Alabama picks racist "Sweet Home" as State song.

[edhopper]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070918/ap_en_ot/music_lynyrd_skynyrd

"Well I heard mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you

In Birmingham they love the governor
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?"

Let's make sure you all keep the "cracker" image alive.

[GOPisEvil]

1. ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Home_Alabama_(song)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

58. Isn't that the truth

If they don't "get" the song and think it's racist, fine. All that shows is that they're missing the point.


:hi: Hope all is beautiful in your world.

[Va Lefty]

72. Here we go again

[mudesi]

2. Don't mess with SKYNYRD!!!!

:evilgrin:

[11 Bravo]

3. I always thought the "Now we all did what we could do" lyric ...

referenced skynyrd's opposition to Wallace. Of course, I could be wrong.

[mitchum]

47. You are absolutely correct ...

notice the very careful use of "they" and "we" in that verse

[Ghost in the Machine]

73. More from wiki....

Some deny the song expresses support for Wallace's politics, interpreting the lyrics as saying that the band did all they could do to keep Wallace out of office. They argue that a jeer "Boo, boo, boo!" can be heard after the line "In Birmingham, they love the governor" and they interpret this as an attack on Wallace. In 1975, Van Zant said: "The lyrics about the governor of Alabama were misunderstood. The general public didn't notice the words 'Boo! Boo! Boo!' after that particular line, and the media picked up only on the reference to the people loving the governor" (Ballinger 2002:78). Footage of concerts where they performed the song also confirms the presence of this line (Lyve from Steeltown). Although again this is an area for contention, particularly when regarding the lines "Sweet home Alabama, Oh sweet home baby, Where the skies are so blue, And the governer's true."

Various band members have denied that the song endorses segregation; in a recent radio interview, surviving members stated the last line "Montgomery got the answer" was a reference to the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches led by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fans and music historians also argue that the band was clearly sympathetic to African-Americans during the Civil Rights movement, citing the songs "Things Goin' On", and "The Ballad of Curtis Loew", in addition to their obvious admiration for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (which recorded numerous Soul and R&B classics) as prime examples of the group's true political leanings.

Another claim often made is that the third line of the above verse is downplaying the Watergate scandal. Again, many fans disagree, interpreting the line as either a reminder to critics that the South is not alone in having scandals or as a statement that corruption in politics is nothing exceptional. Another theory is that Van Zant was simply saying that the Watergate scandal was nothing that concerned him because he (and the South) had their own problems.

The general consensus today regarding the song (and the band's) political leanings is that the group was actually more "liberal" in their social/political beliefs than they were given credit for during their heyday. In fact, one can argue that because the band was proudly Southern, this indicated to many "Yankee" listeners that the group must surely be conservative. This, of course, is the very thing that Lynyrd Skynyrd strived to dispell in many of their songs (many of which were pro-equality, anti-gun, etc). Their message, typically was one of "just because I am from the South, does not indicate that I am a racist nor a close minded fool". The lyrics of "Sweet Home Alabama" are often hotly debated for this very reason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Home_Alabama_%28song%29

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. It beats the last one.

I'm gon-na
Get me a shotgun
and shoot all the n****** I see!
I'm gonna get me a shotgun
and shoot all the n****** I see!
When I kill all the n****** I see
then Jim Crow he won't bother me
I'm gonna get me a shotgun
and kill all the n****** I see!

[Clark2008]

87. Groan.

Bigotry, in any form, isn't liberal.

I guess you've never heard of segregation in Pittsburgh or Boston?

[MadBadger]

5. I have absolutely no problem with them using this song.

Id have more problem if they didnt.

[ElizabethDC]

6. Lol. n/t

[brentspeak]

7. I don't see the "racism" in the song

Besides that, Ronnie Van Zant was notable for being a vocal ANTI-racist.

[Dulcinea]

99. Me neither.

Besides, Lynyrd Skynyrd also gave the world "That Smell" & "Saturday Night Special," to name a few songs that were against drugs & guns.

[AZBlue]

118. It's not the lyrics, it's the fact that the KKK uses it as their theme song.

Well, I guess it is the lyrics technically, but that's not how Lynyrd Skynyrd meant it. Neil Young wrote "Southern Man" about racism and slavery in the south. LS were actually fans of Young and wrote the following lyrics as a response to his song, only to remind him of good things in the south - it was not meant as a put-down or in a negative way:

"I hope Neil Young will remember,
a Southern man don't need him around anyhow."

However the KKK took this literally and therefore uses this song as theirs. So, unfortunately, even though it was not meant that way at all, it now has a very strong racist connotation.

[Olney Blue]

8. The article says that it will be a logo that says "Sweet home Alabama"

They may not use the entire song, and I hope they don't. Especially if the "governor" in the song is George Wallace. :puke:

[TheUniverse]

14. After they say "they love the governor" in the song

There is booing heard in the song. The lyrics left that out.

[Olney Blue]

16. Yes, but it is true that people in Birmingham loved the governor!

That's what I don't like.

