SOUTHERN MAN
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Dm Fmaj7/C
Southern man, better keep your head,
Bb G7
don't forget what your Good Book says.
Dm Fmaj7/C
Southern change gonna come at last,
Bb G7 Dm
now your crosses are burnin' fast, southern man.
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I saw cotton and I saw black,
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tall white mansions and little shacks;
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southern man when will you pay them back?
A
I heard screamin' and bull whips crackin'.
How long, how long? Ah!
Dm Bb Gm Dm Bb Bm
Southern man, better keep your head,
don't forget what your Good Book says.
Southern change gonna come at last,
now your crosses are burnin' fast, southern man.
Lillie Bell, 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 bull whips crackin'.
How long, how long? Ah!
(Repeat and fade)
Dm Bb Gm Dm Bb Gm
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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Jp Wanna Be |
#1 by Jp Collins at Sep 28, 2007 at 6:46 AM EST |
| I would appreciate one of you southerners explaining the heritage aspect of your confederate flag to me. I keep hearing this but no one has ever explained it to me yet. Even if it is your heritage, why would you fly it if it offends some people unless you just don't like the people it offends anyway, and that is the whole point. I am part German ethnicity and proud of that, but I would not display a swastika on my pickup truck because it offends a great deal of people! This is part of my heritage though! Not all people who lived under Nazi Germany were bad, but I will not fly that flag because people find it offensive. Why then do you insist on flying a confederate flag? Because you are ignorant and insensitive to other people's feelings. I am not saying southerners are bad people, but those who can't understand the flag issue are ignorant, insensitive and pig-headed. If someone tells you "don't say that, it hurts my feelings" and you continue to say it anyway, you are ignorant and insensitive. This is what you do every time you fly that flag. You may not mean it, but that is how others see it!!! Get a clue!!!! | |
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THE RONANATOR ( Average |
#2 by THE RONANATOR (aka.Ronan) downer at Sep 28, 2007 at 7:38 AM EST |
| Hey, both sides do things that are out of line, but we all live in the same country and one of the things we can all usually agree on is a good song. Southern man is a rockin song. Neil and Skynrd were in fact friends and this wasnt meant to be a battle.The southerners that Neil speaks of are the old schools who dont even know what the Net is so its impossible for the comments on this page to speak for them. All of these feelings in this song have been expressed in the south. Skynrds' about lovin your home, acceptance and havin a good time, he's just tellin Neil that they dont need southern man around there anyhow. Neils Canadian anyways, so dont take it too seriously | |
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Robyn Average |
#3 by Robyn Paul at Sep 28, 2007 at 12:25 PM EST |
| IF U LIKE THE REGULAR VERSION...THE LIVE ONE ON FOUR WAY STREET KICKS ASS.. | |
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Subhash Average |
#4 by Subhash Shady at Oct 2, 2007 at 5:26 AM EST |
| Other areas aren't immune to racism, but the South is by far the most racist part of the country. You bunch of dipshits still fly confederate flags over some of your stadiums, proud of a hate-fueled banner which was the symbol of a pathetic loss aren't ya guys? | |
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Jarrett Lead Player |
#5 by Jarrett Sandlin at Oct 2, 2007 at 11:13 AM EST |
| The civil war was over states rights, and that included slavery. Saying the civil war wasn't about slavery is about as ignorant as saying the civil war was only about slavery. Of course, I'm not from the south, and I think a certain historical bias exists in terms of what students are taught. I also find confederate flags to be tasteless in general, but people will be people I suppose. This song mentions the good book which is an interesting point since slavery was often justified using religion. I enjoy the song, it's quite powerful and inflammatory, and look- it even sparked a debate! | |
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Phillip Wanna Be |
#6 by Phillip Doucette at Oct 2, 2007 at 7:10 PM EST |
| I just couldn't help noticing that ignorant is a very popular word in this forum. I'm guilty of using it several times, myself. | |
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rikiscorner Average |
#7 by rikiscorner at Oct 2, 2007 at 9:51 PM EST |
| "It's so nice to now that racism exists only below the Mason Dixon line. I'm glad the rest of the world is immune to such ignorance." thats actually not true. i am from the midwest and although we arent so open about our racism, it is in our heads, its something we ignore, which i think is almost worse. we pretend it doesnt exist rather than trying to stop it. and lets not stereotype about the south because that just starts another problem with prejudice. | |
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Guitar Man Lead Player |
#8 by Guitar Man at Oct 3, 2007 at 8:57 PM EST |
| From the looks of this forum, I'd say that unwarranted sectionalism, as well as racism, is still present throughout the nation. Yankees, ya'll need to lay off the flag issue. The War for Southern Independence was not fought over the moral issue of slavery. Many historians and scholars will agree that the cause of the conflict was purely economic. The moral aspect of slavery became a significant issue only after Lincoln used it as propaganda in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Since then, the initial causes of the war have been further distorted by popular culture, misleading history textbooks, and political propaganda. Some Southerners merely want to fly a Confederate flag in honor of the Confederacy's initial values and the hundreds of thousands of their countrymen who died for those values. Fellow Southrons, I wish we'd won, but we didn't. I wish our flag still represented our original noble goals, but it doesn't. Almost everyone who raises the flag uses the same one often used by the KKK, and they really do so out of contempt for blacks or ignorant Yankees, though they hide behind the old Southern-heritage defense. Those of you who raise the flag for such insincere reasons are a disgrace to our culture and an insult to the brave men, on both sides, who fought and died in the American Civil War. | |
