Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band that gained fame in the 1970s Southern rock boom, known for its triple-guitar approach and raw, working-class spirit.
Key members included Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Bob Burns and Artimus Pyle.
Originating from Jacksonville, the band adopted the name Lynyrd Skynyrd as a nod to a high school teacher who disapproved of long hair.
Their debut album in 1973, “Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd,” featured the hit “Free Bird,” a tribute to Duane Allman.
“Sweet Home Alabama,” which responded to Neil Young’s “Southern Man,” was another iconic track. Tragedy struck in 1977 when a plane crash killed Van Zant and Gaines, leading to the band’s dissolution.
In 1987, surviving members regrouped with Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie’s younger brother, as the lead singer. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
I have picked the best quotes by Lynyrd Skynyrd band.
Top 10 Lynyrd Skynyrd Quotes and Lyrics
I went home to show them they was wrong. All that I found was two tombstones. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I’m as free as a bird now, and this bird you cannot change. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Don’t mess with a needle or a spoon, or a trip to the moon. Or they’ll take you away. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
As a man is reaching for his trousers, shoots him full of thirty-eight holes. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Tuesday, you see, she had to be free. But somehow, I’ve got to carry on. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Every mother’s son will rise and fall someday. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold, all that you need is in your soul. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Don’t ask no questions, and I won’t tell you no lies. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
My hair’s turning white, my neck’s always been red, and my collar’s still blue. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Whiskey bottles and brand new cars, oak tree you’re in my way. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Famous Lynyrd Skynyrd Quotes and Lyrics
Hey there fellow with the hair colored yellow, what you trying to prove? Cause that’s my woman there and I’m a man who cares and this might be all for you. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Now they call you prince charming, can’t speak a word when your full of ludes. Say you’ll be alright come tomorrow, but tomorrow might not be here for you. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Hand guns are made for killing, ain’t no good for nothing else. And if you like to drink your whiskey, you might even shoot yourself. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Take your time, don’t live to fast. Troubles come, and they will pass. Go find a woman and you’ll find love, and don’t forget son, there is someone above. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The bigger the city the brighter the lights. The bigger the dog, the harder they bite. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I’m a whiskey rock and roller that’s what I am. Women, whiskey, and miles of traveling is all I understand. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I hope Neil Young will remember, a southern man don’t need him around anyhow. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I do believe I must be in the middle of some kind of conspiracy. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Take your time; don’t live too fast. Troubles come but they will pass. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd Band.
I’ve tried everything in the world, the things I like best I tried twice. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I drank enough whiskey to float a battleship around. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Best Lynyrd Skynyrd Quotes and Lyrics
Watergate does not bother me, does your conscience bother you? ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I don’t read the daily news, cause it ain’t hard to figure why people gets the blues. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Well, I’m telling you son that it ain’t no fun staring straight down a forty-four. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Two things that you should know, and in these two things you must take pride, and that’s a horse and a woman. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Won’t you come upstairs, girl, and have a drink of champagne? What’s your name, little girl, what’s your name? ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Brother, can’t you see, ain’t no future in poison whiskey. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Play me a song, Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew. Well, I got your drinkin’ money, tune up your dobro. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me? ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd
I try to tell you I love you in each and every way. I’m trying to tell you I need you much more than a piece of leg. ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Quotes from Lynyrd Skynyrd Band Members
We always pay tribute to what the old Lynyrd Skynyrd has done – I’m very proud of that. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
I’m the kind of guy who grew up listening to Three Dog Night and Lynyrd Skynyrd. ~ A. J. McLean.
I was one of the original drummers. What everyone likes to do is think of Lynyrd Skynyrd as the band that picked up again in ’73. But I was one of the original members, and I was a big part of that. ~ Rickey Medlocke.
I liked Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and the Eagles. Those were some of my favorites. ~ Morgan Wallen.
We’re definitely a hodgepodge of influences. Mine, most heavily, would be Southern rock – the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and stuff like that. Hillary is more from the country side – her mom is Linda Davis, a country singer. Dave, he’s a big fan of the Eagles and like that. ~ Charles Kelley.
Yeah, Lynyrd Skynyrd, I knew all them guys. ~ J. J. Cale.
Don’t forget, Stephen Stills and I had a band in Gainesville called the Continentals when we were 15. And, of course, you had Lynyrd Skynyrd in Jacksonville. ~ Don Felder.
Johnny Colt is a character, and most people in Lynyrd Skynyrd are characters, so he fits in great with us. He’s got an attitude, man, and I love it, and that’s what we need. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
When we are out on the road, running up and down the road playing shows, you have to be not only a member of a band but, especially with Lynyrd Skynyrd, you have to be a part of the Skynyrd nation. You have to be a part of the family. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
In Lynyrd Skynyrd, we always got our recognition. ~ Gary Rossington.