[supernova]

22. But your missing the point

of the song. The very next line is

"Now we all did what we could do," meaning they tried to NOT get wallace elected and failed.

If you think this song is expressing any great love for Wallace you are very mistaken.

[TheUniverse]

27. Sweet Home Albama was one of the most progressive songs ever made.

But like "Born in the USA" or the TV show All in the Family, many people missed the point.

[supernova]

28. Easily the most misinterpreted piece of american art

outside of Huck Finn.

[Lisa0825]

63. Thank you!

You are exactly right!

[Olney Blue]

30. I get the point that the authors of the song objected to Wallace.....

what I'm saying is that I grew up in Alabama when Wallace was in his full racist onslaught- I knew people in Birmingham who thought he was great!
I just have bad memories of that time, and the phrase "in Birmingham they love the governor" brings back negative memories for me. That's all.
I guess people have varying reactions to it.

[supernova]

36. I can understand that

Wallace upset a lot of people at the time.

It's worth remembering Wallace did recant his behavior then by the time he had died.

It just seems odd to me to take in out on an artist who tried not to be cut from that same mold, though he easily could have been.

[slackmaster]

112. They loved Wallace in Alamogordo, NM in 1968 too

I was living there, and I was shocked by it.

[Stuckinthebush]

78. Actually, the Governor didn't like Birmingham

There was always a tension between the Ham and Wallace in the 70s.

[wuushew]

9. The worse crime is indifference towards Watergate

Grevious crimes at the highest levels of government should not be brushed off.

[jberryhill]

70. Pssst....

(Alabama didn't go for Nixon in '68. California did.)

[regnaD kciN]

75. Yep...who DID Alabama go for in '68?

:evilgrin:

[jberryhill]

77. A man who, most assuredly was not elected president...

...the point being that California produced Nixon.

[Le Taz Hot]

79. We gave you Reagan too.

We're REALLY sorry 'bout that! :blush:

[wuushew]

90. Nice of you to ommit the election year 1972

George S Richard M
McGovern Nixon
(Democrat, SD) (Republican, CA)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
State vote % ECV vote % ECV
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ALABAMA 256,923 25.3 - 728,701 71.8 9




This song was was written after Nixon was relected and after the break in. Nixon had awful approval ratings so by saying that "Watergate does not bother me" it indirectly links that statement with the 20% that did approve of Nixon.

[jberryhill]

92. 1972? Oh, you mean....

...the year Wallace was shot.

Yes, Southern people are eeeevil as a class. I see that now. I sit corrected.

[yardwork]

113. I don't think that the song lyrics signal indifference to Watergate

The song is a response to Neil Young's "Southern Man," in which Young seems to blame southern men for all the problems in the country. LS was pointing out that most people didn't hold themselves personally responsible for Watergate, any more than they (the band members) hold themselves personally responsible for Governor Wallace's behavior.

And, adding to the complexity, Neil Young himself was being somewhat ironic in his song, and he and the members of LS were friends.

[liberalmuse]

10. I'm shamed to admit it, but...

I love Southern Rock. I heard that the line about Neil Young was a joke and that the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young were friends. Hell, I don't really know. I've always interpretted the last paragraph you posted of 'Sweet Home Alabama' as sarcasm.

on edit: don't drink and post.

[hang a left]

67. PWI

Posting While Impaired.

I love late nights.

[KamaAina]

11. How is that racist?

Is Neil Young black? I never knew.

Aside: Years after his segregationist heyday, George Wallace was elected to another term as governor, largely on the strength of the black vote. You just can't make this stuff up.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Well sure.

In his later years George Wallace was one of those few rare success stories where people actually turn themselves around.

That was after the song though.

[MedleyMisty]

12. Maybe it's because I wasn't born until after the seventies

But I don't get how it's racist? And usually I'm pretty sensitive to that stuff.

I actually never managed to pick out the word Watergate in that line. That is sort of weird. And I don't get the Neil Young reference and I've always thought that the Birmingham part was maybe about political corruption?

I imagine that most of the people who like the song and wanted it as their state song didn't get it either.

I did just look it up and found out what the Neil Young thing was about. But I don't think that the majority of people these days are really thinking racist thoughts when they listen to the song. I like it all right (although mentally I replace Alabama with North Carolina - it works if you say it fast) and there is nothing in this world that I hate more than prejudice. I was just innocently ignorant of the references in the song.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. Meh.

Back in the seventies Neil Young wrote a couple of songs criticizing southern racism.

"Southern Man"

Better keep your head
Don't forget
what your good book said
Southern change
gonna come at last
Now your crosses
are burning fast
Southern man

I saw cotton
and I saw black
Tall white mansions
and little shacks.
Southern man
when will you
pay them back?
I heard screamin'
and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

"Alabama"

Oh Alabama
Banjos playing
through the broken glass
Windows down in Alabama.
See the old folks
tied in white ropes
Hear the banjo.
Don't it take you down home?

So a lot of white racist southerners got mad at Neil Young for daring to criticize them. Lynyrd Skynrd arguably exploited that anger by "standing up" to Neil Young with Sweet Home. Racist, maybe not, but I think an argument can be made for race baiting.

