# What Did Neil Young Sing That Pissed Off Lynard Skynard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2001, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764 "2001-08-03T13:07:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wildest\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Wildest\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildest_Bill)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/1 "2001-08-03T13:07:42Z")
What did Neil Young sing in “Southern Man” that pissed off Skynard so much that they nailed him in “Sweet Home Alabama”. It’s hard to understand Young’s nasaly voice sometimes ya know. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/2 "2001-08-03T13:15:33Z")
[Here you go](http://HyperRust.org/Lyrics/ATG.html). I would also suggest that you checked the lyrics to the song _Alabama_ on the _Harvest_ album. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/3 "2001-08-03T13:16:40Z")
Probably this incredibly, vividly accurate portrayal of everyday Southern life by someone who’s obviously seen it from first-hand experience: [http://www.ivory.org/lyrics/southern.html](http://www.ivory.org/lyrics/southern.html) ---
**Author:** ![headshok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@headshok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/headshok)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/4 "2001-08-03T13:17:05Z")
“Southern Man,” from After the Goldrush (1970) Some lyrics: \*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? . . . Lily Belle, your hair is golden brown I’ve seen your black man comin’ round Swear by God I’m gonna cut him down! I heard screamin’ and bullwhips cracking How long? How long? \* You can see how this might offend some people. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/5 "2001-08-03T13:38:24Z")
OTOH, I have seen several interviews with members of Skynyrd where they basically claim they were goofing on Young and that there are no hard feelings. I don’t know whether that is PR or real, but I am pretty sure that Young has appeared at the same venue as Lynyrd Skynyrd without anyone needing to forcibly keep them apart. From a chat (I don’t know the year) posted on the [Lynyrd Skynyrd Official Internet Home Page](http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com/bn_chat.html): > [@](#): > > **Candy from Madison, GA:** Hey Skynyrd dudes! Thanks for the great music! My question is one I hope you will answer. Is it true that the Lynyrd Skynyrd - Neil Young “Sweet Home Alabama - Southern Man” feud was all blown out of proportion, and that both you and Neil are actually really big fans of each other’s music? Happy Holidays! > **LS: J:** Yeah that’s true. The lyric Ronnie always told me it was just a joke thing about him and Wallace and all that. It was a sarcastic tune. We just toured Alabama and all the back country people were great & the country was beautiful. So when we heard Southern Man, we just didn’t like that one song cutting down the South, but we of course loved Neil Young and I think we’re supposed to play with him soon, there was some talk of that last year. Of course, when Johnny goes out and shoot the bird every night. > **G:** We love Neil Young - if he can say something else to make us write another Sweet Home Alabama – that’d be great! ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/6 "2001-08-03T14:54:47Z")
There is also Warren Zevon’s rejoinder to _Sweet Home Alambama_: – _Play it All Night Long_ Daddy’s doing sister Sally Gradma’s dying of cancer now The cattle all of have brucilocis We’ll get through somehow I’m going down to the Dew Drop Inn To see if I can drink enough There ain’t much to country living: Sweat, piss, jizz and blood Sweet Home Alambama Play that dead band’s song Turn those speakers up full blast Play it all night long ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/7 "2001-08-03T15:08:29Z")
Here are the lyrics to [neil Youn’s “Alabama”](http://HyperRust.org/Lyrics/Harvest.html). (Scroll down.) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/8 "2001-08-03T15:11:03Z")
(Preview, you moron.) ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/9 "2001-08-03T15:25:48Z")
I think the confusion started when Lynyrd Skynyrd did not realize Neil was singing about his people in Southern **CANADA** , NOT THE UNITED STATES!!! I mean, look at all the oppression that goes on in Leamington and Windsor, Ontario, for god’s sakes! WE WILL NOT BE SILENT!😃 But seriously ladies and germs . . . I spoke to someone that was from Jacksonville many moons ago, and he said like Skynyrd he and most Southerners are still big Neil Young fans, they just didn’t agree with what he said about them. He also said, and this was in the 1980s, “if you talk shit about Skynyrd down there, you’ll get knifed.” He was of course speaking for himself, not all Southerners, but I think that statement about Young kind of reflects some of what was posted here. Just out of curiosity . . .did Young ever perform that song in the South, and if so, what happened? ---
**Author:** ![justinh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@justinh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justinh)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/10 "2001-08-03T15:39:00Z")
and of course NY answered LS with “Walk On” off of ON THE BEACH. “hear some people putting me down, take my name and pass it round… they do their thing and I do mine” ---
**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-young-sing-that-pissed-off-lynard-skynard/74764/11 "2001-08-03T17:05:00Z")
And you can hear a sample of Neil singing the words “Southern Man” in his trademark nasal whine right after Van Zant sings “Well, I heard ole’ Neal put her down.” It helps to have headphones maybe.