Meaning of Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd & The Story Behind

This article on Blimey will talk about the story of the creation of the track Free Bird, which has become the hallmark of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band. The composition has long been considered a classic of rock music, as evidenced by its presence in numerous ratings compiled by popular publications. And rock and roll fans have a comic tradition of asking them to perform it at concerts of different groups, even if a band playing in a completely different genre performs.

The story behind of the song Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd

In an interview with Guitar World magazine, guitarist Gary Rossington spoke in detail about how the song came to be.

Musician’s word:

Free Bird was actually one of the first songs we wrote. Allen for two whole years the chords for a fair part at the beginning were kept, but Ronnie – he kept saying that he couldn’t find a melody because there were too many chords. Then we just started writing, and he thought that he would have to change something with each change of chords.
Then one day we were at a rehearsal. Allen started playing those chords and Ronnie said, “That’s good. Play it again.” Allen played it again, and Ronnie said, “Okay, I get it.” And he wrote the text in three or four minutes – all, damn it, to the end! He did a bunch of stuff like that and never wrote anything down. His motto was: “If you can’t remember something, then it’s not worth remembering.”
So we started playing it in clubs, but that was just the slow part. Then Ronnie said, “Why don’t you do something at the end so I can take a few minutes off?” So I came up with these three chords at the end. Allen played them, then I came in with a solo, and then he started his solo … It all developed from the jam one night. And we started playing it like that, but Ronnie kept saying, “It’s not long enough. Make it longer.” The fact is that we played three or four sets a night, and he was looking for something to fill them with.
Then one of our road managers told us that we should listen to the piano part that another manager named Billy Powell wrote as the intro to the song. We did just that – and right then he moved from road managers to band members.

guitar world

Gary also recalled that the resulting nine-minute track did not fit into the radio format at all. The producers literally begged them not to include the song on the album, and the stations tried their best to shorten it before airing it. But all this did not prevent the composition from becoming the hallmark of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird Lyrics idea

The main idea of Free Bird is clear without lengthy explanations, but many readers will certainly be interested in reading Johnny Van Zant’s interpretation of the meaning:

Over the years, Skynyrd has always ended shows with this song, and it has different meanings for different people. One guy told me that they used it as the main song at the prom, and recently someone told me that they played it at the funeral. In fact, this is a love song – one of the few that Lynyrd Skynyrd had. It’s about a guy and a girl. Of course, at the end it was dedicated to Dwayne Allman from the Allman Brothers, because it goes into the guitar part.

Comments on Live From Freedom Hall (2010)

Release and achievements

In April 1973, Free Bird was released as the second single from the band’s debut LP, Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. The live version later reached the top 40 on the same chart.

The track has been featured in various authoritative rankings, including Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (#193), Guitar World’s 100 Greatest Guitar Solos (#3) and 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Video of Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Next, I propose to watch the unofficial music video for the song Free Bird.

Interesting Facts

According to Gene Odom, who worked with the band, the first two lines came from Allen Collins’ girlfriend (later wife) who once asked him this question.
After a plane crash in 1977 that killed several members of the band, the song was performed for many years only in an instrumental version, with the lyrics sung by the audience.
At concerts, the band usually plays the song last, and its duration in live performance reaches fourteen minutes.
There is a reference to “Free Bird” in the song Double Heart by The Band Perry.
The song has been featured in several films and television series, including Forrest Gump, House of Cards, Gilmore Girls, My Name Is Earl, and King of the Hill.

Free Bird Lyrics by Lynyrd Skynyrd

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
And this bird you cannot change
And this bird you cannot change
Lord knows, I can’t change

Bye, bye, baby it’s been a sweet love
Thought this feeling I can’t change
But please don’t take it so badly
‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame
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
And the bird you cannot change
And this bird you cannot change
Lord knows, I can’t change
Lord help me, I can’t change

Lord I can’t change
Won’t you fly, free bird, yeah

Lyrics Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd Alternate

If I leave tomorrow
Will you still remember me?
Now I must continue my journey
‘Cause I haven’t seen too many places to see
But if I stay here with you girl
Everything just can’t stay the same
‘Cause I’m free like a bird
And you can’t change this bird
And you can’t change this bird
And you can’t change this bird
God knows I can’t change

Bye bye baby it was sweet love
Though I can’t change this feeling
But please don’t take it personally
After all, God is my witness, you need to blame me
But if I stay here with you girl
Everything just can’t stay the same
‘Cause I’m free like a bird
And you can’t change this bird
And you can’t change this bird
And you can’t change this bird
God knows I can’t change
God help me I can’t change

God I can’t change
Why don’t you fly free bird