The Alabama Song of the South song was released in 1989 as a track on their "Southern Star" album...watch the video and see the lyrics here.
Country music group Alabama‘s “Song of the South” was released in 1989 as a track on their Southern Star album. Few bands are able tell a captivating story through their music as well as Alabama. The “Song of the South” is a Depression-Era tale of a poor family that makes a living picking cotton. The song is a true southern classic, with the harmonious melodies and perfectly-plucked banjo strings perfectly capturing the essence of the region. Despite Alabama’s deep-rooted connection to the song (lead singer Randy Owen has spoke of his own days growing up in cotton country), the band’s version is actually a cover of the original 1980 recording by Bobby Bare. While the original recording gained little traction on the charts, Alabama’s recording reached the No. 1 spot on the country charts starting February 11, 1989.
In classic 1980s style, the music video for “Song of the South” was vital to the track. Clips and photographs of the old south are used to tell the story of workers during the dust bowl.
The music video for this song became Alabama’s most popular of their career with over 46 million views as of February of 2024. Enjoy the music video for “Song of the South” and check out the lyrics below!
Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain’t nobody looking back again
Cotton on the roadside, cotton in the ditch
We all picked the cotton but we never got rich
Daddy was a veteran, a southern democrat
They oughta get a rich man to vote like that
Sing it
Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain’t nobody looking back again
Well somebody told us Wall Street fell
But we were so poor that we couldn’t tell
Cotton was short and the weeds were tall
But Mr. Roosevelt’s a gonna save us all
Well momma got sick and daddy got down
The county got the farm and they moved to town
Pappa got a job with the TVA
He bought a washing machine and then a Chevrolet
Sing it
Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain’t nobody looking back again
Play it
Sing it
Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain’t nobody looking back again
Song, song of the south
Gone, gone with the wind
Song, song of the south.
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.
Song, song of the south.
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth.
Sing it
Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain’t nobody looking back again
Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain’t nobody looking back again