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Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

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Easy Songs

Last Post by dogsbody 16 years ago

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dogsbody

(@dogsbody)

Prominent Member

Joined: 20 years ago

Posts: 715

Topic starter 13/08/2004 11:58 am

I love this and it's a great one to bash out with only limited chord knowledge.

I don't know what old shaky did to offend though (see lyrics) perhaps someone can tell me.

VERSE 1

D-- C----------------G-------
Big wheels keep on turning

D----------C-------------G------
Carry me home to see my kin.

D-------C-----------------G----------
Singing songs about the southland

D-----------C------------G
I miss'ole' 'bamy once again (and I think it's a sin)

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

CHORUS (Use same chords as above)

Sweet home Alabama,
Where the skies are so blue,
Sweet home Alabama,
Lord, I'm coming home to you.

VERSE 2

In Birmingham they love the Gov'nor
F-----C----D
Boo hoo hoo !
Now we all did what we could do.
Now Watergate does not bother me.
Does your conscience bother you? (tell the truth)

CHORUS Repeat

VERSE 3

Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers
And they've been known to pick a tune or two
Lord they get me off so much
They pick me up when I'm feeling blue
Now how about you?

CHORUS repeat

love & peace to all
and p.s. Apparently today is the official southpaw day here in UK
Chris

The guitar is all right John but you'll never make a living out of it! (John Lennon's Aunt Mimi)

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mattguitar

(@mattguitar_1567859575)

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Joined: 20 years ago

Posts: 879

13/08/2004 12:18 pm

its our day is it? How did you find that out? And what's the crack, do we get to put our feet up all day and get treated like we should ? ha ha.

every day is a leftie day for me, don't know any other way.....

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dogsbody

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Posts: 715

Topic starter 13/08/2004 12:31 pm

I found out on the Radio in the car this morning. I've also looked it up on the net. See http://www.lefthandersday.com

Hope this helps fellow southpaw

Chris

The guitar is all right John but you'll never make a living out of it! (John Lennon's Aunt Mimi)

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Vic Lewis VL

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Posts: 10264

13/08/2004 2:39 pm

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd.


Intro.............
E|--------------------------------------|

B|-----3--------1-----------------------|

G|-------2--------0-----0---------------|

D|-0-0------------------------0h2-0-----|

A|---------3-3------------0h2-------3b5-|

E|------------------3-3-----------------|
E|-------------------1-0--------|

B|-----3-------1-----1-1--------|

G|-------2-------0---2-0--------|

D|-0-0---------------3-2--------|

A|---------3-3-------3-3--------|

E|-----------------3-1-3--------|
And repeat.......
The last two chords are F and C - play them however you normally play them, this just happens to be the way I do it......
Slightly simplified version, but again, it's in the right key and it's fairly close....this is another of those riffs that causes groans all round in the guitar shop......!!!

Vic.

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)

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Wes Inman

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Posts: 5582

13/08/2004 4:43 pm

The line about Neil Young was because of his song Southern Man, which offended a few Southerners (not me).

I think it was the lines

I hear screaming and
Bullwhips cracking and
How long, how long
How long

Fact- At the height of slavery, less than 3% of Southerners owned slaves.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis

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Call_me_kido

(@call_me_kido)

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Posts: 179

23/08/2004 12:24 pm

cest la vie

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lumberjack088

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Joined: 20 years ago

Posts: 6

25/08/2004 2:16 pm

I LOVE THIS SONG!! Any help on the strum pattern for this song? Thanks

Frank

ARRRRRR Beware the scurvy !!!!

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jonnyt

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Posts: 336

12/12/2004 7:34 pm

INTRO PART ONE:

1/E |---------------------------| |-------------------|
2/B |---------------------------| |-------------------|
3/G |-----7---------5---------0-| |-------------------|
4/D |-------7---------5---------| |--------0-2-0---------|
5/A |-5-5-------3-3-------------| |-0-2----------2-0-2/5-|
6/E |---------------------3-3---| |-------------------|

1/E |-----------------------------|---------------|
2/B |-----------------------------|---------------|
3/G |-----7---------5---------0-|-2p0-0-4----5/7-|
4/D |-------7---------5---------|-------------0-----|
5/A |-5-5-------3-3-------------|---------------|
6/E |---------------------3-3-----|---------------|

