Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama

• 0
  My Interpretation:This song always uplifts my spirit every single time I hear it. Especially, the 1, 2, 3, the giggling & "the turn it up" in the beginning. I think the song is about Chuck Colson. Even if it isn't, it sure fits his experience. That is just my viewpoint & what the song means to me.

  Flag golden714on January 18, 2013   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:Lynyrd Skynyrd actually loved and admired Neil, and that's why they took what he said about the South so seriously. You can chose to believe me or not, but it's true.

  Flagged WillieBoydon December 13, 2012   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  My Opinion:Ok this is an amazing song, but it is completely racist. I have no problem with both of these 2 facts being true, unlike many others. The Pianist is a great movie even though Roman Polanski is a pedophile, similiarly, this song is great but there is no question it supports racist people and policies.
  
  The line "they love the governor" boo hoo hoo has been debated, whether it is making fun of Wallace's detractors or agreeing with them. I think the argument is put to rest by the later line (not included in these lyrics, which should be revised) "where the skies are so blue and the governor's true." They were noted to have supported Wallace, and his presidential campaign, which by the way was founded upon the idea that Wallace would serve as power broker to end desegregation (Wallace ran on the platform of Segregation forever!). But apparently, by the watergate line, this Wallace was a better candidate than Nixon in their opinion.
  
  Now you might say, "but when the song was written George Wallace was a different guy!" Not really, he still opposed the desegregation of busing systems (the only segregated system remaining), and in 1970 he ran a tv ad in alabama of "the blacks are trying to take over alabama" with a white girl surrounded by seven black boys. Very racially charged, racist propaganda was what George Wallace suppoted at the time.
  
  The "different" Wallace was the man in 1979, long after the song was released, who became a born again christian, apologized to the black community, and retracted everything he had believed and done before. Now THIS man I could see people supporting and have no problem with it, but of course Lynyrd Skynyrd didnt see this man when they recorded their song, they saw a recist segregationalist who believed blacks were taking over his state.
  
  Is it any wonder that when Neil Young writes a song saying basically, "you should stop being racist alabama", they're response is not "we're not all racist like Wallace" but rather, "we dont need you Neil Young get out of here."

  Flagged kish180on May 04, 2012   Link

  • 1 Reply Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
    0

    Racist???? You have got to be kidding!!!! The only intolerance I can see is your remarks about southern people being proud to be from the south!!!! First of all you don't get the lyrics or the meaning of this song... Skynyrd denounces "the governor" by saying "Boo boo boo... We all did what we could do" . As far as Nixon and Watergate, I believe that they're saying that the Nixon administration, however dirty it may seem, didn't do anything that any of their oponents wouldn't have done , therefore the line "Watergate does not bother me... Does your conscience bother you...Now tell the truth!" Apply this to today in politics.... No one got killed involving Watergate!!!! As far as Neil Young goes, yes he was cool enough to say, and I quote, "I'm proud to have my name in a song like this". But afterall, he is from Canada!!! What does he actually know about the American South and what we, as a people have lived through and tolerated?!?!?! Sweet Home Alabama is one of the greatest songs of the classic rock era! I am from the South and proud of it. If you don't know what a "southern person" is you just might be surprised how gracious, intelligent, and tolerent we are....If you have a predujice against us, then stay where you are when you retire, after all, "A southern man don't need you around anyhow!!"
    

    Flag Dasnarkon July 11, 2012  
• 0
  General Comment:Another classic of that genre of tunes you can love, and even "relate" to, while not listening to the lyrics and contemplating their meaning.
  
  I always dug it whenever I heard it. And then a weird thing happened: Someone dialed it up at a Karaoke joint here where I live in Taichung, Taiwan. The lyrics flash on the screen, and for the first time, I marveled at how little I actually knew this song.
  
  And that's why I came to Songmeanings, and thanks to all who shed light on the culture and politics behind this little naughty, politically-incorrect pleasure!

  Flag razajacon January 21, 2012   Link

  • 1 Reply Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
    0

    There ya go... another person who does not get it!!!!

    Flag Dasnarkon July 11, 2012  
• +1
  General Comment:Why is it southerners are always so damned angry and defensive? There must be a reason!

  Flag despondenton December 07, 2011   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  Lyric Correction:SteveOrama, pay attention to the song!
  
  First of all, the missing line is "boo, hoo, hoo", indicating cry'in, not boo'in. The people ah Birmingham tried to get another govenor but failed, which is why the next line says "we all did what we could do". Next.... you know what? I could go on for hours about this, so i'm just gonna say that half of the crap you put is wrong. Just ask a southern man. Alabama rules, YEEHAWWW!!!

  Flagged sidoravichon March 13, 2011   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:The message of the song is, like the South, complicated.
  
  Initially I heard it as the Alabama answer to California Dreamin'. No biggie.
  
  Then I noticed the lyrics about the people loving Governor Wallace. Not so cool to rally around a well-known segregationist.
  
  Missing from the above lyrics is the line "Boo, boo, boo!"
  
  Those boos could be interpreted as Skynyrd booing Wallace. Or it could be them mocking Wallace's detractors, like Neil Young. I don't know.
  
  But the next line "we all did what we could do" suggests Wallace left them wanting.
  
  In the line about Watergate, they're comparing Wallace to former President Nixon. By the time of this song, Nixon was a discredited liar & an embarrassment to all Americans. The lesson is that politicians are jerks, whether it's the Californian Nixon or the Alabaman Wallace. This is not a ringing endorsement of Wallace. Skynyrd's stand for Wallace is more fatalist than enthusiastic. At this point, the controversy was dead in my mind.
  
  Then I noticed that line "And the governor's true".
  
  This surprised me. After distancing themselves from Wallace, they embrace him again. Why?
  
  By 1974 (year this song was released) Wallace had moderated his views about segregation. In 1972, he ran on a platform that included a renouncement of formal segregation. There was certainly some revisionism going on, there. But the reality is that Wallace was changing with the times. He was elected democratically, reflecting the values of his constituents. Doesn't that say something about the citizens of Alabama?
  
  Isn't that what Skynyrd is celebrating?

  Flag SteveOramaon March 05, 2011   Link

  • 1 Reply Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
    0

    This analysis about Wallace vs Nixon misses a critical historical fact - in the 1968 election (the one that made Nixon president), Wallace himself ran as a third party candidate and Alabama was one of the few states that voted their electoral college votes for Wallace. So that whole bit about Watergate is not a complex argument about northern versus southern guilt for bad politicians, but a much simpler claim that Alabama didn't vote Nixon into office so can't be held responsible for the crimes/scandals he committed. I think the "we all did what we could do" is also a reference to that - Alabama did all it could to prevent Nixon from getting into office.
    See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… for the map of the electoral college results.

    Flag melbelvon September 15, 2012  
• 0
  Song Meaning:What did "get me off" mean in the '70s? The line "Lord they get me off so much" confuses me, as I'm only familiar with the sexual meaning of the term...

  Flag lupishon September 05, 2010   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:hey, just asking, but what is a "southern" person

  Flag Volcashumpon July 08, 2010   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  Memory:I always remember the exact date I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd in concert. It was July 7, 1977 -- or 7/7/77. It was a fantastic show and they definitely played this song that night. They went on to play 13 more shows before the unscheduled stop in McComb.

  Flag formeaton July 07, 2010   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!