The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd (disc 1) lyrics

(Ed King - Ronnie Van Zant - Gary Rossington)
Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin
Singing songs about the Southland
I miss Alabamy once again
And I think its a sin, yes
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

(Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant)
I was cutting the rug
Down at place called The Jug
With a girl named Linda Lou
When in walked a man
With a gun in his hand
And he was looking for you know who
He said, Hey there, fellow
With the hair colored yellow
Whatcha tryin' to prove?
'Cause that's my woman there
And I'm a man who cares
And this might be all for you
I said, Excuse me

(Gary Rossington - Ronnie Van Zant)
Like a restless leaf in the autumn breeze
Once I was a tumblin' weed
Like a rollin' stone, cold and all alone
Living for the day my train would come
I never cared for school or any golden rules
Papa used to always say I was a useless fool
So I left my home to show them thay was wrong
And headed out on the road singing my song

I was cutting the rug
Down at a place called The Jug
With a girl named Linda Lu
When in walked a man
With a gun in his hand
And he was looking for you know who.
He said, Hey there fellow,
With the hair colored yellow,
Watcha tryin' to prove?
'Cause that's my woman there
And I'm a man who cares
And this might be all for you.

I was scared and fearing for my life.

Seven years of hardluck are comin down on me
From the Florida border yeah up to Nashville Tennessee
I worked in every joint you could name mister every honkytonk
along come mister yankee slicker and said maybe you what i want

Want you to sign your contract
want you to sign today
Gonna give you lots of money workin for MCA

9000 dollars just sow to the wind

move with the Maestro
you feelin high so
ascend the blend the presendo is nice yo
so nice that you wanna sweat when I start to wreck
symphony in effect was just a mic check
you fell for the bait and got decapitated
destiny inflated
evaporated
gone like a doo drop

(Ed King - Ronnie Van Zant)
Going down to the swamp
Gonna watch me a hound dog catch a 'coon
Well, I'm going down to the swamp
Gonna watch me a hound dog catch a 'coon
You know the hounddog make-a music
On a summer night under a full moon
Lord, fetch my cane pole mama
Gonna catch a bream or maybe two
Lord, fetch my cane pole mama
Gonna catch a bream or maybe two

(Allen Collins - Ronnie Van Zant)
Well I used to wake the morning before the rooster crowed
Searching for soda bottles to get myself 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 Loew
Old Curt was a black man with white curly hair
When he had a fifth of wine he did not have a care

Two feets they come a creepin
like a black cat do
and two bodies are layin' naked.
Creeper think he got nothin' to lose.
So he creeps into this house, yeah
and unlocks the door
and as a man's reaching for his trousers
shoots him full of thirty-eight holes.

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

(Ronnie Van Zant - Gary Rossington)
Mister Banker
Mister please, how much does money mean
Won't you reconsider mister
Won't you do this thing for me
Ain't got no house
Ain't got no car
All I got, Lord, is my guitar
But you can have that mister banker
Won't you bury my papa for me
Oh mister banker please
Listen to how that sound
I would not be here on my knees
But hey mister banker

(Allen Collins - Ronnie Van Zant)
It's been so long since I've been gone
Another day might be too long for me
Traveling around I've had my fill
Of broken dreams and dirty deals
A concrete jungle surrounding me
Many nights I've slept out in the streets
I paid my dues and I changed my style
Seen hard times. All over now
I want to come home. It's been so long since I've been away

(Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant)
Well, I used to wake the mornin'
Before the rooster crowed
Searchin' for soda bottles
To get myself 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 Loew
Old Curt was a black man
With white curly hair
When he had a fifth of wine
He did not have a care
He used to own an old Dobro

I was a-cutting the rug down at a place called The Jug
With a girl named Linda Lou
When in walked a man with a gun in his hand
And he was looking for you know who
He said, 'Hey there, fellow with the hair colored yellow
What you tryin' to prove
'Cause that's a-my woman there and I'm a man who cares
And this might be all for you'
I said, Excuse me

