Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Story: Finally, its teacher that learning some Progressive Rock influence I posting here. I wondering if there are members of this band riding their trucks. After leaving their trucks, they going to studio recording to record two minutes intro that I refering to the song's structure. I'm also could not hear yelling like oh, yeah, and other yellings to make this song and this band more close to the English second-person pronoun and also close to makes sense. About this song: "Free Bird" is track #8 on their debut studio album released on 13 August 1973. It was written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant. The power ballad was reaching #19 on Billboard's Pop Chart, #21 on the UK Singles Chart, and #47 on Canada chart. Making them their second biggest hit singles after "Sweet Home Alabama" and their only single charting on the UK Singles Chart. It also making this song as the very longest power ballad coda ever after "Hey Jude" by The Beatles and "Layla" by The Dominos. Originally lasting at more than 9 minutes featured on that album, an extended unfaded-ending version of the original recording available on "Skynyrd's Innyrds", released in 1989. It lasting at 10 minutes and 8 seconds and consists of 2 minutes intro, 3 minutes singing, and 5 minutes outro. It also received airplay from Pop radio stations with its radio edit version and Rock radio stations with its full-length version lasting at more than 9 minutes and become one of many numbers of Classic Rock. Funnily, they originally formed in 1964 that was named after the group's mutual high school gym teacher. - Submitted by: Wisnu Aji

The Story: I don't understand... everything in the song leads to it being "bird you cannot cage". Free bird, not in a cage. To say "this bird you cannot change" doesn't even make any sense. Its not like people are always trying to change birds or something. Nobody wants to change birds. But cage them, yes, that happens all the time. - Submitted by: JohnG

The Story: For some reason, I thought the singer hated to person who took his bullets so much that he was threatening to pee on him by saying he was gonna "warm" all over him. I've mentioned it to a couple guys a work, and a few actually said it kinda makes sense, but sounds like something I'd come up with anyway. - Submitted by: Josh

The Story: Sounded like it was about baby steps! - Submitted by: Cody Finke

The Story: As a kid, I always wanted to know why they made a song about the Georgia Dome and why he wanted to walk towards it... - Submitted by: Brittany Evanovich

The Story: For some reason, I've always thought Georgia doll was a nickname for Linda Lu. Nothing better than being on a road trip with the significant other and belting out "Gimme three steps GEORGIA DOLL" with confidence to find out (after 15 years) that those are not, in fact, the actual lyrics. - Submitted by: Alyx

The Story: I was driving one day and heard this version (the live version [One More from the Road]) even though I had heard and knew the original version for decades. - Submitted by: Dave

The Story: I thought it meant time ran out. - Submitted by: Anonymous

The Story: I thought this was about African Americans, because the real lyrics don't make sense in wording. - Submitted by: Cody Finke

The Story: It puzzled me since it kind of disagrees with the rest of the song. - Submitted by: David Shobe

The Story: I love Shinedown, but they totally messed up this lyric when they covered this song and it gives it the exact opposite meaning. For shame, Shinedown! - Submitted by: Thaddeus Gammelthorpe

The Story: I now know of 2 different versions of the real lyric in that line. Is the word Alabamy, or Ole bamy? - Submitted by: James d

The Story: I never really knew the lyrics for many years. This was just my guess. The problem is when he says "Montgomery" there is a strong emphasis on the second syllable, which makes it sound different. It's also a bit hard to hear through the music. - Submitted by: Anonymous

The Story: Back when I first heard the song in the early 90s, "Married with Children" was very popular. And Ed O'Neil played Al Bundy. So I honestly thought the band was talking about this actor dissing the state of Alabama. It was not till I read the lyrics that I realized it was Neil Young who put it down, NOT Ed O'Neil! - Submitted by: Scandia

The Story: When I first heard this song, I was in sixth grade and had no clue who Neil Young was. I couldn't understand the rest of the song, so I didn't even make an attempt at figuring out the other lyrics. It wasn't until this year that I saw the correct lyrics somewhere. Now that I like Neil, I'm kind of embarrassed that I didn't pick up on the lyrics sooner! - Submitted by: Lady Blues

The Story: How I found out the real lyrics: A Neil Young fan explained it - Submitted by: Jungle

The Story: I am a huge Skynyrd fan and I've heard Sweet Home Alabama thousands of times. I always thought that the lyric "miss ole Bammy once again" didn't sound quite right but I sang those words anyway.....like everyone else did. A few years ago I was listening to Sweet Home Alabama while wearing my earbuds on my IPOD and I hear Ronnie sing "miss m'whole family once again". I've seen a few videos of Skynyrd playing Sweet Home Alabama live in concert and Ronnie does indeed sing "miss ole 'Bammy one again, and I think it's a sin" but, on the original recording of the song "Sweet Home Alabama" on the album "Second Helping" he sings: "miss m'whole family once again, and I think it's a sin". Listen to it again and you'll see. - Submitted by: Dave

