1
“Going Down to Mississippi” by Phil Ochs
Up until the 1960’s in America’s history, despite the remarkable improvements that were
made during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the Reconstruction era, racial discrimination,
disenfranchisement, and segregation against African Americans had still been prominent and, in
some cases, even legalized. Because of this, many musical artists during this time felt inspired to
write about the struggle and protest for equality, such as Phil Ochs. Just like many of the songs
he wrote during this movement, one titled “Going Down To Mississippi” contributed greatly to
the growing awareness of a need for African American civil rights in an atmosphere that
included streets filled with protesters and activists, both white and of color, fighting for a
necessary change in civil rights for all citizens.
Before discussing the meaning that Phil Ochs wrote into the song, it is important to
discuss what was happening in Mississippi during this time. Although this inequality was seen in
many parts of the country, Mississippi was one of the apexes. In Eyes on the Prize: Americas
Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965, Juan Williams explains that “By the early 1900s, Jim Crow
described a far reaching, institutional segregation that affected every aspect of American life.
Schools, restaurants, trains, and all forms of transportation, theatres, drinking fountains- virtually
all public and many private facilities practiced total separation of the races.”1 Little to no
financial security or political power also severely mitigated African American’s ability to
develop any kind of economic foundation. As Kristal Moore Clemons wrote in her online article
titled “I've Got to Do Something for My People: Black Women Teachers of the 1964 Mississippi
1
Juan Williams and Bond Julian, Eyes on the Prize: Americas Civil Rights Years, 1954-
1965. (New York: Penguin Books, 2013), 12-13.
, 2
Freedom Schools” (2014), she claimed that “Mississippi was the poorest state in the nation and
nearly 86% of people of color lived below the national poverty line in 1964.”2
Around this time, Phil Ochs was already known as a protest artist. In an online artist
biography, Richie Unterberger describes him as “a self-coined "singing journalist" when he
began performing in New York in the early '60s.”3. He drew inspiration from what was
happening in Mississippi and like many other artists, thought that the inequality between white
and African Americans was wrong. One of his songs as a result of this, titled “Going Down to
Mississippi”, tells a story of someone who is on their way there. Someone who will eventually
cross paths with “a man waiting down in Mississippi.”
Lyrics such as “he's looking down the road for an out-of-state car” and “he won't know
the clothes I'm wearing” suggests that the traveler might be from the north coming to the south to
participate in the civil rights movement. However, lyrics like “he's waiting with a rifle in his
hand” and “his gun is large, and his hate is hard” indicates that they may not be welcome to the
South. Nevertheless, the traveler persists on going down to Mississippi. They also state that “It's
not for the glory that I'm leaving,” “It's not trouble that I'm looking for,” and “For even if there
was any choice to make, I'd be going down just the same.” What this tells the listener is that
despite the danger and hostility that was in Mississippi during this time, this traveler was still
willing to go and participate in this movement because they could not allow themselves to just
wait by, doing nothing, and knew it was the right thing to do. Although getting people to follow
the footsteps of the traveler might have been the goal, Phil sang this message to encourage his
listeners to hope, at the very least, for a brighter future for southern African Americans.
2
Kristal Moore Clemons, “I've Got to Do Something for My People: Black Women
Teachers of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Schools,” Western Journal of Black Studies
38, no. 3 (September 1, 2014): 141-42.
3
Unterberger, Richie. “Phil Ochs: Biography & History.” Accessed April 18, 2020.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-ochs-mn0000333634/biography.
“Going Down to Mississippi” by Phil Ochs
Up until the 1960’s in America’s history, despite the remarkable improvements that were
made during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the Reconstruction era, racial discrimination,
disenfranchisement, and segregation against African Americans had still been prominent and, in
some cases, even legalized. Because of this, many musical artists during this time felt inspired to
write about the struggle and protest for equality, such as Phil Ochs. Just like many of the songs
he wrote during this movement, one titled “Going Down To Mississippi” contributed greatly to
the growing awareness of a need for African American civil rights in an atmosphere that
included streets filled with protesters and activists, both white and of color, fighting for a
necessary change in civil rights for all citizens.
Before discussing the meaning that Phil Ochs wrote into the song, it is important to
discuss what was happening in Mississippi during this time. Although this inequality was seen in
many parts of the country, Mississippi was one of the apexes. In Eyes on the Prize: Americas
Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965, Juan Williams explains that “By the early 1900s, Jim Crow
described a far reaching, institutional segregation that affected every aspect of American life.
Schools, restaurants, trains, and all forms of transportation, theatres, drinking fountains- virtually
all public and many private facilities practiced total separation of the races.”1 Little to no
financial security or political power also severely mitigated African American’s ability to
develop any kind of economic foundation. As Kristal Moore Clemons wrote in her online article
titled “I've Got to Do Something for My People: Black Women Teachers of the 1964 Mississippi
1
Juan Williams and Bond Julian, Eyes on the Prize: Americas Civil Rights Years, 1954-
1965. (New York: Penguin Books, 2013), 12-13.
, 2
Freedom Schools” (2014), she claimed that “Mississippi was the poorest state in the nation and
nearly 86% of people of color lived below the national poverty line in 1964.”2
Around this time, Phil Ochs was already known as a protest artist. In an online artist
biography, Richie Unterberger describes him as “a self-coined "singing journalist" when he
began performing in New York in the early '60s.”3. He drew inspiration from what was
happening in Mississippi and like many other artists, thought that the inequality between white
and African Americans was wrong. One of his songs as a result of this, titled “Going Down to
Mississippi”, tells a story of someone who is on their way there. Someone who will eventually
cross paths with “a man waiting down in Mississippi.”
Lyrics such as “he's looking down the road for an out-of-state car” and “he won't know
the clothes I'm wearing” suggests that the traveler might be from the north coming to the south to
participate in the civil rights movement. However, lyrics like “he's waiting with a rifle in his
hand” and “his gun is large, and his hate is hard” indicates that they may not be welcome to the
South. Nevertheless, the traveler persists on going down to Mississippi. They also state that “It's
not for the glory that I'm leaving,” “It's not trouble that I'm looking for,” and “For even if there
was any choice to make, I'd be going down just the same.” What this tells the listener is that
despite the danger and hostility that was in Mississippi during this time, this traveler was still
willing to go and participate in this movement because they could not allow themselves to just
wait by, doing nothing, and knew it was the right thing to do. Although getting people to follow
the footsteps of the traveler might have been the goal, Phil sang this message to encourage his
listeners to hope, at the very least, for a brighter future for southern African Americans.
2
Kristal Moore Clemons, “I've Got to Do Something for My People: Black Women
Teachers of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Schools,” Western Journal of Black Studies
38, no. 3 (September 1, 2014): 141-42.
3
Unterberger, Richie. “Phil Ochs: Biography & History.” Accessed April 18, 2020.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-ochs-mn0000333634/biography.
