Now this is how you turn a Sunday service into a full-blown revival. “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” is vintage Ray Stevens—outrageous, razor-sharp, and soaked in Southern twang. With a storytelling flair worthy of the tallest Southern tales, Stevens sets the scene so vividly you can practically smell the church pews and fried chicken. The music bounces with banjo-driven swing, making your boots tap and your belly shake with laughter. It’s gospel meets satire, with a squirrel as the unlikely holy spark—and somehow, it works like a charm. Stevens delivers it all with theatrical brilliance, part preacher, part prankster. This is country comedy at its finest: boldly ridiculous, yet as warm and familiar as a front porch yarn on a sweltering summer day. You don’t just listen to this song—you see it, feel it, and laugh through every beat.

About the Song
“Mississippi Squirrel Revival” is a comedic country tune by American singer Ray Stevens, released as a single from his 1984 album He Thinks He’s Ray Stevens.

The song tells the story of a young boy visiting family in Pascagoula, Mississippi, who captures a wild squirrel and sneaks it into the First Self-Righteous Church during a Sunday service. Chaos erupts when the squirrel escapes and dives into the overalls of a churchgoer, who reacts with wild panic—believing he’s under attack by some small creature (“like a Weed Eater loose in his Fruit of the Looms”). The congregation misinterprets the outburst as a spiritual possession, possibly by the Holy Spirit, and the pastor appears to support this view.

As the squirrel continues its rampage, it reaches “Sister Bertha Better-N-You,” a self-righteous church member who had been enjoying the commotion from the front row. When it finds its way under her dress, she collapses in fear and begins to publicly confess her sins—naming names and revealing scandalous details that shock the entire church. The unexpected events spark a dramatic religious revival, leading to mass baptisms, rededications, a surge in donations, and a rush of new mission volunteers. Looking back, the now-grown narrator sees the bizarre moment as nothing short of divine intervention.

Though it wasn’t originally meant to be a single, “Mississippi Squirrel Revival” gained momentum after radio stations began playing it spontaneously. Seizing the moment, Stevens released it officially, aiming to reconnect with his identity as a novelty artist after focusing on more serious music in previous albums. He noted that the mid-1980s marked a renewed interest in humorous songs, making the timing perfect.

A music video was later produced, as with many of Stevens’ other novelty hits, featuring familiar collaborators. Notably, songwriter Cyrus “Buddy” Kalb appears in the video, playing the first victim of the mischievous squirrel.

Video

Lyrics

Ooh, ooh
Well, when I was kid, I’d take a trip
Every summer, down to Mississipp’
To visit my granny in her Antebellum world
I’d run barefooted all day long
Climbing trees, free as a song
One day, I happened to catch myself a squirrel
Well, I stuffed him down in an old shoebox
And punched a couple holes in the top
When Sunday came, I snuck him into church
Well, I sit way back in the very last pew
Showin’ him to my good buddy Hugh
When that squirrel got loose and went totally berserk!
Well, what happened next is hard to tell
Some thought it was Heaven, others thought it was Hell
But the fact that something was among us was plain to see
As the choir sang “I surrender all”
The squirrel ran up Harv Newlan’s coveralls
Harv leaped to his feet and said
“Something’s got a hold on me! Yeah!”
The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula (Pascagoula)
It was a fight for survival that broke out in revival
They were jumpin’ pews and shouting “Hallelujah!” (Hallelujah!)
You know Harv hit the aisles dancin’ and screamin’
Some thought he had religion, others thought he had a demon
And Harv thought he had a Weed Eater loose in his Fruit-of-the-Looms
He fell to his knees to plead and beg
And that squirrel ran out of his britches leg
Unobserved, to the other side of the room
All the way down to the amen pew
Where sat Sister Bertha better-than-you
Who’d been watchin’ all the commotion with sadistic glee
You should’ve seen that look in her eyes
When that squirrel jumped her garters and crossed her thighs
She jumped to her feet and said, “Lord! Have mercy on me!”
As that squirrel made laps inside her dress
She began to cry and then to confess
To sins that would make a sailor blush with shame
She told the gossip and church dissension
But the thing that got the most attention
Was when she talked about her love life
And then she started naming names
The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula (Pascagoula)
It was a fight for survival that broke out in revival
They were jumpin’ pews and shouting “Hallelujah!” (Hallelujah!)
Well, seven deacons and then the pastor got saved
And 25, 000 dollars was raised
And 50 volunteered for missions in the Congo on the spot
And even without an invitation
There were at least 500 rededications
And we all got re-baptized whether we needed it or not
Now you’ve heard the Bible story, I guess
How He parted the waters for Moses to pass
All the miracles God has brought to this ol’ world
But the one I’ll remember ’til my dyin’ day
Is how He put that church back on the narrow way
With the heart praise and a Mississippi squirrel
The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula (Pascagoula)
It was a fight for survival that broke out in revival
They were jumpin’ pews and shouting “Hallelujah!” (Hallelujah!)
The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula (Pascagoula)
It was a fight for survival that broke out in revival
They were jumpin’ pews and shouting “Hallelujah!” (Hallelujah!)