Growing up in the south at the time I did, one knew this song. The imagery and lyrics were lived; the voice was as familiar as our own mamas and next door neighbors calling us to eat dinner (not lunch, and supper was later). The haunting music and storyline leave all listeners (southern or not) guessing at the meaning.
Why did Billie Joe jump? What exactly did they throw off that bridge?
We wondered about the answers, coming up with our own guesses to make it fit while listening to the song on the radio...windows rolled down in the old car, dust kicking up from the tires as the hot, thick air of summer arrived and ultimately overstayed its welcome. Guesses didn't make facts.
Only Bobbie Gentry knows the answers.
"It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day..."
'Ode to Billie Joe' ~ Written and Performed by Bobbie Gentry
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