INTRO PART TWO:

1/E |--------2-|-------0-|-------3-|---------------|
2/B |--------3-|-------1-|-------3-|---------------|
3/G |-2-2--2-|-------0-|-------0-|---------------|
4/D |-0-0--0-|-2-2--2-|-0-0--0-|------0-2-0-----|
5/A |----------|-3-3--3-|-x-x--x-|-0-2---------2-0-|
6/E |----------|----------|-3-3--3-|---------------|

1/E |--------2-|-------0-|-------3-|-----------|
2/B |--------3-|-------1-|-------3-|-----------|
3/G |-2-2--2-|-------0-|-------0-|-----------|
4/D |-0-0--0-|-2-2--2-|-0-0--0-|-------0h2/5-|
5/A |----------|-3-3--3-|-x-x--x-|-0-2-------|
6/E |----------|----------|-3-3--3-|-----------|

E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb

Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"

Jonny T.

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MNBill

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Joined: 17 years ago

Posts: 2

09/03/2007 12:28 pm

Hi,

Thanks dogsbody for the chords to this great song!

Here are some ideas to make the song more interesting:

STRUMMING PATTERN

First the strumming pattern:

Play twice the base note and then the whole chord as in "Margarithaville" or "Friend of the Devil" on the "Easy Songs for Beginners"-Page:

The first line of the song:
D C G


|--------2-----------|--------------------|--------3-----------|

|--------3-----------|--------1-----------|--------------------|

|--------2-----------|--------------------|--------------------|

|--0--0--------------|--------2-----------|--------------------|

|--------------------|--3--3--3-----------|--------2-----------|

|--------------------|--------------------|--3--3--3-----------|

Biig... wheels keep on turning

You can use this strumming pattern through the whole song.

FILL-INS

After every line you can play a short riff to make the song more lively.

Here are some possible ones:
Riff 1


|---------------------|

|---------------------|

|---------------------|

|-------0h-2-0--------|

|--0h-2--------3-0h-2-|

|---------------------|
Riff 2
|---------------------|

|--------------1------|

|---------------------|

|-------0h-2-0-2------|

|--0h-2--------3------|

|---------------------|
Riff 3
|---------------------|

|---------------------|

|---------0--0--------|

|-------0-0--0--------|

|--0h-2----------0h-2-|

|---------------------|
Riff 4

|-----------3---------| |---------------------| |---------------------| |---------------------| |-----------2---------| |--3p 0h-3--3---------|

INTRO

The intro as I play it, its very close to Vic Lewis' version above:
|------------------------------|--------------------------------- |---------3-------------3------|--------------------------------- |-----------2-------------0----|---------0----------------------- |--0---0-------0-------------0-|-------------------0h-2-0-------- |----------------3---3---------|--------------0h-2--------3-0h-2- |------------------------------|--3---3--------------------------


|------------------------------|---------------------------------

|---------3-------------3------|---------------------------------

|-----------2-------------0----|---------0---0-2p-0-0-4p-0-0-5/7-

|--0---0-------0-------------0-|---------------------------------

|----------------3---3---------|---------------------------------

|------------------------------|--3---3--------------------------
|------------------------------|---------------------------------

|---------3-------------3------|---------------------------------

|-----------2-------------0----|---------0-----------------------

|--0---0-------0-------------0-|-------------------0h-2-0--------

|----------------3---3---------|--------------0h-2--------3-0h-2-

|------------------------------|--3---3--------------------------
|------------------------------|---------3-----------------------

|---------3-------------3------|---------3-----------------------

|-----------2-------------0----|---------0-----------------------

|--0---0-------0-------------0-|---------0-----------------------

|----------------3---3---------|---------------------------------

|------------------------------|--3---3--------------------------

Instead of -3---3- you can everywhere in the intro also play -3-0-3- or -3p-0h-3-

INTERLUDE & OUTRO

If you listen to the record, you can here that there's a short interlude after the first verse. It's played like this:
|---------------------------------|----------------------------| |---------------------------------|----------------------------| |--------7---7----------5---5-----|---------0------------------| |--------7---7----------5---5-----|-------0-0------------------| |--7-8-9-------9-7-5h-7--------7--|--0h-2----------------------| |---------------------------------|----------------------------|

|--------------------------------|-----------------------------| |--------------------------------|-----------------------------| |--------7---7---------5---5-----|---------0---------12--------| |--------7---7---------5---5-----|-------0-0---------12--------| |--7-8-9-------9-7-5-7--------7--|--0h-2-----------------------| |--------------------------------|-----------------------------|

You can play this interlude again at the end of the song as an outro.