The Story: Story has it the lead singer had a box of donuts on the table and someone walked in and started eating his Donuts while they were recording. - Submitted by: 4440

The Story: not really, just sounded that way to me. - Submitted by: R.Pearson

The Story: Looked for swamp buses just now after 40 years. Ain't none. Found this website. A-Shoot. - Submitted by: P Bird

The Story: My wife swears these are the lyrics and we crack up every time. To make it worse we know "one armed Gabe". - Submitted by: Lisa Henley

The Story: I thought they were saying everyone loved the governor at first but then people realized how scummy he was - and for what it's worth I didn't like the current governor of my state for a single second! - Submitted by: Steve

The Story: My wife thought it was a song about a guy leaving Albany, New York to go to his sweet home in Alabama. - Submitted by: Johnny Mcgary

The Story: The only reason I know this song is because of Despicable Me, which came out when I was 12. Now I'm 24. Why would a classic bear from The Jungle Book be the sky? - Submitted by: Noah Phillips

The Story: My 4 year old niece sobbing because her siblings wouldn't let her play Guitar Hero "Sweet Home of a Llama". 🎶 - Submitted by: Kylie

The Story: This was the title song to a NASCAR game from back in the day. This was what my younger brother thought it was. - Submitted by: Ceej

The Story: I thought this was part of the reference to Neil Young, that they wanted to skin him. - Submitted by: Julia

The Story: Sounded like one of Winnie the Pooh’s friends - Submitted by: Cody Finke

The Story: My husband, who thinks he knows every song ever written, is the one who sings 'what I gave does not bother me'. That's not so bad. But my brother, who thinks he is the coolest man who has ever walked the face of the earth, sings ' A one armed gay does not bother me' I swear to you, I thought I was going to die the night we heard this one! We were all sitting in our local watering hole, and I mean there were like 12 - 15 of us. I laughed so hard, the next morning my ribs still hurt!!!! - Submitted by: Leslie

The Story: Sitting at dinner with our family group. I insisted the lyrics were what I had historically recalled, but when I looked it up I found out I was wrong after all of these years! Everyone had a good laugh at my expense and my wife has never forgotten it. - Submitted by: Gary

The Story: My hubby, a drummer, is more into the music than the lyrics so we get some great misheard lyrics if he sings with the radio. - Submitted by: Shelley Boland

The Story: It just seemed like such a musically talented and tolerant bunch of people down there, not only in Muscle Shoals but in Birmingham. They loved to drum and didn't care if you were gay, as long as you didn't have a problem with it. I've had this story line for so many decades, it sticks in my mind more than the correct lyrics. - Submitted by: Cathy

The Story: My buddy thought it was some sort of a dessert made with heroin, a haro pie. I told him that was stupid, so he blew his nose on me and it devolved into what is now known as "the snot fight". Hey we were in middle school and it was 25 years ago...what can I say. - Submitted by: Dick Mozell

The Story: If you listen closely the "s" that seems to start the word "surrounds" is actually at the end of "death", i.e. "death's", and there doesn't seem to be an "s" between the last 2 words as there would be with the words "surrounds you". I hear the words "The smell of death's around you"... - Submitted by: Alan Amaral

The Story: A common mistake for people, including myself, when I first heard this song, is that picker sounds a lot like a derogatory term for black people in this song. Considering the Southern origins of the band, the subject matter of the song, and their known battle with Neil Young over their open defense of their Southern heritage, this may not be too far fetched---an interesting coincidence at least. - Submitted by: Doug Quaid

The Story: I listen to the song on my CD and he said it. - Submitted by: Buck

The Story: About 6 years ago, during band practice, we were practicing this song to add to our shows. We kept playing this song over and over again on the tape to try to figure out what they were saying at this particular part in the song, but could only come up with what we thought was what we were hearing. Anyway, we ended up singing the wrong lyrics for almost a year when one of us finally looked it up on the internet and got the right lyrics. Each time we played it out after that, we'd always look at each other during the song and have a good laugh to ourselves! Who knows if the audience knew?! - Submitted by: David Carlson

The Story: I used to think they were saying "I shoulda signed a contract" until I viewed the chords for this song. I viewed the correct lyrics as "Want you to sign your contract," and I thought those lyrics were incorrect, but I played the song on YouTube and it sounds EXACTLY like they're saying "Want you to sign your contract." - Submitted by: Isac