[mitchum]

57. But was not Good Ol' Neil himself guilty of cracker baiting?

But I guess an opportunist never passes up an opportunity.

[jberryhill]

66. Not every "southern man" was racist

One of the great hypocrisies of race relations in the history of this country is the idea among Northern whites that their racism is more enlightened than that of Southern whites.

Yeah, until desegregation came to South Boston, eh?

In the North, it is a heck of a lot easier to look down on overt Southern racism from the comfort of your lily-white suburb.

[ribrepin]

76. Boy, you just hit the nail on the head about race relations of fifties and sixties

I didn't see the hypocrisy of seeing buses loaded with only black faces and knowing exactly which neighborhoods they were headed for before I spent time in the South @ nineteen.

We in the North were all enlightened about race relations as long as the blacks kept their place in the inner city. South Boston exposed the North for the racists we really were.

This is a stupid controversy over some song written thirty years ago by a some dope smoking rock n rollers.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

85. No, but the voting majority were.

[jberryhill]

86. The "voting majority" is not a majority

...and Neil Young's song wasn't "Voting Majority of Southern Men", now was it?

It's always the "other" which is the source of all ills, isn't it.

Somewhat relevant question.... Are you aware that the Emancipation Proclamation only applied to slaves in the Confederacy? Slaves in Union states remained slaves.

It's the hypocrisy that itches.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

101. Yeah, and Neil Young song wasn't about Lynyrd Skynrd.

It was about Southern Man. And Lynyrd Skyrnd, frankly, seem a lot more concerned with Neil Young than with George Wallace.

"Somewhat relevant question.... Are you aware that the Emancipation Proclamation only applied to slaves in the Confederacy? Slaves in Union states remained slaves."

That's not a particularly relevant question, since Lincoln didn't have the executive authority to end slavery in the North, it only could only effect enemy states. Lincoln's legacy government ended slavery ended up passing the 13th amendment, but not before kicking the South's ass first.

[mitchum]

123. But that's only because Wallace never owned an amp as fine as Neil's Fender Deluxe

THAT'S the reason they seem a lot more concerned with Neil Young than with George Wallace.
"How can a man with such a great tone be such a crass opportunist doling out prefab sentiments to his equally smug audience?"
Why it's as easy as killing the original inhabitants and tapping their maple trees for Good Ol' Neil

[jberryhill]

127. "but not before kicking the South's ass first"

I rest my case.

Well I guess I'm just some kind of a loon for voting twice for a guy who was a young man from Arkansas at the time it was fashionable to generally put down white guys from the South as the wellspring of racism in this world.

[MadBadger]

15. Can the OP point out for me where the song is racist exactly?

[mitchum]

59. How dare you let explication stand in the way of outrage!

:)

[Zomby Woof]

122. The real irony...

...(I wanted to stay out of this thread, because the ignorance is epidemic in places) is that on the original vinyl copy of 'Second Helping', "Sweet Home Alabama" opens side 1, and "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" opens side 2.

If the OP or any of the detractors understood "Curtis Loew", then maybe they have an outside (1 in a trillion or more) chance of getting where "Sweet Home Alabama" is coming from.

But probably not. :-)

[mitchum]

124. Reflexive outrage over the song is just a variation on "some of my best friends are Negroes"

[Dunedain]

134. ...

"people said he was useless but them people all were fools
cuz Curtis Lowe was the finest picker to ever play the blues "

[Scurrilous]

17. Could be worse:

The Florida State Song

http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/song/fl_swanee_river.htm

[proud2BlibKansan]

56. Wow that is really an awful song

I feel so sorry for all the Floridians.

[FloridaJudy]

74. You know you were raised by liberals

When you caught a "tiger" by the toe, and learned the second verse of that refrain as "Oh - brothers - how my heart grows weary". It's shocking to grow up and discover there are less considerate versions.

I agree. That is a dreadful song. It should be retired, and we should commission Jimmy Buffet to write a replacement.

[mitchum]

121. The lyrics are appalling, but Buffet has never written a melody as beautiful...

as the one penned by that native of (ohmigosh!) Pennsylvania, Stephen Foster

[Mad_Dem_X]

106. Holy crap!

Are you kidding me? Damn...

[supernova]

18. How is SHA racist?

"In Birmingham they love the gov'nor
Now we all did what we could do..."


I've always taken that to mean that Ronnie and friends his age did what they could to NOT get Wallace elected that time around.

[GOPisEvil]

21. That's exactly what it meant.

Explain how someone who loved the Muscle Shoals sound is a racist. The misconceptions surrounding this song have been dispelled on this site MANY times. I'm through with repeating it.

[supernova]

24. Makes my head hurt.

:crazy:

[GOPisEvil]

25. I'm sure ZombyWoof's head is exploding too.

I learned what I know about the song from him!

[american_typeculture]

19. In related news: Ontario chooses 'Southern Man' as provincial song.

[spindoctor]

20. I just LOVE that song

Never got enough of it.

Racist my ass, and even Neil Young took it as a great practical joke.

Sure, Skynyrd has always portrayed themselves as rednecks (They had a great live album in the 80s titled "Southern by the Grace of God" - brilliant!), but it always has been a tongue in cheek thing.

Lighten up.

[BlackVelvet04]

23. From an interview

From an interview with Ronnie Van Zant:

"We wrote Alabama as a joke. We didn't even think about it - the words just came out that way. We just laughed like hell, and said 'Ain't that funny'... We love Neil Young, we love his music..."

[brentspeak]

29. Zombywoof made a good post about Skynyrd that deserves to be reposted:

Here it is in its entirety:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/ZombyWoof/42

The Truth about Lynyrd Skynyrd
Posted by ZombyWoof in The DU Lounge
Wed Oct 18th 2006, 08:03 PM
For probably the 295th time on DU, I must once again slay the myths and misconceptions about the greatest of all American rock bands.

The current version, which I call "The New Johnny Van Zant Band" (kid brother had his own band in the 80's) is not truly Lynyrd Skynyrd. There are two original members, and they are ignorant and naive to associate with right-wingers like the sycophantic Travis Tritt, or the now-delusional Charlie Daniels, but they don't have Ronnie around to knock some sense into them.

Ronnie Van Zant supported Jimmy Carter strongly in the 1976 race, and the band raised a lot of money for his campaign. To him, Carter was for the working man, and would restore trust and integrity to the government, as well as heal the nation after Vietnam.

In reference to "Sweet Home Alabama", bassist Leon Wilkeson stated that they "supported Wallace about as much as your average American supported Hitler".

There's a "Boo! Boo! Boo!" after the mention of Wallace in that song.

Watergate didn't bother a cynic who was used to Washington D.C. playing games with southerners, especially since Nixon showed his opportunistic colors with the "Southern Strategy". Ronnie said that when he wrote that lyric, he just laughed, because he knew it would "either blow us wide open, or piss everyone off so bad we won't get a second chance."

Clydie King and Merry Clayton are African-Americans, and they sing the background vocals on the song, which pretty much discredits any charges of racism. As for those pesky stars 'n bars... MCA Records made them use it for a marketing tool, and Ronnie finally got his way when the flag was no longer used on their final tour in 1977, before the plane crash. He said Europeans loved it more than the Americans, because "they are into that macho American shit".

"Things Goin' On" is anti-Vietnam and advocates helping the inner cities with the money that was wasted on the war and the moon program. Have things changed that much?

"Saturday Night Special" is anti-handgun, and calls for voluntary gun control ("why don't we dump 'em all, people, to the bottom of the sea?").

"All I Can Do Is Write About It" is pro-environmental.

"The Ballad of Curtis Loew" reveals the truths of racism in the south circa the late 50's, and how a young boy overcame his prejudices because of the great healing power of music. It is so beautifully told, without exploitation or overstatement.

As for the current incarnation I am reluctant to praise, it must be noted that it was 9/11 that caused the unfortunate turn in the survivors' ways of thinking. And I still suspect that guitarist Rick Medlocke is no flaming wingnut, based on some of his contributions to the current catalog. He can be counted as the "third" original member, since he recorded some demos with the band as a drummer in the early 70's, but neither recorded or toured with the band after they secured their contract with MCA. He went on to front Blackfoot. Some of the not-so-conservative highlights of the 1991-present version:

"I've Seen Enough" is a rap-influenced tune, which harkens some of the working-class populism of their early work. Weren't blue-collar workers once Democratic constituents? Sadly not as much as in days gone by, but it sure as hell behooves us to embrace working people, I think.

"Tomorrow's Goodbye" is their sequel to "All I Can Do Is Write About It", with an even more urgent message to save our planet.

"None Of Us Are Free" is right out the civil rights era, stating quite plainly that if "one of us isn't free, none of us are free." Musically, it has an R&B flavor, quite soulful, and contemporary - with timeless lyrics.

"We Ain't Much Different" turns southern provincialism on its head. It celebrates our commonality as people, no matter our ethnic and regional differences. It is worthy of being called a Skynyrd song in the best sense of the word.

During the 2000 Florida recount debacle, Jim Ladd on radio's syndicated "Rockline" asked Johnny Van Zant and Gary Rossington their opinion of the election (they are Florida natives), and Johnny said "Why can't we just keep Bubba in there?" - not exactly an anti-Clinton sentiment.

"The Way" calls into question how we are handling Afghanistan and Iraq (this was in 2003 when it was unfashionable to do so) by stating "we have our heads stuck into something way overseas/that ain't the Constitution they wrote for me." Granted, this was on the same album as the Darryl Worley co-penned piece of crap "Red, White, and Blue", but proof that Medlocke is smart enough to sneak his own sentiments in under the radar.

I tire of pigeonholing and knee-jerk ideological labeling. The original Skynyrd was neither hardcore "liberal" or "conservative". They certainly had many characteristics of the former and probably a few of the latter, and the current version is somewhat of an inverse model. Still, understanding the band takes more complexity than digging up soundbites or lyric quotes to properly give them their due.

[DemoTex]

31. There was a summer day in 1974 (or '75) when an ATL rock station played this for 12 hrs!

Anybody else remember? I think it was summer of 1974, a month or two after Dr. D. and I got married. We were living on a farm just south of Griffin, Ga., and it must have been a Saturday or Sunday (we were both home).

One of my younger brothers called and said "Listen to WQXI-FM!" (Quixi-Rock). They played "Sweet Home Alabama" for twelve hours or so. Back-to-back. No commercial or other interruptions. Just "Sweet Home Alabama" over, and over, and over ...

Over and over and over, Ad nauseum.

[Bobbieo]

42. I'm sure it was the summer of '74

"In Birmingham, we love the governor" wasn't there a "boo hoo hoo" after governor?

[MazeRat7]

32. Its generally considered a "response" song to Neil Young's "Southern Man"....

and great fodder for a rivalry that was pretty much non-existent.

Now if you can actually definitively solve this debate about it being "racists" after all these years, you will be the first since that has been a "hot topic" since the song was released.

Certainly, thats not what the general thinking is. As a matter of fact there are several web sites devoted to just this topic.

http://www.thrasherswheat.org/jammin/lynyrd.htm">Here is one example

As for the intent of the song, the "grudge" with Neil Young, etc... I'm going to go with what Ronnie Van Zandt said in an interview...

"We wrote Alabama as a joke. We didn't even think about it - the words just came out that way. We just laughed like hell, and said 'Ain't that funny'... We love Neil Young, we love his music..."
...
It should also be noted that shortly after the band was involved in a fatal plane accident, Neil Young performed a rare live version of "Alabama" at Bicentennial Park, Miami, Florida on 11-12-1977 for Children's Hospital Charity with The Gone With The Wind Orchestra and he changed the lyric chorus from "Alabama" to "Sweet Home Alabama".

Recalling the concert tribute in an interview with the Boston Globe, Young said: "I just sang 'I hope you all will remember. I thought it was a cool thing."

MZr7

[hootinholler]

33. You don't say! Something wrong with Georgia on my mind?

That's what I'm usually thinking about when in Alabama, 'cause I'm usually headed North.

-Hoot

[GOPisEvil]

34. Isn't Alabama west of Georgia?

:shrug:

[hootinholler]

41. From Mobile, you head NE to Atlanta.

If I was brilliant, I'd embed google maps here, but I'm not so you're out of luck.

-Hoot

[GOPisEvil]

44. Ah...now I get it.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

35. Racist? BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[MazeRat7]

37. You didn't get the memo ? ... this is feigned outrage week at DU.... -nt

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

38. It's Quite The Sight, Ain't It?

I'm not even sure what to say anymore. It's getting past the point of ridiculous already. It's reached almost epidemic proportions LOL.

[tammywammy]

39. Isn't feigned outrage week like every two weeks here n/t

[Beelzebud]

102. I thought it was Feigned Outrage Decade.

[razors edge]

40. You misunderstand Skynyrd, many do.

Ballad of Curtis Lowe:

well I used to wake the mornin
befor the rooster crowed
searchin for soda bottles to get my self some dough
brought em down to the corner
down to the country store
cash em in and give my money to a man named Curtis Lowe
old Curt was a black man with white curly hair
when he had a fifth of wine he didnot have a care
he used to own and old dobro used to play across his knee
I'd give old Curt my money he play all day for me

(chours)
play me a song Curtis Lowe Curtis Lowe
well I got your drinkin money tune up your dobro
people said he was useless them people all were fools
cuz Curtis Lowe was the finest picker to ever play the blues

he looked to be 60 maybe I was 10
momma used to whoop me
but I'd go see him again
I'd clap my hands, stomp my feet tryin to keep in time
well he'd play me a song or 2 then take another drink of wine

(chours)
play me a song Curtis Lowe Curtis Lowe
well I got your drinkin money tune up your dobro
people said he was useless but them people all were fools
cuz Curtis Lowe was the finest picker to ever play the blues

on the day old Curtis died nobody came to pray
old preacher said some words
they chucked him in the clay
well he lived a lifetime playin the black mans blues
and on the day he lost his life thats all he had to lose

(chours)
play me a song Curtie Lowe Curtis Lowe
I wish that you was here so everyone would know
people said he was useless but them people all were fools
cuz Curtis Lowe was the finest picker to ever sing the blues



Skynyrd's guys were friends with Young. Neil was a pal bearer at the funeral.

[Olney Blue]

43. A minor correction- Sweet Home was for an ad campaign. This is state song:

Alabama
Written by Julia S. Tutwiler
Composed by Edna Gockel Gussen

Alabama, Alabama, We will aye be true to thee,
From thy Southern shores where groweth,
By the sea thy orange tree.
To thy Northern vale where floweth,
Deep blue the Tennessee,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

Broad thy stream whose name thou bearest;
Grand thy Bigbee rolls along;
Fair thy Coosa-Tallapoosa
Bold thy Warrior, dark and strong,
Goodlier than the land that Moses
Climbed lone Nebo's Mount to see,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

From thy prairies broad and fertile,
Where thy snow-white cotton shines,
To the hills where coal and iron
Hide in thy exausted mines,
Strong -armed miners -sturdy farmers;
Loyal hearts what'er we be,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

From thy quarries where the marble
White as that of Paros gleams
Waiting till thy sculptor'ss chisel,
Wake to life thy poet's dreams;
Fear not only wealth of nature,
Wealth of mind has no fee,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

Where the perfumed south-wind whispers,
Thy magnolia groves among,
Softer than a mother's kisses,
Sweeter than a mother's song,
Where the golden jasmine trailing,
Woos the treasure-laden bee,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

Brave and pure thy men and women,
Better this than corn and wine
Make us worthy, God in Heaven
Of this goodly land of Thine.
Hearts as open as thy doorways.
Liberal hands and spirits free.
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

Little, little can I give thee,
Alabama, mother mine.
But that little - hand, brain, spirit.
All I have and am are thine.
Take, O take, the gift and giver.
Take and serve thyself with me.
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

[Dob Bole]

45. I'm an 8th-generation Alabamian, and I didn't know that...

"Sweet Home" would be so much better :)

[jberryhill]

69. An 8th-generation Alabaman....

Man... that's a long string of girls who couldn't outrun their brothers....

[nosmokes]

68. Yes'm. That's the one that was beat into my head by the Alabama education

system. I still like to listen to ol Bing croon *Stars fell on Alabama*, too.

[peacebaby3]

84. Yep, Siegelman actually changed the state song to Stars Fell on AL when he took office.

and had it put on the tags in the space that said "Heart of Dixie" and it caused a great controversy as I'm sure you remember.

This is the Jimmy Buffet version and the one that is used in Alabama the most. Not many know that Jimmy Buffet is a native Alabamian and his sister lives not far from me and owns one of the coolest bar/restaurants ever! They are both great Liberals!

Here's the lyrics to the state song of AL:

For all the crooners and swooners wherever they may be!

Moonlight and magnolias, starlight in your hair
All the world a dream come true
Did it really happen, was I really there
Was I really there with you

We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white
And stars fell on Alabama that night

I can't forget the glamour, your eyes held a tender light
And stars fell on Alabama last night

Chorus:
I never planned in my imagination, a situation so heavenly
A fairy land that no one else could enter
And in the center, just you and me, dear
My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight
And stars fell on Alabama last night

--Spoken:
"Alright, let's take it on down from Muscle Shoals through Decatur"
"Mmmm, Birmingham, ooh Montgomery"
"Right up over Spanish Fort into Mobile, my hometown"
"Mister T..."

Chorus:
I never planned in my imagination, a situation so heavenly
A fairy land that no one else could enter
And in the center, just you and me, dear
My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight
Ah, stars fell on Alabama last night

--Spoken:
"One more time boys..."

Yes, we lived our little drama
We kissed on the dunes so white
And stars fell on Alabama
Last night

[NaturalHigh]

46. This song is racist?

You're joking, right?

[monobrau]

48. No they didn't

Not only is it not the state song, they aren't even using the song:

"No decision has been made on incorporating the song into the campaign, officials said."

I hate that friggin' song and anything related to Skynrd, btw.

[nealmhughes]

49. Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed. You have no idea of what you write!

You left out the lines:

"Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers,

they've been known to pick a song or two

(Yes they do)

Gets me off when I'm feeling blue . . ."

This stanza refers to the MS Horns and Rhythm Section as well as the entire Rick Hall early non-Motown/non-Memphis soul sound that came out of FAME studios in MS, Alabama in the late 60s and 70s. Aretha Franklin recorded "Respect" and "Chain of Fools" there as Gregg Allman played guitar! The Staple Singers in "I'll take you there" -- Mavis chants "David, little David, play your guitar, lay it on me, oh David, Little David. . ." She refers to David Hood, the noted bass player who was doing the bass riff as she chanted to him. He is Pat Hood's father (Pat is lead singer of the Driveby Truckers, by the way).

Other songs recorded at MS include Clarence Carter's "Patches" and "Dark End of the Street," as well as several Rolling Stones albums.

The whole thing about the Muscle Shoals Sound is that it was an integrated sound: about half the singers/musicians were equally split! Rick Hall knew he could not get the sound he wanted out of just white musicians, just as did the Allman Brothers.

The entire song, from its power chords to the lyrics are a gigantic joke played upon Yankees. In fact, it was taken as such by most people in the South, and still is: the "Mr. Young" and "in Bham they love the governor" are hilarious. Note they say that "they" love the governor, not WE love the governor and make sure to get it in one city! "we all did what we could do" that is rather ambiguous: either to defeat Wallace or his tactics or else trying to get by in a decaying death throes of segregation era.

