Mississippi

Song Information:

...Mississippi, a song originally written and recorded by Bob Dylan for his triumphant 1997 return-to-form album Time Out Of Mind. The famously prolific American songwriter kept the ballad in his back pocket for four years, finally releasing a re-recorded version on 2001's Love And Theft LP.

The original, stripped-back version of Mississippi has never been released - until now.

Rolling Stone called Mississippi a "ravaged love travelogue" and its lyrical themes have been compared to an earlier Dylan classic, Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.

He offered Mississippi to Sheryl Crow who recorded a workmanlike version for her 1998 album, The Globe Sessions. The song's themes of loyalty and alienation also struck a chord with the Dixie Chicks who began performing it on their politically charged 2006 world tour. Stung by the backlash against their public criticism of the US President, George Bush, the country crossover trio and their fans clearly related to lines such as, "Some people will offer you their hand and some won't/Last night I knew you, tonight I don't."