THE WHOLE SONG

Taken all those pieces together, here is the whole song:

INTRO

Verse 1 (Big wheels...)

INTERLUDE

Verse 2 (Well, I heard Mister Young...)

CHORUS

Verse 3 (In Birmingham...)

CHORUS

Verse 4 (Now Muscle Shoals...)

CHORUS

REPEAT CHORUS

OUTRO (=INTERLUDE)

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klim

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Joined: 20 years ago

Posts: 269

09/03/2007 6:14 pm

Wes is correct about the comment relating to Neil Young. When the guys heard Young's song, they were mortified that he would say something like that. Especially since they were huge fans of Neil Young. So this song was their response to Southern Man and Alabama.

However many years later (after the fatal plane crash), Neil Young performed a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd at a concert which I believe he played Sweet Home Alabama.

Neil has always stated that he and Ronnie Van Zant were never rivals, but fans of each others music. Apparently Young's song Powderfinger was written for Lynyrd Skynyrd, but the plane crash came first.

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indiana_jonesin

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Joined: 17 years ago

Posts: 190

14/03/2007 3:16 pm

I found a fun shortcut for beginners: after the G chord of each line, I play that F-C-D progression shown in the second verse, back to the D to start the next line. I'm working on the riffs as well, but the hammer-ons and pull-offs are a little tricky for me on an acoustic. It's good exercise, though. Thanks for a fun and easy tune!

"Yes and an old guitar is all that he can afford,
when he gets up under the lights to play his thing..."-Dire Straits
http://www.myspace.com/misterpete42

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OdNt43

(@odnt43)

Estimable Member

Joined: 19 years ago

Posts: 158

14/03/2007 7:41 pm

Not sure what you folks think of this, but I've always figured the rhythm and bass guitars play D - Cadd9 - G for the progression in this one.

"A child of five could understand this...send someone to fetch a child of five !"--Groucho Marx

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Geoff H

(@geoff-h)

Eminent Member

Joined: 17 years ago

Posts: 28

21/07/2007 7:31 pm

Just had my first go at this - one of my all time greats. Can't believe how quick I have picked it up. Thanks for tabbing this, will practise a few of the different fills.

Reminds me always of cirus the virus in Con Air.

Cheers

Geoff

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idontknow

(@idontknow)

Active Member

Joined: 17 years ago

Posts: 8

24/07/2007 12:10 pm

The line about Neil Young was because of his song Southern Man, which offended a few Southerners (not me).

I think it was the lines

I hear screaming and
Bullwhips cracking and
How long, how long
How long

Fact- At the height of slavery, less than 3% of Southerners owned slaves.
The other 97% were slaves

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tentex25

(@tentex25)

Active Member

Joined: 17 years ago

Posts: 8

15/08/2007 7:29 pm

I love this and it's a great one to bash out with only limited chord knowledge.

I don't know what old shaky did to offend though (see lyrics) perhaps someone can tell me.

VERSE 1

D-- C----------------G-------
Big wheels keep on turning

D----------C-------------G------
Carry me home to see my kin.

D-------C-----------------G----------
Singing songs about the southland

D-----------C------------G
I miss'ole' 'bamy once again (and I think it's a sin)

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

CHORUS (Use same chords as above)

Sweet home Alabama,
Where the skies are so blue,
Sweet home Alabama,
Lord, I'm coming home to you.

VERSE 2

In Birmingham they love the Gov'nor
F-----C----D
Boo hoo hoo !
Now we all did what we could do.
Now Watergate does not bother me.
Does your conscience bother you? (tell the truth)

CHORUS Repeat

VERSE 3

Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers
And they've been known to pick a tune or two
Lord they get me off so much
They pick me up when I'm feeling blue
Now how about you?

CHORUS repeat

love & peace to all
and p.s. