North Mississippi Allstars is an American rock/blues jam band from Hernando… Read Full Bio ↴North Mississippi Allstars is an American rock/blues jam band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is composed of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, electric washboard), and Chris Chew (electric bass guitar). Duwayne Burnside, who formerly played second guitar in the band, is a son of R.L. Burnside (who has also played on some of the band's tracks).

The Allstars' first release, Shake Hands With Shorty, was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album". Since then, 51 Phantom and Electric Blue Watermelon have received nominations in that same category. The group also won a Blues Music Award for "Best New Artist Debut" in 2001.

The band has been the backing band for John Hiatt, including appearing on the album "Master of Disaster".

All the members of the Allstars have also teamed up with Robert Randolph and John Medeski to form The Word.

In November 2007, Luther Dickinson joined The Black Crowes as lead guitarist, and has appeared on their albums Warpaint (2008), Before the Frost...Until the Freeze (2009) and Croweology (2010). Luther Dickinson currently devotes his time to both the Black Crowes and the North Mississippi Allstars. Cody Dickinson has also started a side project, Hill Country Revue, featuring Daniel Coburn, Kirk Smithhart, Doc Samba and Ed Cleveland. They are sometimes joined by Luther Dickinson and members of the Burnside family. They have released two albums, Make A Move (2009) and Zebra Ranch (2010),

The mid-90s were a special time for modern Mississippi country blues. RL Burnside, Jr. Kimbrough, Otha Turner and their musical families were at their peak; touring the world, making classic records and doing the all-night boogie at Jr's Juke Joint and Otha's BBQ Goat picnics -- the music and the culture rich as the black Mississippi dirt. Brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson soaked up the music of their father, Jim Dickinson, and absorbed the North Mississippi Blues legacy while playing and shaking it down at the juke joints with their blues ancestors. Luther (guitar and vocals) and Cody (drums and vocals) joined up with bassist Chris Chew to form the core of their own band, The North Mississippi Allstars. Through the filter of generations of Mississippi Blues men, the Allstars pioneered their own blues-infused rock and roll and continue to do so.

The band hit the road with the release of their first record, Shake Hands With Shorty, Grammy-nominated for “Best Contemporary Blues Album.” Bringing their hill country blues-infused rock & roll to stages all over the country and the world (including multiple tours in Europe and Asia), the Allstars quickly gained a loyal fan base, and to date have released six full-length albums. The bands’s third record, Phantom Record also received a Grammy nod.

Electric Blue Watermelon, their third album to receive a Grammy nomination, embodies the Allstars’ own sound. It reflects the band’s old times and lives growing up in their musical community in North Mississippi. “The record holds to the folk tradition of oral history,” as Luther Dickinson puts it. “Electric Blue Watermelon celebrates the lives and legends of men who are folk heroes in my community. If the traditions are passed down and kept alive, they can’t help but mutate and change.” Electric Blue Watermelon is certainly a departure from the blues tradition, but it is a record that reaches in the future and back into the past. It’s loud psychedelic southern folk rock blues.

Goin' Down South
North Mississippi Allstars Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Goin' down South, I'm going down South
Goin' down South, I'm going down South
Where the chilly wind don't blow

I'm going with you, babe, I'm going with you babe
I'm going with you, babe, I'm going with you baby
I don't care where you go

Some other man, some other man
Some other man, some other man
Always hangin' around

I'd rather be dead, I'd be rather dead
I'd rather be dead, I'd be rather dead
Than to see you with another man
(Sleepin' six feet in the ground)

(repeat)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to North Mississippi Allstars' song "Goin' Down South" express a desire to escape to the Southern region of the United States, where the warmth and lack of a "chilly wind" can offer comfort and respite. The repetition of the phrase, "I'm going down South," serves as both a declaration of intent and a mantra, reinforcing the singer's determination to leave their current situation behind. The second half of the first verse, "I'm going with you, babe," introduces the idea of a companion on this journey, suggesting that the escape is not just physical but also emotional, a chance to build a new life with someone else.

The following verse introduces an obstacle in the form of "some other man, always hangin' around," suggesting that perhaps the singer's desire to leave is motivated by a desire to escape an unfulfilling or complicated relationship. The final lines, "I'd rather be dead, than to see you with another man," express a depth of emotion and desperation that can feel almost threatening, but also reinforces the idea that this journey is a matter of survival. Overall, the song presents a simple but powerful narrative of escape, desire, and the search for a better life.

Line by Line Meaning

Goin' down South, I'm going down South
I am traveling to the southern region of the United States.

Goin' down South, I'm going down South
I am conveying the message that I am going to the South.

Where the chilly wind don't blow
I will be experiencing warm weather conditions in the southern region where the wind is not cold.

I'm going with you, babe, I'm going with you babe
I am accompanying my dear one to the South.

I'm going with you, babe, I'm going with you baby
I am expressing my love and commitment for my partner by accompanying them on this journey.

I don't care where you go
My love for you is unconditional, hence I will travel with you no matter the place.

Some other man, some other man
There are some other men who are always present around you.

Always hangin' around
These men are constantly in your vicinity, perhaps vying for your attention.

I'd rather be dead, I'd be rather dead
I would choose death as an alternative to witnessing you with another man.

Than to see you with another man
The prospect of you being with someone else is unbearable for me to imagine.

(Sleepin' six feet in the ground)
This is a metaphorical expression for being dead and buried six feet in the ground, which highlights the intensity of my feelings.

Goin' down South, I'm going down South
I am reiterating my journey towards the southern parts of the United States.

Goin' down South, I'm going down South
I am restating my message of traveling towards the South.

Contributed by Nathaniel T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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