The Mississippi Squirrel Revival Shriners Convention Ray Stevens

The Mississippi Squirrel Revival Album: He Thinks He's Ray Stevens (1984)
Shriners Convention Album: Shriner's Convention (1980)
Secret Bonus Track Album: Boogity Boogity (1974)
by Ray Stevens

"Mississippi Squirrel Revival" is a song from his 1984 album He Thinks He's Ray Stevens.

A young boy visiting relatives in Pascagoula, Mississippi catches a wild squirrel, which he sneaks into the First Self-Righteous Church during a Sunday service. When the squirrel escapes his box, it heads into the overalls of one of the other parishioners, who jumps in shock and discomfort (thinking "he had a Weed Eater loose in his Fruit of the Looms"). The rest of the congregation believe he has been possessed, either by a demon or by the Holy Spirit; it is implied that the pastor is inclined to believe it is the latter. In the front pew, "Sister Bertha Better-N-You," a holier-than-thou parishioner who had been watching the previous incident "with sadistic glee," panics when the squirrel suddenly runs into her dress. In terror, she breaks down in tears and commences confessing all of her sins, including "naming names" of paramours that bring embarrassment to the whole church. Following the ordeal, the church experiences a sudden renewal-revival and a wave of baptisms, rededications, increased tithes, and volunteers to go on foreign missions. The now-adult singer reflects on the incident as an example of one of God's miracles.

Originally, "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" was not intended to be a single, but it was rush-released when various radio stations began playing it. Stevens felt that its release would help re-establish him as a novelty artist after several albums mostly composed of serious material. Stevens felt that novelty music was experiencing a revival in the middle 1980s after a period in the early 1980s where it was not as popular.

As with many other Stevens songs, a music video was produced several years later, with the songwriters in prominent roles; Cyrus "Buddy" Kalb played the squirrel's first target.

"Shriners Convention" is a song written and recorded by American musician Ray Stevens. It is based on Stevens' experiences at an Atlanta hotel where an actual Shriners convention was being held.

Shriners have taken the song as good-natured humor, and have even welcomed Stevens' participation in fundraising activities, as his fame attracts more attendees to charity events. It has been suggested that Stevens' presence indicates that Shriners have a sense of humor about themselves, making the group seem more accessible.

The premise of the song is the "43rd Annual Convention of the Grand Mystic Royal Order of the Nobles of the Ali Baba Temple of the Shrine." Each verse describes a different aspect of the convention: first a parade, then a formal banquet, and finally a ceremonial "secret meeting", which is actually a poker game.

"Meanwhile, back at the motel..."

The song's humor includes a series of phone calls between two Shriners from the Hahira delegation: "Illustrious Potentate" Bubba, and "Noble Lumpkin" Coy, the latter of whom fails to show up at any convention gatherings, choosing instead to carouse at the motel with his Harley, dishonoring the whole delegation. Bubba eventually kicks Coy out of the Shrine, but Coy undauntedly considers joining the Hells Angels, cranks his motorcycle and hangs up.

While only Bubba's side of the conversation is heard, Coy's comments are made known through Bubba's replies. This comedy format is similar to routines by Shelley Berman and Bob Newhart.

In 1983 Stevens re-recorded the song, adding a reference to the Knights of Columbus in the dialogue.

A video for "Shriners Convention" appears in Stevens's 1995 direct-to-video film, Get Serious! The song also ties into the film's plot, wherein a genuine Illustrious Potentate and country sheriff named Bubba, along with his deputy Coy (who in truth somewhat enjoys being mistaken for the Coy of the song) and certain family members and friends, believe that Stevens is deliberately misrepresenting them in his songs. All of this alludes to another Stevens song, "Dudley Do-Right of the Highway Patrol”.

Stevens was inspired to write the Secret Bonus Track after reading an article about streaking, which was a fad among college students where they would run around naked in public.

By the time Stevens recorded this, a bunch of other songs about streaking had already been released. He took it to a Nashville radio station, and the song got a great response when they played it.

Stevens recalled in an interview with Bart Herbison of Nashville Songwriters Association International: "There were about a dozen other records about streaking on the market before I could get mine out, and I was pretty fast! I wrote the song the minute I heard about streaking, and got in the studio and cut it. "

"People were just … I don't know how they got their records out so fast, but maybe they weren't all that good. When mine came out, it took the market. It was the one that radio liked."

Five days after this was released, one of the most high-profile streaks took place at the Academy Awards, when advertising executive Robert Opel streaked past David Niven on live TV. This added to the public's fascination with streaking and helped make the song a huge hit.

Mississippi Squirrel Revival
Ray Stevens

Well when I was kid I'd take a trip
Every summer, down to Mississippi
To visit my granny in her ante bellum world
I'd run barefooted all day long
Climbing trees free as a song
One day I happened catch myself a squirrel
Well I stuffed him down in an old shoebox
Punched a couple holes in the top and when Sunday came
I snuck him into church
I was sittin' way back in the very last pew
Showin' him to my good buddy Hugh
When that squirrel got loose and went totally berserk!