Everybody in Lynyrd Skynyrd loves different styles of music, and our minds are very open when it comes to writing our songs and making the band true to what the band is, but also stepping out and doing something current. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
If it wasn’t for Al Kooper, there might not be a Lynyrd Skynyrd. He’s the one who found us at Pinocchio’s in Atlanta, Georgia, and signed us to Sounds Of The South through MCA, brought the band to attention. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
I toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd as a solo artist, many years ago. I love those guys. ~ Paul Rodgers.
Lynyrd Skynyrd has always been a bunch of rowdy, crazy people, but we love our fans, and that’s what the music is all about: touching them. Touching them touches us. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
All my influences go into a pot like a big ole stew, and it tastes like all the years I spent trying to play the guitar like Stevie Ray Vaughn. It tastes like Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And if it comes out bluesy, then so be it. ~ Frankie Ballard.
I had a deal with CNN and had no intention of going back to the music business, but you know, it’s Lynyrd Skynyrd. ~ Johnny Colt.
What else do you say to Medlocke, Rossington and Van Zant? We’re talking Southern rock royalty. We’re talking Lynyrd Skynyrd. The only thing out of my mouth was when and where! ~ Johnny Colt.
I’m a Republican myself, though I think there are actually some Democrats in Lynyrd Skynyrd. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
When you grow up in Atlanta, joining Lynyrd Skynyrd is like joining the Rolling Stones. ~ Johnny Colt.
I was 8 years old when I started listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company and Led Zeppelin. ~ Johnny Colt.
I think country music is Lynyrd Skynyrd. I think a lot of the country music is what we do, but I don’t think rock & roll is dead at all. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
My dad’s family was from Tennessee. I grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, where we lived at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As a kid, I was totally into Southern rock. Lynyrd Skynyrd. ZZ Top. It was so part of who I was. ~ Connie Britton.
I know about the sweet home. I went to school with ’em boys, what became Lynyrd Skynyrd; I knew Allen Collins, the skinny girl-beautiful guitarist. I put Allen Collins in every travel piece I do. Travel writing is harrowing, going to Bermuda with a banjo on my knee. ~ Padgett Powell.
Some Lynyrd Skynyrd songs are literally the backdrop of America. Songs like ‘Simple Man’ and ‘Free Bird’ and ‘Alabama.’ I wasn’t prepared for how emotional the crowd gets during the songs. ~ Johnny Colt.
Punk was key to the early part of me playing guitar. I was really into melodic punk-rock. I related to punk more than Lynyrd Skynyrd or Yes or Van Halen. ~ John Rzeznik.
The Bowery was a place that would let us do original songs – not just covers – but we would have to work for tips, so we learned how to work an audience. In order to keep our jobs, we had to keep people happy, so that meant playing the latest Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top or Merle Haggard. ~ Randy Owen.
Bonnie Raitt and Lynyrd Skynyrd were two people I went on the road with. ~ Robert Christgau.
I just got off stage playing with Lynyrd Skynyrd a minute ago. It was a great show. Got to meet some incredible guests. This is the bee’s knees. ~ Bo Bice.
I really believe that with all of what Lynyrd Skynyrd has been through, we can survive just about anything. We’ve had a load of ups and downs, but we’re still here. ~ Rickey Medlocke.
David Allan Coe actually went to jail one time. Some fan cursed Lynyrd Skynyrd, and David Allan Coe kicked his teeth in. He ran and kicked a guy’s teeth in for saying something about Lynyrd Skynyrd. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is not a political band, but you know what? We believe in this country. We have a soft spot for our military. We love the red, white and blue, and every night we dedicate a portion of our show to our fighting men. ~ Rickey Medlocke.
Lynyrd Skynyrd has always been about writing songs and talking to people through them. That’s what we do, and that’s what we’ll keep doing for as long as we can. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
On our Web site, we have people complaining about us not playing new stuff. But there’s so many classic Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, you can’t go out and just do a bunch of new things. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
We have to make a living, sure, but it’s about the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd and what it stands for, what the fans are all about. ~ Johnny Van Zant.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyrics and Songs
Well, when I first met you, baby, you was a red light girl.
But I tried to take you to a better world.
But you would not listen.
Still you think I am a fool.
Well, you had it made in the shade, baby.
Don’t let that tree fall down on you. ~ Made in the Shade, written by Ronnie Van Zant.
Train roll on, on down the line,
Won’t you please take me far away?
Now I feel the wind blow outside my door,
Means I’m, I’m leaving my woman at home.
Lord yeah, Tuesday’s gone with the wind.
My baby’s gone with the wind, the wind. ~ Tuesday’s Gone, written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant
I’ve seen a lot of people who thought they were cool.
But then again, Lord I’ve seen a lot of fools.
Well, I hope you people, Lord can hear what I say.
You’ll have your chance to hit it some day.
Don’t mess with the needle or a spoon
Or any trip to the moon.
It’ll take you away. ~ The Needle and the Spoon, written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant.
Sweet Home Alabama,
Where the skies are so blue.
Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin.
Singing songs about the Southland
I miss Alabamy once again. ~ Sweet Home Alabama, written by Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant.
