The song Parchman Farm by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers is a blues classic that tells the story of a prisoner working on a cotton plantation in Parchman Farm, Mississippi. The lyrics describe the hard labor that the prisoner is forced to do, picking cotton and putting it in a sack that never seems to get full. The constant threat of violence is also present, as the prisoner has a shotgun pointed at his back while he works. Parchman Farm was a real prison in Mississippi that was known for its harsh conditions and brutal treatment of inmates. The song speaks to the larger issue of the Jim Crow South, where African Americans were routinely subject to discrimination and abuse. Despite the difficult circumstances of his imprisonment, the narrator of the song insists that he has never done anyone any harm, highlighting the injustice of his situation. Parchman Farm is a powerful example of the way that blues music has been used to tell stories of struggle and resilience by African Americans throughout history.
