She reportedly burned her way through a number of husbands incl Bill Harrah and Jim Stafford, and is said to be living in seclusion in the L. A. area 

Speculation has been all over the map,   Maybe they practiced throwing each other off Tallahatchie bridge, and she chickened out @ the last minute

Interesting to note that this was meant as a B-side and those behind it thought it would never see the light of day. 

“Ode” was recorded on July 10, 1967 at Studio C in the Capitol tower. Accompanying herself on guitar, Bobbie nailed a keeper take in 40 minutes. Arranger Jimmie Haskell told MOJO, “I asked Kelly, ‘What do you want me to do?’ He said, ‘Just put some strings on it so we won’t be embarrassed. No one will ever hear it anyway.’ The song sounded to me like a movie—those wonderful lyrics. I had a small group of strings—two cellos and four violins to fit her guitar-playing. I was branching out in my own head for the first time, creating something that I liked because we thought no one was ever gonna hear it.”

The story behind "Ode To Billie Joe"
 

aflem wrote:

O.K. so what, exactly, do we think she and Billie Joe were throwing off the Tallahatchie Bridge? 

nevermind defining who "we" is, did it ever enter into your imagination that maybe it was none of your business?
roseanne cash's "the river and the thread" lp might perhaps enlighten you in that regard contextually, if not.
 

Last edited by gopher (June 3, 2021 11:26 am)

gopher wrote:

aflem wrote:

O.K. so what, exactly, do we think she and Billie Joe were throwing off the Tallahatchie Bridge? 

nevermind defining who "we" is, did it ever enter into your imagination that maybe it was none of your business?
roseanne cash's "the river and the thread" lp might perhaps enlighten you in that regard contextually, if not.
 

If it was none of our business, the song wouldn't have been recorded.  Why put something out that you want secret?  Save it for the diary.

Bobby Gentry's Pa was clearly part of the problem.   For example "Billie Jo never had a lick of sense".   What kind of remark is that about someone who died that very morning?     

"And pass the biscuits please".    For heaven's sake throw a couple ricochet biscuits at the old feller

Last edited by G. (June 5, 2021 1:52 pm)

Lorne wrote:

The Wikipedia article has info on Gentry's reaction to so many people asking her about it. She discusses what items have been suggested most often, and then gives an example of what it could have been and what that would have meant. So she certainly seemed to be totally fine with people wondering about this. Indeed, I think it's something that she could have taken a lot of pride in as a songwriter, to create lyrics that were of so much interest to so many people. I think it's a perfectly good topic for discussion here as well. 

Thanks for the info.  I just can't see an artist telling us interpreting their lyrics is none of our business.  That would be rude.

Don McLean replies to questions about American Pie's meaning with "it means I'll never have to work again" 

gopher wrote:

It's me Karen wrote:

gopher wrote:

nevermind defining who "we" is, did it ever enter into your imagination that maybe it was none of your business?
roseanne cash's "the river and the thread" lp might perhaps enlighten you in that regard contextually, if not.
 

If it was none of our business, the song wouldn't have been recorded.  Why put something out that you want secret?  Save it for the diary.

well, maybe the song was created because fiction, unlike fact, sometimes requires our ignorance, to pique imagination if one has any. if the storyteller wanted you to know all the details, you would likely have been told.
 

There is a HUGE difference between “none of your business” and "for you to decide" (as in The Lady, or the Tiger?).