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By: Alexandra Martinez
Nina Simone
February 21, 1933 - April 21, 2003
Born in Tryon, NC on February 21, 1933 by the name of Eunice Kathleen Waymon. She began playing piano at the age of 3 and played for her church. Her community raised money to send her to Julliard but she
wasn't accepted which she
claims was due to racism.
Singer/Songwriter- Nina Simone
Lyrics
Southern was very segregated
The name of this tune is Mississippi goddam
And I mean every word of it
Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi goddam
Can't you see it
Can't you feel it
It's all in the air
I can't stand the pressure much longer
Somebody say a prayer
She wants someone to say a prayer because of the current social situation that doesn't seem like it will be fix without a miracle
Continuation...
Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi goddam
This is a show tune
But the show hasn't been written for it, yet
Hound dogs on my trail
School children sitting in jail
Black cat cross my path
I think every day's gonna be my last
Lord have mercy on this land of mine
We all gonna get it in due time
I don't belong here
I don't belong there
I've even stopped believing in prayer
During the Civil Rights Movement there were police brutality such as dogs being set on people to attack them. The schools were segregated and there were cases of students being sent to jail for trying to attend a white school. It seems as though everything is bad and she is so unlucky that there was a black cat in her path. There was fear among African-Americans because they could be arrested and beaten for minor offenses.
Lyrics
She didn't need people telling
her that her people were being
mistreated
Everything was slow; segregation and discrimination, protesting and gaining rights
Don't tell me
I tell you
Me and my people just about due
I've been there so I know
They keep on saying 'Go slow!'
But that's just the trouble
'Do it slow'
Washing the windows
'Do it slow'
Picking the cotton
'Do it slow'
You're just plain rotten
'Do it slow'
You're too damn lazy
'Do it slow'
The thinking's crazy
'Do it slow'
Where am I going
What am I doing
I don't know
I don't know
Just try to do your very best
Stand up be counted with all the rest
For everybody knows about Mississippi goddam
Try to fight against segregation
but without violence; be patient
Types of protest included picket lines and boycotts of school,diners,buses.
If she behaved properly then she would be treated properly but that was just a lie.
She doesn't trust the country that is discriminating against her and telling her to go slow
I made you thought I was kiddin'
Picket lines
School boy cots
They try to say it's a communist plot
All I want is equality
For my sister my brother my people and me
Yes you lied to me all these years
You told me to wash and clean my ears
And talk real fine just like a lady
And you'd stop calling me Sister Sadie
Oh but this whole country is full of lies
You're all gonna die and die like flies
I don't trust you any more
You keep on saying 'Go slow!'
'Go slow!'
But that's just the trouble
'Do it slow'
Desegregation
'Do it slow'
Mass participation
'Do it slow'
Reunification
'Do it slow'
Do things gradually
'Do it slow'
But bring more tragedy
'Do it slow'
Why don't you see it
Why don't you feel it
I don't know
Everything was done slowly but violence continued...
White people don't
have to deal with her
or accept her, she wants to be treated equally and have the same opportunity but everybody knows about the worst discrimination in the South.
"Mississippi Goddam"
Mississippi Goddam displays Nina Simone's frustration, fear, and anger towards the steady and exhausting civil rights movement.
Meaning Behind The Song
This song was influenced by the events of the Birmingham Church bombing, and the assassination of the Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers, it led to her to create a raw and powerful song and even in today's world this song it use as an anthem which has made HISTORY.
The releasing of this song and performances of it had gave a strong message of how Nina Simone felt about the discriminating racial dividing. The emotions she had felt had been release and created a powerful and significant song that is now a truly unforgettable protest song.