Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billy Joe

i was quite young when this song first came out....back then i did not understand that the story was about a 17 year old boy who had been raped by another man afterwards the boy is dead... possible suicide..im steel unclear about it all.

Wow, what a performance. She could sure sing and play her guitar. I heard this song when I was a little kid and I never forgot it. Had no idea what the song is about since I didn't speak English back then. This song can stir up some emotions.

no haha

masterpiece is right

Beautuful, haunting song

Very nice and intriguing performance. I was about 10 when the song came out. A local radio station supposedly had a contest for you to guess why Billy Joe jumped off the bridge.

why did he jump??

even bobbie gentry doesn't know. That is not the point. The point is that her world has been shattered, and her parents and brother don't even know it. THEY are too busy passing potatoes and talking about rumors to even notice her pain. if you close your eyes, you can feel time stop when this song plays, and feel the heat from the mississippi delta. Time actually reverses.
There was supposed to be another verse, where she acts indifferent to her fathers death....but I don't know where it is.

Correct. BG said she had nothing in mind about Billy Joe's suicide. She had no idea why she made him jump. She was focusing on the family's indifference and self-centeredness. There were several more verses, but the record producers made her drop them. I would love to hear the original without the strings, just the acoustic guitar and bass. It's a great and haunting song... it stays with you. I'm learning to play it now, just acoustic guitar.

He jumped and died because an oldman noticed he was drunk and seduced him.After that Billy believed himself to be evil and ruined,could not go on.Hope that helps.Wonder how many times that happens everyday?