Segregation was over de facto as well as de jure when Skynrd wrote and played this song. After Wallace's shooting in Maryland, he recanted and spent the next 15 years or so in penance, including a come back to the Governor's Mansion, running as a populist and not a segregationalist. When he had been merely a circuit court judge, he was known as an ally of the Progressive Jim Folsom and for giving black defendents a fair shake in his court rooms. When he first ran for governor, he supposedly made a vow "never to be out-niggered in an election again" and won the primary the next cycle. . . and the rest is history. He came to recant when he realized that he could catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar and also that he was totally dependent upon black folk for his daily toileting, feeding, and mobility.

Wallace was a vastly complicated man and politician, but always the politician until he became paralyzed, then he became a real man.

[txwhitedove]

61. Yep, I got the joke and love the song. Thanks for your post...

frankly I'm tired of having to defend my Southern roots on a website that is supposed to be "like-minded" intelligent Democrats.

[mitchum]

50. While you make sure to keep that outraged semi-literate dumbass image alive...

obviously you are semi-literate if you don't recognize the difference between the pronouns "they" and "we"

[devilgrrl]

51. Say. Isn't Skynrd from Florida?

:popcorn:

[Toucano]

52. It's not the state song.

It's just being used to promote tourism.

[BlackVelvet04]

53. I was listening to that CD this afternoon

cruising down the road in my convertible.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

54. I hate that fucking song

I just don't like it, period. Played every half hour on every classic rock station.

And I admit, the "plausible deniability" element gets me every time.

[Mad_Dem_X]

110. It is an overplayed song.

My husband refers to songs like that (and Stairway to Heaven, Born to Be Wild, etc) as Cliche Rock.

[trumad]

55. Saturday Night Special is one of the greatest anti-hand gun songs around.

Its a saturday night special
Got a barrel thats blue and cold
Aint no good for nothin
But put a man six feet in a hole

Big jims been drinkin whiskey
And playing poker on a losin night
Pretty soon, big jim starts a thinkin
Somebody been cheatin and lyin
So big jim commences to fightin
I wouldnt tell you no lie
And big jim done grab his pistol
Shot his friend right between the eyes

(chorus)

Hand guns are made for killin
Aint no good for nothin else
And if you like your whiskey
You might even shoot yourself
So why dont we dump em people
To the bottom of the sea
Before some fool come around here
Wanna shoot either you or me

[slackmaster]

111. I don't agree with dumpin' 'em people to the bottom of the sea

That would be MURDA!

[supernova]

120. Ah no, That line reads as

Why don't we dump them (guns) people to the people of the sea. Not the people. Why don't we dump those guns, people, to the bottom of the sea.

In southern dialect "them" is often substituted for "those." He's not talking about murdering anybody, but doing away with the guns.

[americanstranger]

60. What the hell is this place turning into?

Last night the big thread was about how we should all feel horrible and not watch sports because people are suffering in the world.

Today, apparently Ronnie Van Zandt has been cast, way post-mortem, as a racist.

Ronnie was a badass, for sure. A racist? Nope, nope, nope.

I love y'all, DU. But some threads that are turning up here are making my fucking head hurt lately.

- as

[verse18]

62. I'm black and live in the South and this is one of my favorites songs.

[jberryhill]

64. No decision has been made on incorporating the song into the campaign, officials said.

Read the article.

They are using the words "Sweet Home Alabama" as a slogan.

They aren't using the song.

I know, reading is hard, and that line is at the end of the article, but, still...

[w4rma]

65. You're wrong. That song was written in opposition to racism. (nt)

[mark414]

71. Ronnie van Zant is and was a great progressive,

he was good friends with Neil Young

the song is NOT racist

[bigtree]

80. I always hated their put down of Neil Young's song(s)

Alabama and Southern Man


I found this blurb. It's close enough to my view so I don't have to muddle with an explanation:

Is "Sweet Home Alabama" Really Sweet?

The history of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1974 song "Sweet Home Alabama" has a long and tortured history. The enormously popular song has an extraordinarily complex backstory involving a wide swath of groups which have laid claim to the song's message and symbols. As this article demonstrates, the complicated saga of "Sweet Home Alabama" is anything but sweet.

This article came about because I've long been fascinated with Neil Young's influence on other bands ever since I heard Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" which was written in response to two of Young's anti-southern songs, "Southern Man", from the album After the Gold Rush, and "Alabama", from the album Harvest. From "Sweet Home Alabama" lyrics:

Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down.
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
a southern man don't need him around anyhow.

Known as a response record, such songs "refer directly to a previous hit and usually do it in a catty, mischievous way". The lines in "Sweet Home Alabama" are a direct response to Young's anti-racist, anti-cross burning "Southern Man" and "Alabama" songs. Lynyrd Skynyrd's comeback was intended to mean, at first glance, "Thank you for your opinion Neil, now leave us alone."

It is this perceived "attitude" which has led to Lynyrd Skynyrd earning a reputation as a "racist" band. Inasmuch as the fact that the band often performed with a Confederate flag as a backdrop, the label and perception has been hard to shake.

