If some of y'all never been down South too much
I'm gonna tell you a little bit about this
So that you'll understand what I'm talking about

Down there we have a plant that grows
Out in the woods and the fields
Looks somethin' like turnip greens
Everybody calls it polk salad, polk salad

Used to know a girl that lived down there
And she'd go out in the evenings and pick a mess of it
Carry it home and cook it for supper,
'Cause that's about all they had to eat, they did all right

I'm down in Louisiana
Where the alligators grow so mean
There lived a girl that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame

Polk salad Annie, polk salad Annie
Everybody said it was a shame
'Cause her mama was workin' on the chain-gang
A mean, vicious woman

Now 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 tote sack

Polk salad Annie, the gators got you, granny
Everybody said it was a shame
'Cause her mama was a workin' on the chain-gang
A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin' woman
Lord have mercy, pick me a mess of it

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
'Cause her mama was a workin' on the chain gang
Sock a little polk salad to me, you know I need me a mess of it

Good God, got to have me
[Incomprehensible]