Jim White — Handcuffed to a Fence in Mississippi
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Total ratings: 495
Length: 4:03
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I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi.
My girlfriend blows a boozy good-bye kiss.
I see flying squirrels and nightmares of stigmata.
Then awakening to find my Trans-Am gone.
Still, I'm feeling pretty good about the future.
Yeah, everything is peaches but the cream.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
I see the guitar that my cousin played in prison,
floating with the tv in the swimming pool.
I'm calling for the owner of the motel,
then noticing the bloodstain on the door.
I'm reaching for the shoes under the bushes,
just in time to hear the sirens sing.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
You know freedom's just a stupid superstition,
'cause life's a highway that you travel blind.
It's true that having fun's a terminal addiction.
What good is happiness, when it's just a state of mind?
For in the prison of perpetual emotion,
we're all shackled to the millstone of our dreams.
Me, I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things are always better than they seem.
My girlfriend blows a boozy good-bye kiss.
I see flying squirrels and nightmares of stigmata.
Then awakening to find my Trans-Am gone.
Still, I'm feeling pretty good about the future.
Yeah, everything is peaches but the cream.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
I see the guitar that my cousin played in prison,
floating with the tv in the swimming pool.
I'm calling for the owner of the motel,
then noticing the bloodstain on the door.
I'm reaching for the shoes under the bushes,
just in time to hear the sirens sing.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
You know freedom's just a stupid superstition,
'cause life's a highway that you travel blind.
It's true that having fun's a terminal addiction.
What good is happiness, when it's just a state of mind?
For in the prison of perpetual emotion,
we're all shackled to the millstone of our dreams.
Me, I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things are always better than they seem.
Comments (110)add comment
"my TransAm is missing! I guess no more kissing the girl who loves my car."
You gotta be kidding! That's like, mega-witty!
(edit three minutes later: Didn't see the quoted words in the lyrics page. Did I imagine them?)Jim White = Genius
This could be one of the best "new" songs I've heard in months! Things is always better'n they seem. Sho nuff.
edit: Lyrics are hilarious, then he says, "we're all shackled to the millstone of our dreams". Wow. (But you knew that already.)
Everyone on the cell block loves this song!
Cynaera wrote:
Yes, this song is profound lyrically, with cool music... we be dancing...
miss you so much, Cynaera...
I love everything about this song - the lyrics, the story, the title... I'll post lyrics, but can't vouch for their accuracy.
Yes, this song is profound lyrically, with cool music... we be dancing...
miss you so much, Cynaera...
I turn the volume to zero and just read your comments...
A man of many talents, it seems.
Lol, this'll be a song I play in the car with the wife present.
About 2 minutes in she'll say, "Is he saying 'Handcuffed to a Fence in Mississippi'?". I'll say "Yeap".
She'll shake her head.
The world will be in a perfect place.
is bad
I love everything about this song - the lyrics, the story, the title... I'll post lyrics, but can't vouch for their accuracy.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi.
My girlfriend blows a boozy good-bye kiss.
I see flying squirrels and nightmares of stigmata.
Then awakening to find my Trans-Am gone.
Still, I'm feeling pretty good about the future.
Yeah, everything is peaches but the cream.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
I see the guitar that my cousin played in prison,
floating with the tv in the swimming pool.
I'm calling for the owner of the motel,
then noticing the bloodstain on the door.
I'm reaching for the shoes under the bushes,
just in time to hear the sirens sing.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
You know freedom's just a stupid superstition,
'cause life's a highway that you travel blind.
It's true that having fun's a terminal addiction.
What good is happiness, when it's just a state of mind?
For in the prison of perpetual emotion,
we're all shackled to the millstone of our dreams.
Me, I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things are always better than they seem.
Fun as hell.
If Lou Reed had been born in Divine Judgement, Alabama he might have written this.
The title is hilarious
If Lou Reed had been born in Divine Judgement, Alabama he might have written this.
The title is hilarious
I'm a huge fan of this song. Like another song I like a lot (Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road") it might at first glance seem, well, redneck. But it paints a vivid picture of said redneck culture. While I would not want to live in the place described, I appreciate that vividness.
I also love lines like —
"What good is happiness when it's just a state of mind?
"We're all shacked to the millstones of our dreams."
I also love lines like —
"What good is happiness when it's just a state of mind?