I was scared and fearing for my life

(Gary Rossington - Ronnie Van Zant)
Well, its 8 o'clock in Boise, Idaho
I'll find my limo driver
Mister, take us to the show
I done made some plans for later on tonight
I'll find a little queen
And I know I can treat her right.
[Chorus:]
What's your name, little girl?
What's your name?
Shootin' you straight, little girl?
Won't you do the same?.
Back at the hotel
Lord we got such a mess

(Ed King - Ronnie Van Zant - Billy Powell)
I'm headed down a highway got a suitcase by my side
Blue skies hangin' over my head I got 500 miles to ride
I'm goin' down to Memphis town to play a latenight show
I hope the people are ready there 'cause the boys are all ready to go
[Chorus:]
Well, I'm a whiskey rock-a-roller
That's what I am
Women, whiskey and miles of travellin'
Is all I understand

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 leaving my woman at home.
Tuesday's gone with the wind.
My baby's gone with the wind.

And I don't know where I'm going.
I just want to be left alone.
Well, when this train ends I'll try again,
But I'm leaving my woman at home.

(chorus)
Tuesday's gone with the wind.

(Allen Collins - Ronnie Van Zant)
Eleven times I been busted, eleven times I been to jail
Some of the times I been there nobody could go my bail
Well it seems to me, Lord that this ol' boy just don't fit
Well I can jump in a rosebush and come out smelling like sh...
Those misters dressed in blue never done so right by me
Some of the times I was innocent but the judge said guilty

(Steve Gaines)
Yes sir
Well the bigger the city, well the brighter the lights
The bigger the dog, well the harder the bite
I don't know where you been last night
But I think mama, you ain't doin' right
[Chorus:]
Say I know a little
I know a little about it
I know a little
I know a little 'bout it
I know a little 'bout love
And baby I can guess the rest
Well now I don't read that daily news

(Ronnie Van Zant - Jeff Carlisi)
Well them four walls of Raiford, closing in on me
Doin' three to five hard labor, for armed robbery
I had two years behind, but I could not wait the time
Everytime I thought about it, well I died some more inside
And I had stripes on my back, memories that hurt
For the only time I seen sunshine is when I hit the dirt

(Ronnie Van Zant - Steve Gaines)
My daddy told me always be strong son
Don't you ever cry
You find the pretty girls and then you love them
Then you say goodbye
I never dreamed that you would leave me
But now you're gone
I never dreamed that I would miss you
Woman won't you come back home
I never dreamed that you could hurt me
And leave me blue
I've had a thousand, maybe more

(Allen Collins - Ronnie Van Zant)
Life is so strange when its changin', yes indeed
Well I've seen the hard times and the pressure's been on me
But I keep on workin' like the workin' man do
And I've got my act together, gonna walk all over you
Gimme back my bullets
Put 'em back where they belong
Ain't foolin' around 'cause I done had my fun
Ain't gonna see no more damage done
Gimme back my bullets

(Steve Gaines - Ronnie Van Zant)
Well I've heard lots of people say
They're gonna settle down
You don't see their faces
And they don't come around
Well I'm not that way
I got to move along
I like to drink and to dance all night
Comes to a fix not afraid to fight
You got that right
Said, you got that right
Sure got that right
Seems so long I been out on my own
Travel light and I'm always alone

(Allen Collins - Ronnie Van Zant)
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 plae like home
Did you ever see a she-gator protect her young
Or a fish in a river swimming free
Did you ever see the beauty of the hills of Carolina

(Allen Collins - 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
Angel of darkness is upon you
Stuck a needle in your arm
So take another toke, have a blow for your nose

I was a-cutting the rug down at a place called The Jug
With a girl named Linda Lou
When in walked a man with a gun in his hand
And he was looking for you know who
He said, 'Hey there, fellow with the hair colored yellow
What you tryin' to prove
'Cause that's a-my woman there and I'm a man who cares
And this might be all for you'
I said, Excuse me

I was scared and fearing for my life