Mississppi GODDAM
Reading this song gives you alot to think about. In the beginning it was kind of hard for me to figure out who exactly this song is directed to but when started to read the second page then it became clear to me. I knew it was about segregation and blacks wanting equality and it was direct towards white Americans but who exactly. Reading the second page made it clear to me who was being talked about, and that was the segregated states and the white Americans who agreed with its laws.
The audience was everyone I believe. It was to show everyone how tired African American were of living this way, and the things being promised to the blacks but nothing ever come through, like the federal government imposing new laws about segregation and the states not following those laws.
The song does make a powerful argument because they were trying to say that there are too many wrong things going on in this country for to long and there is no progress. Everything is been done at a snails pace, and the “simplest” thing like equality for all mankind is taking years to achieve. There were to many unjust things happening “ school children sitting in jail”, “ hound dogs on my trail” and for what reason. At that time of age what did children do that was so bad for them to be in jail, I know what and that was being black. Hound dogs chasing you when you did nothing wrong.
The emotion I am getting from this song is one of frustration. Tired of the way things in the society is being handled. With Black Americans feeling this way they started to do something about it and the civil right movement was started, and it became very successful because look where we are today, yea there could be a lot more changes but at the same time we came a long way.
Good overview - when we listen to the song, it also gives a sense of the tone and how it perhaps differs from other protest and freedom songs we've heard.
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