Well, every time that I come home nobody wants to let me be.
It seems that all the friends I’ve got, just got to come, interrogate me.
Well, I appreciate your feelings and I don’t want to pass you by.
But I don’t ask you about your business, don’t ask me about mine. ~ Don’t Ask Me No Questions, written by Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zant.
Songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Well, the crowd cleared away
And I began to pray
And the water fell on the floor
And I’m telling you son
Well, it ain’t no fun
Staring straight down a forty-four.
Well, he turned and screamed at Linda Lou
And that’s the break I was looking for.
And you could hear me screaming a mile away,
As I was headed out towards the door. ~ Gimme Three Steps
And Lord I can’t make any changes;
All I can do is write ’em in a song.
‘Cause what I can see is the concrete slowly creepin’.
Lord take me and mine before that comes. ~ All I Can Do Is Write About It
It’s the Saturday night special
Got a barrel that’s blue and cold.
Ain’t good for nothin’
But put a man six feet in a hole. ~ Saturday Night Special, written by Ed King & Ronnie Van Zant.
Whiskey bottles, and brand new cars
Oak tree you’re in my way
There’s too much coke and too much smoke
Look what’s going on inside you.
Ooooh that smell.
Can’t you smell that smell?
Ooooh that smell.
The smell of death surrounds you. ~ That Smell, written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant.
Well, have you ever lived down in the ghetto?
Have you ever felt that cold wind blow?
Well, if you don’t know what I mean
Won’t you stand up and scream?
Cause there’s things goin’ on that you don’t know. ~ Things Goin’ On, written by Gary Rossington & Ronnie Van Zant.
Seems so long I been out on my own;
Travel light and I’m always alone.
Guess I was born with a travelin’ bone.
When my times up, I’ll hold my own;
You won’t find me in an old folks home. ~ You Got That Right, written by Steve Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Songs
Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her.
Well, I heard ol’ Neil put her down.
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow. ~ Sweet Home Alabama.
Well now, they call me the breeze
I keep blowin’ down the road.
I ain’t got me nobody
I don’t carry me no load.
Ain’t no change in the weather
Ain’t no changes in me. ~ Call Me the Breeze, written by J. J. Cale.
Well this life that I’ve lead has took me everywhere
There ain’t no place I ain’t never gone
But its kind of like the saying that you heard so many times
Well there just ain’t no place like home. ~ All I Can Do Is Write About It, written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant.
I was scared and fearing for my life,
I was shakin’ like a leaf on a tree.
‘Cause he was lean, mean,
Big and bad, Lord
Pointin’ that gun at me.
Oh, wait a minute, Mister
I didn’t even kiss her
Don’t want no trouble with you
And I know you don’t owe me
But I wish you would let me
Ask one favor from you. ~ Gimme Three Steps, written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant
‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now.
And this bird, you cannot change.
If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now
‘Cause there’s too many places
I’ve got to see.
But, if I stayed here with you, girl
Things just couldn’t be the same.
‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now.
And this bird, you cannot change. ~ Free Bird, written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant
Lynyrd Skynyrd Simple Man
Boy, don’t you worry you’ll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied. ~ Simple Man.
Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold,
All that you need is in your soul.
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try.
All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied. ~ Simple Man.
Oh, take your time don’t live too fast.
Troubles will come and they will pass.
Go find a woman you’ll find love
And don’t forget son there is someone up above.
And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won’t you do this for me son if you can? ~ Simple Man, written by Gary Rossington & Ronnie Van Zant.
In Birmingham, they love the governor (Boo boo boo)
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth
Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama,
Where the skies are so blue.
Sweet Home Alabama,
Lord, I’m coming home to you. ~ Sweet Home Alabama.
Play me a song Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew.
Well I got your drinking money, tune up your Dobro.
People said he was useless, them people are the fools.
‘Cause Curtis Loew was the finest picker to ever play the blues. ~ The Ballad of Curtis Loew, written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant.
Back at the hotel,
Lord we got such a mess.
It seems that one of the crew
Had a go with one of the guests, oh yes.
Well, the police said we can’t drink in the bar,
What a shame.
Won’t you come upstairs girl,
And have a drink of champagne? ~ What’s Your Name?, written by Gary Rossington & Ronnie Van Zant.
9 o’clock the next day
And I’m ready to go.
I got six hundred miles to ride
To do one more show, oh no.
Can I get you a taxi home?
It sure was grand.
When I come back here next year
I wanna see you again. ~ What’s Your Name?
Well, I’ve been ridin’ a winning horse for a long, long time.
And sometimes I wonder, is this the end of the line?
No one should take advantage of who they are.
No man has got it made; if he thinks he does, he’s wrong.
Every mother’s son
Better hear what I say.
Every mother’s son
Will rise and fall someday. ~ Every Mother’s Son, written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant.
So these were the 90 popular quotes, songs and lyrics about Lynyrd Skynyrd.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other posts on Yasunari Kawabata quotes and Lucille Clifton quotes.
