where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust,

D                                       C
and the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust,

D                                    C
the fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust,

D                  Bm         Em                           A
and heaven only knows in which God they can trust.

D                Bm              G                  D
Whoa, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,

Bm                A                   D
Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!
(capo 4th) (Phil Ochs)