Songfacts®:

• Scott Jason, songwriter for Thriving Ivory, identifies this as one of the oldest songs on the album. He originally wrote it in college, going for "an upbeat kind of rocker, Black Crowes-esque kind of thing." According to Jason, "Mississippi" is not the state - it's a girl's name. He explains: "Were you born from the seed of disguise,' it's like this girl's upbringing. Was this what caused her to remain in her shell? While at the same time she wishes that she could come out of it. David Carradine, before he died, he had a quote, 'I've always had to fight my genes to achieve my dreams.' And that reminded me of 'Mississippi,' that this girl's got these big dreams, but she has to fight everything that she's gone through in her life; the way she's been brought up, and her circumstances living in a small town. She should really come out of her shell and light up."
  Scott Jason does reveal that this song is a work of fiction, not based on any particular real-life person. (Check out the full interview with Scott Jason)