"We're all shacked to the millstones of our dreams."
nagsheadlocal wrote:
This brings out the inner redneck in me. I've never owned a TransAm, but I have woken up to discover my VW missing along with my shoes and my wallet.
pinto wrote:
Almost makes you wanna grab a whiskey and Coca-Cola. Almost.
whaddya mean almost? Skip the cola.
btw—my favorite song of the day. and yes, a little redneck...
This brings out the inner redneck in me. I've never owned a TransAm, but I have woken up to discover my VW missing along with my shoes and my wallet.
pinto wrote:
Almost makes you wanna grab a whiskey and Coca-Cola. Almost.
whaddya mean almost? Skip the cola.
btw—my favorite song of the day. and yes, a little redneck...
Blaggart wrote:
More of a debt to Cake than Hank, I'd think.
Indeed. nagsheadlocal wrote:
Almost makes you wanna grab a whiskey and Coca-Cola. Almost.
This brings out the inner redneck in me. I've never owned a TransAm, but I have woken up to discover my VW missing along with my shoes and my wallet.
Almost makes you wanna grab a whiskey and Coca-Cola. Almost.
cohifi wrote:
Whoa....almost c&w, certainly a dwight wannabee! 3.5
More of a debt to Cake than Hank, I'd think. nagsheadlocal wrote:
Owned a Camaro once. Almost the same thing.
This brings out the inner redneck in me. I've never owned a TransAm, but I have woken up to discover my VW missing along with my shoes and my wallet.
Owned a Camaro once. Almost the same thing.
Whoa....almost c&w, certainly a dwight wannabee! 3.5
This brings out the inner redneck in me. I've never owned a TransAm, but I have woken up to discover my VW missing along with my shoes and my wallet.
Wifeys bum is jiggling to this, she ain't no hillibilly wench!
overproduced, repetitive, half-assed attempt at not much of something... enough with the quasi-yodel.
cosmiclint wrote:
I had the impression it was his girlfriend that did the deed, fancying the car more than the handcuffed.
Wait ... did the dude who stole his Trans Am handcuff him to the fence?
I had the impression it was his girlfriend that did the deed, fancying the car more than the handcuffed.
Wait ... did the dude who stole his Trans Am handcuff him to the fence?
This song makes want to get insanely drunk (or similar) and have irresponsible fun! Well, it's 9:37 am, a bit early for that I guess....or is that late? :)
Love Jim White and this song! :)
"Having fun is a terminal addiction" .Yeah!
//C
I was seeing a pattern with the last few songs, so I looked it up, and yes, Today is National Banjo Day!
I downloaded half a dozen tunes by Jim White after hearing this one. Some extraordinary stuff and thoughtful lyrics, e.g., "For in the prison of perpetual emotion, we're all shackled to the millstone of our dreams."
Overall(s), quite catchy.
Another reason I listen to RP love the silly songs and I make a list of these songs so I can put together nice long play lists for my mp3 player...songs for my motorcycle rides....
Deep South Vipassana - love it!
wferrier wrote:
Sounds like My Name Is Earl.
I worked for a company out of Terry, MS for a while...what fun that was. One of the guys was friends with Afroman...But then I got high...what a trip that was. Life is experience.
Sounds like My Name Is Earl.
eastcoast wrote:
yeah they sound the same 
Must be sound alike band day on RP...sounds like Lou Reed/Dire Straits
yeah they sound the same
What's that Kasabian song? Or was this first?
EDIT: Yep, Cutt Off does owe a lot to this...
Wow, great lyrics!! 
As if you're actually listening to the lyrics, you can't even get beyond his voice.
More Jim White please! 
raven121x wrote:
raven121x wrote:Oh my gosh these lyrics suck. And the yodeling can stop any minute now.... 
He awoke to find his Trans Am gone....
Lucky him, he can buy a better car now ..
*shrug*
Definitely can't relate directly, but it gets my groove on. Handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi, eh? How wonderfully disquieting. :)
savoyard wrote:
I mean, jeeze, who hasn't?
Besides being horribly hillbilly, can anyone actually relate to this song?
Well, Gilbert and Sullivan it ain't. And yeah there are parts of it that any experienced person can relate to. I mean, jeeze, who hasn't?
MM13 wrote:
"Horribilly"
savoyard wrote:
Besides being horribly hillbilly, can anyone actually relate to this song?
Well, I'm not a man, a hillybilly nor have I ever been to Mississippi, but I love this song. So yeah.
(And, for what it's worth, I wouldn't call this hillybilly music.)
savoyard wrote: horribilly , which by the way doesn't apply to this song as far as I'm concerned.
