Bob Dylan recorded this song during the Time Out Of Mind sessions (early 1997), but it was left off the album. Sheryl Crow recorded it for her The Globe Sessions (1998). That is the version made available here. Below the lyrics is an article that explains how Crow came to record the song. Dylan's Love and Theft, released Sept. 11, 2001, included a version much slower than Crow's.
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MISSISSIPI (Music and lyrics by Bob Dylan) Every step of the way, we walk the line. Your days are numbered, so are mine. Time is piling up; we struggle and we scrape. All boxed in--nowhere to escape.
The city's just a jungle, more games to play. I'm trapped in the heart of it, trying to get away. I was raised in the country, been working in the town. I been in trouble since I set my suitcase down. I ain't got nothing for you; I had nothing before. Don't even have anything for myself anymore. Sky's full of fire and the rain is pouring down. There's nothing you can sell me, so I'll see you around. All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime. Could never do you justice, reason, or rhyme. There's only one thing that I did wrong: I stayed in Mississippi a day too long.
The devil's in the alley; the mule kickin' in the stall. Say anything you wanna--I've heard it all. I was thinking about the things that she said. I was dreaming I was sleeping in your bed. Walking through the leaves falling from the trees. Feel like a stranger nobody sees. So many things we never will undo. I know you're sorry; well, I'm sorry too. Some people will offer you their hand and some won't. Last night I knew you, tonight I don't. I need something strong to distract my mind. I'm gonna look at you 'til my eyes go blind. Well I got here following the southern star I crossed that river just to be where you are There's only one thing that I did wrong: I stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well my ship's been split to splinters; it's sinking fast I'm drowning in the poison; got no future, got no past. But my heart is not weary; it's light and it's free. I've got nothing but affection for those who've sailed with me. Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there. Everybody's got to move somewhere. Well stick with me baby anyhow. Things should start to get interesting right about now. My clothes are wet, tight on my skin. Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in. I know that fortune is waiting to be kind. So give me your hand and say you'll be mine. The emptiness is endless, cold as clay. You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way. Well there's only one thing that I did wrong: I stayed in Mississippi a day too long
(Yeah the only thing that I did wrong was stay in Mississippi a day too long. The only thing that I did wrong was stay in Mississippi a day too long.)
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11.11.98 10:00 EST Sheryl Crow Tells How Bob Dylan Classed Up Her Album Rich with revealing lyrics, Sheryl Crow's latest album, "The Globe Sessions," seems like a very personal document, but she did accept a bit of outside help on the project. Amid the many glimpses into the singer/songwriter's soul on "Sessions," listeners will find a track written by rock legend Bob Dylan, who essentially bestowed the song upon Crow after finding out that it wouldn't fit on his last album. During a recent interview with MTV News at her unannounced acoustic show in Los Angeles at the Roxy, Crow said she never thought twice about included Dylan's work on a collection that was otherwise uniquely her own. "I was stoked that he even thought of me for the song," Crow told MTV News. "I personally think that it just added that much more class to my album. I was sort of in the middle of a big debate with myself about what kind of album I had made and I was feeling kind of insecure about it and then he called and said he had this song and I went in and recorded it and all of a sudden I had some clarity on the whole project. It really, sort of, provided a great center to the whole thing." "The Globe Sessions," which has been on store shelves since late September, was recorded at Crow's new studio, conveniently dubbed The Globe, and even more conveniently located five blocks from her home in New York City. The album has remained in the top 15 of the album charts since the time of its release. For more on Sheryl Crow, check out the MTV News Gallery.