Furthermore, one of the writers of this song, Ed King, was even from California. So them calling Alabama their “home” is not to be taken literally. And now would be a ripe time to mention that Lynyrd Skynyrd were not actually from Alabama themselves. They actually originated from nearby Florida. So perhaps the best way to describe this tune is as a song praising Alabama for all of its virtues and faults. These are musicians whom Lynyrd Skynyrd became familiar with as they recorded alongside them in the early 1970s. So in this particular passage they are actually praising another aspect of Alabamian culture, which is the unique musical sound it has helped produce. Meanwhile the third verse takes on a completely-different tone. Here, the band is stating their love for Alabama in a way that has nothing to do with racism, politics or Neil Young. Instead they are referring to a group of musician from the Cotton State known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section or colloquially “the Swampers”. Or stated alternatively, the Northerners who regularly complain about the South should rectify their own issues before criticizing someone else’s. Wallace is corrupt, corruption is actually an issue which plagues the entire nation. The vocalist then references the infamous Watergate scandal from the early 1970s. And overall what he seems to be saying is something along the lines of whereas some may contend that say Gov. However, another co-writer, Ed King, has asserted that the ‘boos’ are being relayed from the perspective of a Northerner, not the lyricist himself. Or stated bluntly under King’s assertion the ‘boos’ were not intended to indicate that the band themselves had any issues with Wallace.Īnd whereas Van Zant’s explanation is more politically-correct, given the aforementioned nature of the tune, King’s theory is also quite-feasible, if not more-probable. This is because one of its co-writers (as well as the lead vocalist), Ronnie Van Zant has contended that the ‘boos’ are actually indicative of the band’s disdain towards George Wallace. Then right after that, the singer makes that statement there are three ‘boos’ uttered. This is the part of the song where the true debate concerning its actual nature lies. George Wallace was arguably the most-infamous racist in America during that particular era. In the second verse, Lynyrd Skynyrd goes on to state that people of Alabama “love the governor”. Now at the time of this song’s release that would have been an individual by the name of George Wallace (1919-1998). And Gov. So this is one of the reasons why some have contended that this tune is racist in nature considering, as mentioned earlier, Neil’s songs which they are lambasting are, generally speaking, anti-racist. In doing so, he basically tells him that the “Southern man” is not interested in entertaining his criticisms, as mentioned above. The first verse is centered on the vocalist’s general affection for Alabama. He acknowledges that some people aren’t particularly fond of this locality. Or more specifically he calls out “Neil Young”.

So basically what we have here is a case of Lynyrd Skynyrd bigging up Alabama in response to these allegations. And how it all plays out is that at the end of the day, it can be argued that they are defending the aforementioned racism.

Neil young lynyrd skynyrd