Besides being horribly hillbilly, can anyone actually relate to this song?
I think you may have introduced a new music genre:
This is a very interesting CD. I cannot decide if it is dark brilliance or catchy trash. I think it is the former......
I don't like analyzing every song I hear on the radio. Don't care if you call it hill-billy or bill-hilly, ... if it sounds good that's enough for me........ and this song does 
savoyard wrote:
Besides being horribly hillbilly, can anyone actually relate to this song?
Yep. Grew up in MS in the 50's / 60's. This is hardly "hillbilly".
There is a great difference in being "hillbilly" and understanding "hillbilly" to the point of interpreting it and turning it into a tongue-in-cheek small piece of art.
savoyard wrote:
Besides being horribly hillbilly, can anyone actually relate to this song?
Ahh, good to hear a rational argument for or against a piece of music, with no emotions getting in the way.
C'mon, tell us how you really feel!
tnt_thomas wrote:
This ain't "country." I hate country and I like this. It has twanging accented singing, but it ain't country.
Or you'd hear/read me shrieking here! 
rKokon wrote:
For their own benefit, I beg the kneejerk critics who dismiss him as "country" to reconsider.
This ain't "country." I hate country and I like this. It has twanging accented singing, but it ain't country.
Or you'd hear/read me shrieking here!
i got this cd from a radiostation that was getting rid of stuff... what a loss for them and a great surprise for me...
Besides being horribly hillbilly, can anyone actually relate to this song?
Must be sound alike band day on RP...sounds like Lou Reed/Dire Straits
hippiechick wrote:
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi.
My girlfriend blows a boozy good-bye kiss.
I see flying squirrels and nightmares of stigmata.
Then awakening to find my Trans-Am gone.
Still, I'm feeling pretty good about the future.
Yeah, everything is peaches but the cream.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
I see the guitar that my cousin played in prison,
floating with the tv in the swimming pool.
I'm calling for the owner of the motel,
then noticing the bloodstain on the door.
I'm reaching for the shoes under the bushes,
just in time to hear the sirens sing.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
You know freedom's just a stupid superstition,
'cause life's a highway that you travel blind.
It's true that having fun's a terminal addiction.
What good is happiness, when it's just a state of mind?
For in the prison of perpetual emotion,
we're all shackled to the millstone of our dreams.
Me, I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things are always better than they seem.
Sincere thanks. These lyrics prove my point, and this is just one of the amazing cuts on the CD.
This man Jim White is a unique, deep, dark artist of melancholy and intrigue in the backwoods, in remote areas that most of us listeners are distant from. For their own benefit, I beg the kneejerk critics who dismiss him as "country" to reconsider. His songs are ballads, complex and hauntingly psychological. Maybe not to the level of those we find collected by Cecil Sharpe or Francis J. Child . . . but I am glad I bought the album. I suggest that people who like the dramas of William Shakespeare and Eugene O'Neill especially listen to the whole CD. (All aside from White's amazingly controlled voice, which he deliberately uses for dramatic effect. Also aside from the fact that his songs have tunes and yet are not simple. Also aside from the great command of the instruments, with banjo more delicate than most often heard.)
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi.
My girlfriend blows a boozy good-bye kiss.
I see flying squirrels and nightmares of stigmata.
Then awakening to find my Trans-Am gone.
Still, I'm feeling pretty good about the future.
Yeah, everything is peaches but the cream.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
I see the guitar that my cousin played in prison,
floating with the tv in the swimming pool.
I'm calling for the owner of the motel,
then noticing the bloodstain on the door.
I'm reaching for the shoes under the bushes,
just in time to hear the sirens sing.
I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things is always better than they seem.
You know freedom's just a stupid superstition,
'cause life's a highway that you travel blind.
It's true that having fun's a terminal addiction.
What good is happiness, when it's just a state of mind?
For in the prison of perpetual emotion,
we're all shackled to the millstone of our dreams.
Me, I'm handcuffed to a fence in Mississippi,
where things is always better than they seem.
Things are always better than they seem.
Oh my gosh these lyrics suck. And the yodeling can stop any minute now....
stinkycheese wrote:
was it in a whitesnake video?
ROTFLMAO!!!
Geecheeboy wrote:
I know a bad girl who did something on the hood of a TransAm outside a bar once....
was it in a whitesnake video?
Wasn't this a "My Name is Earl" episode?
This guy's one of too many people eating their cereal after something's pissed in it. No need.
kill the country
the talent is missing in mississppiiiiiiiiii
mojoman wrote:
Time to get my mullet touched up.
Now I'm LOL!!!
love this tune. love it.
love it...going onto my download list
Geecheeboy wrote:
...
I know a bad girl who did something on the hood of a TransAm outside a bar once....
... Who's bad here, you for watching or maybe performing the said deed? Should we call you badboyGeecheeboy?... ...
I know a bad girl who did something on the hood of a TransAm outside a bar once....
This song paints a perfect picture of the crazy crime reports I grew up reading in my hometown paper! Makes me laugh. Some of the other songs on this album are a bit too dark though.
Beanie wrote:
OK, so why can't I get over feeling like a bad girl for liking this song so much? I'm over 21! This really shouldn't be a problemÂ…
Bein a bad girl caint be so bad!
I always laugh at this one. Has a pretty neat sound to it, too.
I think James McMurtry handcuffed Jim White to a fence in Mississippi and broke into his recording studio.
Damn! Missed it again!
My Trans Am is missing. Great line! Ya gotta give 'em credit for originality there!
OK, so why can't I get over feeling like a bad girl for liking this song so much? I'm over 21! This really shouldn't be a problemÂ…
Oddly enough, I can't get enough of this one. Had to change my rating to an 8. :-)
Fun! 
oh god...the boredom...the mediocrity...ohhhh the pain
Is that a banjo??? Is he related to Jack???
I Like it.
dadofsammy wrote:
It's hard to express how much I like this song.
Try!
I love the languid bluesy banjo in the chorus and the Dobbro in the background - in fact it's the backing which has all the appeal for me.
It's grown on me a lot since the first hearing.
Mangoman wrote:
Sounds like someone borrowed Beck's megaphone. And his Hammond organ & banjo.
Wonder if they've got his two turntables and his microphone, too.
LOL!!
Time to get my mullet touched up.
Joe Dirt's bangin' his sister to this one...
Sounds like someone borrowed Beck's megaphone. And his Hammond organ & banjo.
Wonder if they've got his two turntables and his microphone, too.
Jim white Live is kewl..one man band and his Japanese Orchestra...He's great!
eagle333 wrote:
This song is so much fun. The images it evokes are hilarious! The "la-la" chorus just makes it all that much more fun.
I second that. :-)
I didn't want to have to do this but
https://www.mulletsgalore.com
Finally, some Jim White, I have been away from RP for a year and a half and I come back to find this on the playlist. Cool.
I do remember having all of the Jim White that I uploaded 2 years ago rejected. Thanks for coming 'round Bill.
This song cracks me up. White trash, anyone?
Love it, love it, love it.
I'm so surprised by how many people here really hate Jim White. Guess that'll keep ticket prices down. Hooray!
This song is so much fun. The images it evokes are hilarious! The "la-la" chorus just makes it all that much more fun.
I'm searching for one word that's sufficient...
mediocre.
The broken-voiced wailing is so forced it is even worse than usual.
It's hard to express how much I like this song.
oh retch. Blech.
The immediate image I get in my head when I hear this song is one of Jeff Foxworthy singing.
This rates a "1 -- sucko-barfo".
Following Bird up with THIS??
Oh well... :headshake:
this one's new on me...love it!
Thanks RP, haven't heard this in a long time. \:D/
Any song that contains the words "Trans Am" automatically rates a zero.
Ah the taste of KPIG in the am!!! :D
His new album is very tasty as well, Bill has a couple of tunes that are par excellence. Anyone who thinks that Jesus would come back in a motorhome cant be that bad.
Thanks Bill.
8)
this is awfully annoying
YES! I love this one!! 
Never heard this before. Very cool!
Thanks, Kurt, for the upload. It's sounding might fine!
rah wrote:
WOO HOO! i haven't heard this in so long! thanks!
your welcome.
rah wrote:
WOO HOO! i haven't heard this in so long! thanks!
Awesome!!!!! Haven't heard this since our local indie station went off the regular air!
\:D/
WOO HOO! i haven't heard this in so long! thanks!
"my TransAm is missing! I guess no more kissing the girl who loves my car."
You gotta be kidding! That's like, mega-witty!
(edit three minutes later: Didn't see the quoted words in the lyrics page. Did I imagine them?)They're in the song in a bridge, but not in the listed lyrics text (as of this moment).