That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today"
Then she said, "I got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge
Said, he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh, by the way
Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo
And me, I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge
Today Billie Joe Macallister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"
And at dinner time we stopped and walked out to the house to eat
"Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please
Now Mama doesn't seem to wanna do much of anything
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite
Papa said to Mama as he passed around the blackeyed peas
A year has come and gone since we heard the news 'bout Billy Joe
He said, he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge
And now Billy Joe Mac Allister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"
And mama hollered of the back door, "Y'all remember to wipe your feet"
There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it and he died last spring
There's five more acres in the lower forty that I've got to plow"
And Mama said, "It was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow
And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge
Mama said to me, "Child, what's happened to your appetite?
