# Bad news from Choctaw Ridge (Billie Joe McCallister Day) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 3, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403 "2016-06-03T17:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/1 "2016-06-03T17:17:36Z")
That boy never had a lick of sense… ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/2 "2016-06-03T17:23:58Z")
Just pass the biscuits, please. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/3 "2016-06-03T17:44:48Z")
What is this thread even about? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/4 "2016-06-03T18:01:25Z")
Yeah, don’t you think we’re ode an explanation? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/5 "2016-06-03T20:02:48Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > What is this thread even about? Chopping cotton, baling hay, dropping frogs down girl’s dresses, buying stores, that old time religion, and throwing mysterious things off the Tallahatchie River Bridge, alleged suicide…and lots of other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/6 "2016-06-03T20:08:44Z")
I’ll have another piece of apple pie. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/7 "2016-06-03T20:50:00Z")
Nice day . . . think I’ll go pick some flowers over on Choctaw Ridge. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/8 "2016-06-03T21:43:48Z")
[Here are the lyrics, for those still scratching their heads.](https://play.google.com/music/preview/T53zeencbtrd4pnjpeahdncci2m?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics) ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/9 "2016-06-04T00:32:49Z")
Damn! Got fined $500 for throwing something off the Tallahatchie bridge with Billie Joe! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/10 "2016-06-04T01:35:23Z")
This might be the 3rd of June, but it is NOT a sleepy, dusty, delta day here in Houston. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/11 "2016-06-04T03:34:12Z")
Dammit! Every year, I think, “I got to remember to look for **Oakminster** ’s annual Billie Joe thread”, and every year it sneaks up on me! I’d go listen to the song, but there’s five more acres in the lower forty I got to plow. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/12 "2016-06-04T04:05:47Z")
Damn!I didn’t remember to wipemy feet. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/13 "2016-06-04T04:20:22Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > . . . and throwing mysterious things off the Tallahatchie River Bridge, . . . Let’s all go down to the Tallahatchie Bridge and throw stuff down there. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/14 "2016-06-04T04:30:41Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > What is this thread even about? Strange things. Evil things. Sad things. Unhappy endings. Bullying. Suicide. Father catches a virus and dies. Mother becomes depressed and despondent. Young girl (the singer/narrator) is devastated, and is reduced to spending her life picking flowers and dropping them in the river. _Her eyes, like the river, were peaceful and green, But the bottom of the river can never be seen. My young love and gone and left me to cry, And my tears in the water make the river run high._ Okay, wrong song, but close enough. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/15 "2016-06-04T09:58:34Z")
Brilliant song - but Bobbie Gentry never revealed what was thrown off the bridge, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/16 "2016-06-04T10:45:46Z")
I’m confused as to why Billy Joel was even up on that bridge. Maybe he was in a Mississippi state of mind? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/17 "2016-06-04T11:51:28Z")
Actually they say the song inspired many more people to jump off that bridge however its only about 20 feet down and not enough to die from. What gets me is how can they be chopping cotton and baling hay by June 3rd? July 3rd maybe but not June. Too early in the season. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/18 "2016-06-04T15:20:58Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Actually they say the song inspired many more people to jump off that bridge however its only about 20 feet down and not enough to die from. > > What gets me is how can they be chopping cotton and baling hay by June 3rd? July 3rd maybe but not June. Too early in the season. Bailing hay I get because we’ve been doing that as far north as middle Tennessee for a couple of weeks. Cotton just maybe if they were farther south than Tallahatchie and planted early cotton in February. I may be wrong, but I don’t think they’re picking cotton in northern Mississippi just yet. Chopping cotton (I’ve never raised the stuff, so this is just speculation) would likely be weed control during the growth cycle, done largely by hand in days gone by. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/19 "2016-06-04T15:32:18Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’m confused as to why Billy Joel was even up on that bridge. > > Maybe he was in a Mississippi state of mind? > mmm But did he ever take Delta Dawn to his mansion in the sky? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403/20 "2016-06-04T16:02:35Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Nice day . . . think I’ll go pick some flowers over on Choctaw Ridge. …You’ve got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-from-choctaw-ridge-billie-joe-mccallister-day/756403.md?page=2)