(mostly) balanced article here: http://www.thrasherswheat.org/jammin/lynyrd.htm

[edhopper]

81. OP here

I have always found this song to be racist. I was in school in Florida when this song first came out. And whether Van Zandt meant the lyrics as tongue-in-cheek or a joke on Ol Neil, the folks down there mostly took it for a defense of their "southern heritage" i.e. racism.
O.K., I find it racist, others don't. I don't think it should be banned from the airways or taken from the shelves (or from the itunes list). BUT, to use a song that many do find to be racist for a State tourist campaign is not the best move they could make.

[mark414]

82. you can make up your own opinions, but you can't make up your own facts

it doesn't matter how you perceive this song...the fact is that it is an anti-Wallace, anti-racist song

[edhopper]

83. And since I was in the South

when the song came out, and the "opinion" of most of the Good Ol Boys around me was it was a defense of Wallace and a southern reply to Young, doesn't get in the way of the "facts". The perception of what the song is about is of no importance. Therefore the State should proudly use a song many think is racist.
Just like the Confederate flag has nothing to do with the history of slavery, it's just about "heritage".

[jberryhill]

88. They aren't using the song - You still have not read the article /nt

[mitchum]

125. He can't read the article because he is semi-literate...

obviously this is true since he can't tell the difference between the pronouns "they" and "we"

[jberryhill]

129. Jeez.... what is he from Alabama or something?

:hide:

[iamthebandfanman]

89. undoubtly racist

ive heard many accounts of black artists wanting to use the song to make their own tracks with (you know, sampling and mixing) and all have been denied it for whatever reason.
at the same time ive heard covers and redo's by white artists.

seems fishy to me

[walldude]

93. Undoubtedly? Well that proves it..

:eyes:

[Lance_Boyle]

95. bullshit

see: Geto Boyz - Gangster of Love

Undoubtedly black, undoubtedly sampling "Alabama." Undoubtedly, you are talking out your arse.

[iamthebandfanman]

96. wow i didnt know that

i gathered my info about being denied sampling rights from that artists in the early 90's, P.M. Dawn who claimed he was denied and others as well for racist reasons. *shrugs*

[mitchum]

126. Wow, I never knew that the Geto Boys were actually white!

Damn, I guess that means they were a blackface act. And I guess THAT'S the reason they were allowed to use it.

[walldude]

91. Um, Skynyrd was anything but racist

the knock at Neil Young was in response to Neil's generalization of all southerners as being racist. Skynyrd may have been "redneck" but they weren't (aren't) stupid, they wrote the most liberal gun control song ever with Saturday Night Special. I've never met Ronnie but I have worked for both the other Van Zant's Johnny and Donnie and found them to be some of the coolest, most down to earth people in the music business.

[iamthebandfanman]

94. well then youd know

since you know them personally
i stand corrected :b

[DemocratSinceBirth]

97. I Like Both Versions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7fpDCAyTXM&mode=related&search=


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAtT0jlFfu4&mode=related&search=


WARNING-PROFANITY

[shadowknows69]

98. Someone might want to remind them

That Lynnard Skynnard is from Florida

[pampango]

100. South - bad; North - good. Haven't seen that meme in a while. n/t

[Carrieyazel]

103. Most rock critics (who are not generally racist) consider this song to be one of the

greatest singles of all time. I've seen it on a ton of "best songs" lists over the years.

[mitchum]

128. And just imagine how dumb one must be to be dumber than a freaking rock critic

Even rock critics realize that it is not a racist song. So, those who are "outraged by its racism", must be truly stupid

[slackmaster]

104. You left out some lyrics that cast the entire song in a different light

In Birmingham they love the governor

(Chorus: Boo Hoo Hoo!) <------------------ Here

[yardwork]

105. Let me add my voice to the chorus saying that the song is actually brilliantly subversive.

[wicket]

107. Agreed

:thumbsup:

[yardwork]

108. Hello dear wicket!

How are you doing?

:pals:

[wicket]

115. I am well!

Thanks for asking :hug:

Hope things are great with you! :hi:

[Dr. Strange]

109. In a related story...

Mark Twain was racist, 'cause of the whole "n-word" thing.
:eyes:

[Beelzebud]

114. The song isn't racist. Get a clue.

Possibly get a life...

[dave123williams]

116. You're saying there's RACISTS in ALABAMA? My GOD!

[ThePowerofWill]

117. Ignorant much?

Is it hard getting your foot that far in your mouth?

[WritingIsMyReligion]

119. DU poster is uncapable of discerning sarcasm in songs

and understanding the history of bands.

The original Lynyrd Skynyrd were no racists.

[blondeatlast]

130. Took almost a week off of DU to recover from hospitalization to find this

and the "authoritarians vs. libertarians thread."

My stomach hurts from laughing! Gawd, I love this place sometimes!

[Quantess]

131. Why the heck is this on the Greatest Page?

I can't believe five separate DUers gave it a rec.

[blondeatlast]

132. It's great satire...

Whether it was intended to be or not is open to question... :shrug:

[blondeatlast]

133. I hate to tell you this, EH, but Steve Nash refuses to sing the lyrics to

"The Star-Spangled Banner."

:rofl: