The song captures Simone 's response to the murder of Medgar Evers in Mississippi ; and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham , Alabama , killing four black children . On the recording she cynically announces the song as " a show tune , but the show has n't been written for it yet . " The song begins jauntily , with a show tune feel , but demonstrates its political focus early on with its refrain " Alabama 's got me so upset , Tennessee 's made me lose my rest , and everybody knows about Mississippi '' goddam . '' " In the song she says : " Keep on sayin ' ' go slow ' ... to do things gradually would bring more tragedy . Why do n't you see it ? Why do n't you feel it ? I do n't know , I do n't know . You do n't have to live next to me , just give me my equality ! '' " Simone first performed the song at the Village Gate nightclub in Greenwich Village , and shortly thereafter in March 1964 at Carnegie Hall , in front of a mostly white audience . The Carnegie Hall recording was subsequently released as a single and became an anthem during the Civil Rights Movement . " Mississippi Goddam " was banned in several Southern states , ostensibly because of the word " goddam " in the title . Boxes of promotional singles sent to radio stations around the country were returned with each record cracked in half
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
Mississippi Goddam