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Darren Wanna Be |
#9 by Darren Pilton at Oct 4, 2007 at 5:29 PM EST |
| The Conferdate flag stands for us leaving the union and trying to become our own state. A lot of our ancestors died because of it. It is how way of showing them that we have not forgotten them and the fight they had to fight. And just for the record slavery was not the reason we wanted to become our own country. A lot of it had to do with taxes and how we felt the gov't was miss treating us. That is the reason we proudly fly the flag. Slavery has nothing to do with it. This should not offend anyone. Some people just like to bitch about anything they can. In the same theory I should be able to tell you not to wear a certain color shirt b/c that offends me. The way I see it if you don't like it, don't look at it! | |
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nick Professional |
#10 by nick Sutliff at Oct 4, 2007 at 7:45 PM EST |
| I know that Skynyrd were mates with Neil and that Powerfinger was written for them but fuck Skynyrd. Fuck Southern Rock two hit wonders. Fuck pickup trucks. Fuck rednecks. Fuck Nascar. Fuck the South. | |
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Maggot Man Wanna Be |
#11 by Maggot Man at Oct 5, 2007 at 9:31 PM EST |
| It's so nice to now that racism exists only below the Mason Dixon line. I'm glad the rest of the world is immune to such ignorance. | |
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Beaver Average |
#12 by Beaver Butt at Oct 7, 2007 at 3:12 AM EST |
| Sublime54465 is a dick. I'd call him a retard but that would be insulting to retards. I hope that the asshole doesn't know what this song is about. This song is about a lot of the racism in the southern states, which has been around since slavery times and which still exhists in society today and how the southern man's view haven't changed. Fuck racism, it's for ignorant losers. No excuse for it. Watch American History X to see how dumb racism is. | |
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Matt Lead Player |
#13 by Matt Beach at Oct 8, 2007 at 7:14 AM EST |
| Ok you shouldnt EVER dis lynyrd. How dare you? And also, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young were all friends. When Sweet Home Alabama was made, it wasnt to "battle" with Neil Young as you say, it was in fact just a joke song that Lynyrd never thought would become popular. Also, if you look at the cover of Lynyrd's Street Survivors album (the last one before the plane crash) you will in fact see a Neil Young t-shirt being worn by Ronnie Van Zant. | |
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Ryan Sutherland Rhythm Player |
#14 by Ryan Sutherland at Oct 8, 2007 at 9:01 PM EST |
| LYNYRD SKYNYRD AND NEIL YOUNG LIKE EACH OTHER! ITS A FRIENDLY "CONFLICT"! I appreciate Neil Young's "Alabama" and "Southerm Man" AND Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". There is nothing with appreciating your heritage either, BuckWilder. People can fly the confederate flag if they want. There are several reasons for flying it, some for which I am sure are not very good reasons. | |
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Randy Lead Player |
#15 by Randy Lott at Oct 11, 2007 at 3:27 AM EST |
| fuck skynyrd. Racist fucktards! | |
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jake Professional |
#16 by jake burns at Oct 12, 2007 at 4:13 PM EST |
| One of the most intense Neil Young songs! Pure rock for us Yankees. | |
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Turbo Grom Wanna Be |
#17 by Turbo Grom at Oct 12, 2007 at 8:32 PM EST |
| Unfortunately, Blacks can't change the color of their skin like you can change your t-shirt. | |
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Neal Average |
#18 by Neal Breen at Oct 13, 2007 at 8:24 AM EST |
| Oh yeah, I forgot to comment on the song. It was obviously written from the perspective of an ignorant trouble-making Yankee; and, personally, I find it offensive. Such lyrics could not possibly have any effects except increasing strife between blacks and whites or between Yankees and Southrons. | |
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Alex Average |
#19 by Alex P at Oct 14, 2007 at 3:13 AM EST |
| Fat girl first of all lay of the twinkies and maybe you wouldn't be so damn big. As for you Buck Wilder the rebel flag is not a symbol of racism it is a symbol of our heritage (a word that you know nothing about). As for you down grading us southerners you can just kiss my rebel ass. You are making unfounded commits about a culture you know very little about. That to me is racist. So to all you assholes who diss on the south, you can go staright to hell! | |
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ben Rhythm Player |
#20 by ben kurkul at Oct 14, 2007 at 5:56 PM EST |
| Agh fuck you all... I live in the south and it's not white people being racist against our black brotherins. We get along, it's just like every community has dumb ass people who can't just let shit happen they have to go and start shit over nothing. Everybody has community has people who do it... black, white, whatever. It's just most often black people like to make big scenes. | |
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Mike Lead Player |
#21 by Mike at Oct 16, 2007 at 5:15 AM EST |
| tantalumtelluride , you say that unwarranted sectionalism is still present throughout the nation like it's a bad thing, then say the song is written " from the perspective of an ignorant trouble-making Yankee" Seems rather hypocritical to me. | |
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james Rhythm Player |
#22 by james dobson at Oct 16, 2007 at 6:54 AM EST |
| I like this song, and obviously we've covered what it's about, but hating on us southerners (many of us are enlightened, you know) is prejudice almost as much as racism. almost | |
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Max Average |
#23 by Max Benton at Oct 16, 2007 at 3:23 PM EST |
| if you need someone to tell you what this means then you're just retarted | |
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randy Professional |
#24 by randy taylor at Oct 18, 2007 at 8:23 AM EST |
| Ok, I'm assuming that everyone knows that Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote "Sweet Home Alabama" in response to this song? One of the greatest music "battles" in history. F YOU, LYNYRD SKYNYRD. | |
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gabby Professional |
#25 by gabby at Oct 18, 2007 at 1:19 PM EST |
| it shows the racism and social injustice in the south of whites toward their black brothers | |
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