In my opinion, the song intentionally leaves us wondering what they threw off the bridge and why did Billy Joe kill himself because those things are not the focus. I think what is meant to stand out is how poorly we handle tragedy. The contrast between the news that this young man they all knew and were friends with killed himself and their polite dinner table manners speaks volumes about how we handle tragic news...we don't! We hear news that shakes us to the core and we cling to whats safe and familiar. None of us know how to handle the shock and hurt of tragedy. A year later her dad dies and tragedy strikes close to home and it affects them all but they still don't really know how to process it. We all can find ourselves somewhere in those lyrics because none of us really handles these things well. Anyway the song is hauntingly captivating and perfect for what it is and this is just my thoughts on what it means.
As far as the comment about the narrator being a guy its really a stretch since Bobbie Gentry is a female and wrote the song and sings it and Brother Taylor said he saw a "girl" who looked a lot like her.
In my opinion, the song intentionally leaves us wondering what they threw off the bridge and why did Billy Joe kill himself because those things are not the focus. I think what is meant to stand out is how poorly we handle tragedy. The contrast between the news that this young man they all knew and were friends with killed himself and their polite dinner table manners speaks volumes about how we handle tragic news...we don't! We hear news that shakes us to the core and we cling to whats safe and familiar. None of us know how to handle the shock and hurt of tragedy. A year later her dad dies and tragedy strikes close to home and it affects them all but they still don't really know how to process it. We all can find ourselves somewhere in those lyrics because none of us really handles these things well. Anyway the song is hauntingly captivating and perfect for what it is and this is just my thoughts on what it means. As far as the comment about the narrator being a guy its really a stretch since Bobbie Gentry is a female and wrote the song and sings it and Brother Taylor said he saw a "girl" who looked a lot like her.