Smells of frying catfish dirt and blood on the breeze Arguments through thin walls Dogs are scratching at fleas The Devil's always cooking here He'll feed you a piece And you just tell him your pleasure and then he'll do the rest Sex or dope or folly yeah he'll get you the best No problem if it's murder or a little incest Yes Sir In the dirty South In the dirty South In the dirty South People down and out She just wants to leave but she is bound by her roots Like a June bug on a string just buzzing the blues Water from the bayou soaks on up in her shoes And she's gotta keep on hiding He can't find her tonight He's liquored up on moonshine and he's hot for a fight He took out his last honey with cottonmouth bite Yes Sir In the dirty South In the dirty South In the dirty South People down and out Pale as bolls of cottons he had laid there all night Mocking birds kept asking why but he won't reply A 22 flew straight between his eyes And his Pa will not lament his death at 16 years old His bag was packed he hid his tracks the farm had been sold I heard from a little bird they paid with fool's gold Yes Sir In the dirty South In the dirty South In the dirty South People down and out