For all who's never been down to Tony Joe White country
Never been down South
I'm gonna tell you something about it
So that you can understand what I'm talkin' about
Down there we got a plant
That grows out in the woods and in the fields
Grows under the rocks and the trees
And everybody calls it polk salad, polk salad
I used to know a girl who lived down there
And she'd go out in the evenings
And pick herself a little bit of it
Then she carry it home and cook it up for supper
Cause that's 'bout all they had to eat
But they did allright

I said, down in Louisiana
Where all 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
Because her mama was a-workin' on the chain gang
A mean vicious woman

Everyday 'fore suppertime she'd go down by the truck patch
And pick herself a mess o' polk salad
And carry it home in a tote-sack
Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
Because her mama was a-workin' on the chain gang
A wretched spiteful straight-razor tottin' woman

Her Daddy was lazy and no count
Claimed he had a bad back
And all that her brothers was 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
Gimme salad!
Aouooo