[Verse 2] City’s just a jungle; more games to play Trapped in the heart of it, tryin' to get away I was raised in the country, I been working’ in the town I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down
[Verse 3] Got nothing' for you, I had nothin' before Don’t even have anything for myself anymore Sky full of fire, pain pourin’ down Nothing you can sell me, I’ll see you around
[Verse 6] Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees Feeling like a stranger nobody sees So many things that we never will undo I know you’re sorry; I’m sorry, too
[Verse 10] Everybody moving if they ain’t already there Everybody got to move somewhere Stick with me, baby, stick with me anyhow Things should start to get interestin' right about now
[Verse 11] My clothes are wet, tight on my skin Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in I know that fortune is waitin’ to be kind So give me your hand and say you’ll be mine
“Mississippi” is the second song on Bob Dylan’s “Love and Theft”. Originally written during the 1997 sessions for Dylan’s previous album, Time Out of Mind, he was unable to find an arrangement he was happy with. (Three rejected versions appear on the deluxe version of 2008’s The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006.)
Before settling on the version that appears on “Love and Theft”, Dylan gave the song to Sheryl Crow who included it on The Globe Sessions.
Expand
+11
Share
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Ask a question
What did Bob Dylan say about "Mississippi"?
Genius Answer
1 contributor
Dylan explains why he recorded an updated version and released it 2001:
Polyrhythm doesn’t work for knifelike lyrics about majesty and heroism