Well what happened next is hard to tell
Some thought it was Heaven others thought it was Hell
But the fact that something was among us was plain to see

As the choir sang "I Surrender All"
Squirrel ran up Harv Newlan's coveralls
Harv leaped to his feet and said
"Somethin's got a hold on me! Yeow!"

The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula (Pascagoula)
It was a fight for survival
That broke out in revival
They were jumpin pews and shouting Hallelujah! (Hallelujah)

Well, Harv hit the aisles dancin' and screamin'
Some thought he had religion
Others thought he had a demon
And Harv thought he had a weed eater loose in his Fruit-Of-The-Looms
He fell to his knees to plead and beg
And the squirrel ran out of his britches leg
Unobserved, to the other side of the room

All the way down to the amen pew
Where sat Sister Bertha better-than-you
Who'd been watchin' all the commotion with sadistic glee
But you should've seen the look in her eyes
When that squirrel jumped her garters and crossed her thighs
She jumped to her feet and said "Lord have mercy on me"
As the squirrel made laps inside her dress
She began to cry and then to confess to sins that would make a sailor blush with shame
She told of gossip and church dissension but the thing that got the most attention
Was when she talked about her love life
And then she started naming names!

The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula (Pascagoula)
It was a fight for survival
That broke out in revival
They were jumpin' pews and shouting Hallelujah! (Hallelujah)

Well seven deacons and then the pastor got saved
And twenty-five thousands dollars was raised
And fifty volunteered for missions in the Congo on the spot, hehe
And even without an invitation
There were at least five hundred rededications
And we all got re-baptized whether we needed it or not

Now you've heard the Bible stories I guess
Of how He parted the waters for Moses to pass
All the miracles God has brought to this ol' world
But the one I'll remember to my dyin' day
Is how he put that church back on the narrow way
With a half-crazed Mississippi squirrel

The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula (Pascagoula)
It was a fight for survival
That broke out in revival
They were jumpin pews and shouting Halelujah! (Halelujah)
The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula (Pascagoula)
It was a fight for survival
That broke out in revival
They were jumpin...

Shriner's Convention
Ray Stevens
Explicit
Here they come down Main Street
Drums a flailin' and the sirens a wailin', what a roar!
Bands are playin', flags are wavin'
Vanguards and Motorcycle Corps

Clowns are a clownin' to the crowd
And pinchin' every pretty girl who dares to smile
It's a glorious mess, everybody wears a fez
The parade stretches out for a mile

It's a typical American phenomenon
Where all the members have a fine old time
It's the Forty-Third Annual Convention
Of the Grand Mystic Royal Order
Of the Nobles of the Ali Baba Temple of the Shrine

(Meanwhile, back at the motel)

"Hello, operator, give me room 321, please
Thank you
Hello, Noble Lumpkin?
This here is the Illustrious Potentate
I said it's the Illustrious Potentate
The illustrious... Coy!
Dad blame it, this is Bubba!
Why wasn't you at the parade?
What? Well, how'd you get that big Harley
Up there in your room?
What? I can't hear ya Coy
Quit revvin' it up, son. Turn it off!
Listen, I just want you to know one thing
You have embarrassed us all, the whole Hahira delegation
Now I'll see you at the banquet tonight, son
And you be there Coy, you hear me?
Black tie, seven o'clock! Be there
And Coy, don't answer the phone, 'udden udden!'"

Ah!

Well, it was all arranged by the Ladies Auxiliary
In the downtown convention hall
Cold roast beef, string beans, mashed potatoes
And nine boring speeches in all
And all the tables looked fine with their Mogen David wine
And Chrysanthemums on each side
And the Hahira leaders in their rented tuxedos
Made the local hearts swell with pride

It's a typical American phenomenon
Where all the members have a fine old time
It's the Forty-Third Annual Convention
Of the Grand Mystic Royal Order
Of the Nobles of the Ali Baba Temple of the Shrine

(Meanwhile, back at the motel)

"Operator, 321, please. Thank you
Hello, Coy? What are you doin'?
What do you mean, who is this?
This is Bubba? Why wasn't you at the banquet?"
What do you mean all you had to wear
Was a Hawaiian flowerdy shirt?
Well, you may think you're foolin' some people
But I know what's goin' on
Yeah, everybody seen the little redhead
That's right, everybody!
Why she come runnin' through the dinner
Right in the middle of the pineapple sherbet
Didn't have nothin' on but your fez, Coy
Coy, you the only one who's got a fez with a propeller on top!
Yeah, yeah and she was a yellin' out the secret code too, Coy
Dad blame it, we gonna have to change it now, Coy!
We gonna have to have a special meetin', we get back to Hahira
About your conduct at this year convention! Embarrassin'!
Now Coy, you be at the secret conclave tonight, you hear me?
And Coy, keep it a secret! Huh!"

