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The Tallahatchie River flows from Tippah County, Mississippi to Leflore County, Mississippi, where it joins the Yalobusha River to form the Yazoo River.

Though best known from the fictional song (and movie) Ode to Billy Joe, which has the refrain Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge, the river has historical significance due to the lynching of Emmett Till, an African-American youth who was badly beaten, shot, and sunk in the river. This event is mentioned in another song, "Freedom Highway," by the Staple Singers, in the lines, "Found dead people in the forests, Tallahatchie River and lakes/Whole world is wondering, what's wrong with the United States?"

Rivers of Mississippi

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Tallahatchie River".

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