Odes to Georgia · Track 2 · middle
Vidalia Onion Country
Vidalia onions — the federally protected sweet onion grown only in 20 southeast Georgia counties, the soil sulfur secret, the roadside stands, the festival in Toombs County, the way they caramelize like candy
Lyrics
[Intro] Mose Coleman, 1931, you pulled me from the earth in Toombs County, low sulfur soil whispering secrets to my skin. [Verse 1] You're the sweet one, Vidalia, grown in those twenty counties, from Appling to Wheeler, federally guarded since 1989, Marketing Order No. 955 holding your name like a promise. Delbert Bland fought for you, at the roadside stands along Highway 280, flatbed trucks unloading burlap sacks, earthy and rough under farmers' hands. [Chorus] Oh, you caramelize like candy, sliced thin in butter, golden in the pan, midday heat of May, 85 degrees on the fields, sweat on brows, your tang fresh from the loam. Sweetness unfolding, not sharp, not biting, just melting, tender, into something warm. [Verse 2] At the festival grounds in late April, 75 degrees, air thick with your grill-smoke scent, carnival rides spinning, onion queens crowned, since 1978, crowds gathering for your glory. Hand-woven sacks stamped with family crests, migrant workers' unnamed hands pulling you free, early mornings at 6 AM, crates unloaded under dawn light. [Chorus] Oh, you caramelize like candy, sliced thin in butter, golden in the pan, midday heat of May, 85 degrees on the fields, sweat on brows, your tang fresh from the loam. Sweetness unfolding, not sharp, not biting, just melting, tender, into something warm. [Bridge] Door-to-door in the 1940s, children carried you in baskets, trading for pennies or eggs, your story fading like mist. But here, in my kitchen, you surrender to the flame, candy-sweet, a secret from the trembling earth. [Outro] Vidalia, you're mine, caramel gold, from Toombs County soil to this quiet heat.