Well, it was a secret meeting in the dead of the night
With mysterious sanctimony
In accordance with prescribed
Rituals of time honored ceremony
Matters of grave concern
Were weighed with dedicated caution
Like whether or not to raise at stud
Or draw or spit in the ocean

It's a typical American phenomenon
Where all the members have a fine old time
It's the Forty-Third Annual Convention
Of the Grand Mystic Royal Order
Of the Nobles of the Ali Baba Temple of the Shrine

(Meanwhile, back at the motel)

"Operator, room three-twenty...
How, How'd you know?
Oh! Hello Coy! Where have you been?
Noooo, you wasn't at the meeting!
Well, I found out that at three o'clock this mornin'
You's out there, in your Fruit of the Looms
In the motel swimmin' pool with a bunch
Of them waitresses from the cocktail lounge
I just hope your mama don't find out about this, Coy
What? Well, how'd you get that big motor sickle
Up there on the high dive, Coy?
Now Coy, dad blame it, that ain't no way to act
We supposed to be pillars of the community
When we get back to Hahira, you can just turn in your ring
And your tie tack 'cause Coy, hehe, you are out of the shrine!
You gonna be blackballed, boy. That's right
You might even have to pack your bags and leave town!
What do you mean you might join the Hell's Angels?
Coy, don't you hang up on me!
Hello? Hello?
Don't you crank that motor sickle!
Who's that gigglin' in the background, Coy?
Hello, hello operator! Yeah, we's cut off! Room 321!
Dad blame it!
Coy! You don't hang up on the Illustrious Potentate!
I said, the Illustrious Potentate!
This is Bubba! Bubba! Coy!"

The Streak
Ray Stevens

SPOKEN: Hello, ev'ryone, This is your Action News reporter with all the news that
is news across the nation on the scene at the supermarket. There seems to have
been some disturbance here. Pardon me, sir, did you see what happened?

SPOKEN: Yeah, I did. I's standin' over there by the tomaters and here he comes-
runnin' through the pole beans, through the fruits ''n' vegetables, nekked as a
jaybird. 'n' I hollered over t'Ethel, I said "DON'T LOOK, ETHEL!!" 'n' it's too late-
she'd already been INcensed.

(Here he comes)
Looka dat, looka dat
(There he goes)
Looka dat, looka dat
(And he ain't wearin' no clothes)

Whoa, yes they call him The Streak <"zipppp" kazoo sound>
(Looka dat, looka dat)
Fastest thing on two feet
Looka dat, looka dat
He's just as proud as he can be of his anatomy
He gun give us a peek
Oh, yes they call him The Streak <"zipppp" kazoo sound>
(Looka dat, looka dat)
He likes to show off his physique
(Looka dat, looka dat)
If there's an audience to be found
He'll be streakin' A-round invitin' public critique <"zipppp" kazoo sound>

SPOKEN: This is your Action News reporter once again and we're here at the gas
station. Pardon me, sir, did you see what happened?

SPOKEN: Yeah, I did. I's just in here gettin' my tawres checked 'n' he just
appeared outta the back. Come streakin' around the grease rack there-didn't have
nuthin on but a smile!! I looked at her and Ethel was gettin' 'er a cold drink. I
hollered "DON'T LOOK, ETHEL!!" But it's too late-she'd already been MOONED!!
Flashed her right there in front of the shock absorbers!!

(He ain't crude)
(Looka dat, looka dat)
(He ain't rude)
(Looka dat, looka dat)
(He's just in the mood to run in the nude)

Whoa, yes they call him The Streak <"zipppp" kazoo sound>
(Looka dat, looka dat)
He likes to turn other cheek
(Looka dat, looka dat)
He's always makin' the news wearin' just his tennis shoes
Guess you could call him unique <"zipppp" kazoo sound>

SPOKEN: Once again, your Action News reporter in the booth at the gym covering
the disturbance at the basketball playoff. Pardon me, sir, did you see what
happened?

SPOKEN: Yeah, I did. Halftime, I's just goin' down there to get Ethel a snow cone.
Here he come, right outta the cheap seats, dribblin'. Right down the middle of the
floor. Didn't have on nothin' but his Keds! Made a hook shot and got out through
the concession stand. I hollered up at Ethel, I said "DON'T LOOK, ETHEL!!"..Too
late. She'd already gotten a free shot. Grandstand. Right there in front of the
home team.

Whoa, yes they call him The Streak <"zipppp" kazoo sound>

CLOSING: Not totally decipherable because 3 things are going on at once. Ray is
singing a verse and the backup singers are doing (Looka dat, looka dat) while Ray,
on an overlaid track is speaking "Ethel! Is that you
Ethel? < He's just as proud as he can be > What do you think
you're doin? < He gonna give us a peek> You get your clothes on !!"
Whoa, yes they call him The Streak <"zipppp" kazoo sound>
"Ethel, where you goin'? < He likes to show off his physique> Ethel, you
shameless hussy!!" invitin' public critique> Say it isn't SO, Ethel!!