Dylan Song by Song: Mississippi Quiz

Answer: Love and Theft

"Mississippi" ranked number four on Rolling Stone magazine's 2020 list of "The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century." It was contained on Bob Dylan's 31st studio album, "Love and Theft," which was released on September 11, 2001. It contains songs in the Americana, country rock, country, and blues genres. Previous versions of the song were recorded during the "Time Out of Mind" sessions, but the song was not included on that album. Those three versions are available on "Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006".

Answer: Jack Frost

The entire "Love and Theft" album was produced under the name of Jack Frost. Bob Dylan has gone by many pseudonyms in his life, including Blind Boy Grunt, Lucky Wilbury (as part of the Traveling Wilburys), and Robert Milkwood Thomas. His Hebrew name is Shabtai Zisel ben Avraham. "Mississippi" was ranked 21 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2016 list of the 100 Greatest Bob Dylan songs.

Answer: Johnny Cash

This line alludes to Cash's song "I Walk the Line." Bob Dylan recorded his "Nashville Skyline" album with Johnny Cash and called "I Walk the Line" a "mysterious" and "revolutionary" song in his "Chronicles: Volume 1" memoir.

Answer: Big-Leg Rosie

Dylan took these lines from the folk song "Big-Leg Rosie," a version of which can be found in the Library of Congress among musicologist John Lomax's 1939 recordings of prisoners singing at Parchman Penitentiary in Mississippi. Dylan even alludes to "Rosie" twice in the song:

"I was thinkin' about the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie's bed."

Answer: escape

This song was recorded for "Love and Theft" in May of 2001 at Clinton Recording Studio in New York City and released on the Columbia label. Dylan first played the song live on October 9, 2001 and has played it live over 75 times since, according to the Official Bob Dylan website.

Answer: suitcase

"City's just a jungle, more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, trying to get away
I was raised in the country, I been workin' in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down."

Larry Campbell plays mandolin and slide guitar on "Mississippi." Augie Meyers plays organ, and David Kemper is on drums.

Answer: pain

"Got nothing for you, I had nothing before
Don't even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, pain pourin' down
Nothing you can sell me, I'll see you around."

Charlie Sexton contributed guitar to "Mississippi" while Tony Garnier played bass. The newspaper USA Today ranked "Mississippi" number one among Bob Dylan's songs in a 2015 article.

Answer: the poison

Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me."

Rolling Stone magazine described this song as "our introduction to Dylan as somebody facing mortality with an upbeat attitude." In the Stereogum article "80 Artists Pick Their Favorite Bob Dylan Songs," singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews said the narrator of this song "is both wise and naive, but accepting of his older condition."

Answer: Sheryl Crow

"The Globe Sessions" was released on September 21, 1998, three years before Dylan would release the song on "Love and Theft." Rolling Stone magazine quotes Crow as saying the song "changed the whole record. There's no fat in the song - every line has a purpose." Crow's version reworks the melody and has a much more upbeat sound than Dylan's.

Answer: The Dixie Chicks

The Dixie Chicks officially changed their name to The Chicks in 2020. They performed "Mississippi" live on their Vote for Change, Top of the World, and Accidents and Accusations tour. Their version was modeled after Sheryl Crow's.

"Mississippi" was ranked number 260 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2011 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.