# Just what exactly got thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876 "2013-01-31T04:03:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/1 "2013-01-31T04:03:03Z")
In “Ode To Billy Joe” the narrator’s mama says that Brother Taylor the preacher saw a girl that looked just like you (the narrator) up on Choctaw Ridge…and she and Billy Joe was throwin’ somethin’ off the Tallahatchie Bridge. So just what got thrown off? I’ve heard everything from an aborted fetus to a note implicating Billy Joe in a gay love affair, yet NOWHERE in the song is there any allusion to any of these things, so WHY do some people believe that and where do these thoughts come from? And oh by the way, is it possible that the narrator herself PUSHED Billy Joe off the Tallahatchie Bridge? Your thoughts and interpretations of the song are welcome. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/2 "2013-01-31T04:06:45Z")
The “gay love affair” thing came from the movie based on the song. I know because I, sad to say, watched the thing when it premiered on TV. But at least I can claim that we had one working TV in the house and that’s what Dad wanted to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/3 "2013-01-31T09:02:44Z")
This has been asked and answered many times on these forums. Bobbie Gentry, who wrote the song, is on record saying that she deliberately made it ambiguous so that people would invent their own meanings. Which means that it was whatever you think it was. ETA: There isn’t a correct answer, because songs are made of interesting sounding phrases, they’re not riddles with specific answers that people with too much time on their hands can figure out like crossword puzzles. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/4 "2013-01-31T09:29:09Z")
It was Jill Sobule- or so she claims. In her song “Where is Bobbie Gentry?” Jill Sobule asserts [“I was the baby who was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIPww9xv4Bw&feature=player_detailpage#t=112s) (YouTube Link) I see no reason to challenge her claim. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/5 "2013-01-31T11:05:13Z")
A vintage MacGuffin. ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/6 "2013-01-31T12:26:36Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > This has been asked and answered many times on these forums. > > Bobbie Gentry, who wrote the song, is on record saying that she deliberately made it ambiguous so that people would invent their own meanings. > > Which means that it was whatever you think it was. > > ETA: There isn’t a correct answer, because songs are made of interesting sounding phrases, they’re not riddles with specific answers that people with too much time on their hands can figure out like crossword puzzles. SO maybe we cannot figure songs out like crossword puzzles, but even Cecil Adams joined in the fun while discussing “In The Air Tonight” “Blinded By The Light” and “Hotel California.” ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/7 "2013-01-31T13:04:16Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > This has been asked and answered many times on these forums. Simply searching for ‘Tallahatchie’ turns up 20 threads. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/8 "2013-01-31T13:09:52Z")
> [@Hottius\_Maximus](#): > > SO maybe we cannot figure songs out like crossword puzzles, but even Cecil Adams joined in the fun while discussing “In The Air Tonight” “Blinded By The Light” and “Hotel California.” Yes, specifically to **debunk** the urban myths that grew up out of people inventing meanings that the writers didn’t intend. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/9 "2013-01-31T13:42:49Z")
Personally, I don’t trust that Billy Joe kid. Didn’t he go on a crime spree with his (then)-current girlfriend Bobbie Sue just a few years after the Bridge incident? (Wait - what is Bobbie Gentry’s middle name? Might it be Sue? The plot thickens…) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/10 "2013-01-31T14:54:19Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Personally, I don’t trust that Billy Joe kid. Didn’t he go on a crime spree with his (then)-current girlfriend Bobbie Sue just a few years after the Bridge incident? > (Wait - what is Bobbie Gentry’s middle name? Might it be Sue? The plot thickens…) Could be. Can you give us a little more info? That way we’ll know just exactly what the facts is! ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/11 "2013-01-31T15:16:36Z")
Marcellus Wallace’s breifcase. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/12 "2013-01-31T15:17:23Z")
I’m glad it’s ambiguous. Makes a great song even greater. Man, what a really good song this is. seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/13 "2013-01-31T19:24:11Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Personally, I don’t trust that Billy Joe kid. Didn’t he go on a crime spree with his (then)-current girlfriend Bobbie Sue just a few years after the Bridge incident? > (Wait - what is Bobbie Gentry’s middle name? Might it be Sue? The plot thickens…) Did they throw in maybe a Boy Named Sue? And was the river one of those that caught fire due to pollution, in which case it would have been a Ring of Fire? :eek: See, this is what I come up with when the alternative is to work on my novel. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/14 "2013-01-31T19:25:17Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Personally, I don’t trust that Billy Joe kid. Didn’t he go on a crime spree with his (then)-current girlfriend Bobbie Sue just a few years after the Bridge incident? > (Wait - what is Bobbie Gentry’s middle name? Might it be Sue? The plot thickens…) Did they throw in maybe a Boy Named Sue? And was the river one of those that caught fire due to pollution, in which case it would have been a Ring of Fire? :eek: And re one of the suggestions in the OP, wouldn’t it be more practical to burn a note? See, this is what I come up with when the alternative is to work on my novel. ---
**Author:** ![OtisCampbellWasRight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d78d45/32.png) [@OtisCampbellWasRight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtisCampbellWasRight)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/15 "2013-01-31T19:31:20Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > Could be. Can you give us a little more info? That way we’ll know just exactly what the facts is! All we know for certain is that they got the money; hey, they got away. They headed down South and they’re still wanted today. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/16 "2013-01-31T23:33:55Z")
> [@OtisCampbellWasRight](#): > > All we know for certain is that they got the money; hey, they got away. They headed down South and they’re still wanted today. > > 😛 Until one of the Cartel members named Jose’ got to them. You see, Billy Joe was in a little cafe’ on the other side of the border…and Jose’ came a little closer to him and said “Man You’re in trouble PLENTY…” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/17 "2013-02-01T02:25:17Z")
Jimmy Hoffa. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/18 "2013-02-01T02:30:01Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > The “gay love affair” thing came from the movie based on the song. Whoa! The movie was based on the song? I did not know that. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/19 "2013-02-01T02:36:09Z")
Well, any excuse to [link the song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZt5Q-u4crc). Damn, it’s good. Bonus: [Live performance on the BBC from 1968](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaRacIzZSPo). ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876/20 "2013-02-01T04:03:09Z")
Spoke, thanks for the links. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-exactly-got-thrown-off-the-tallahatchie-bridge/648876.md?page=2)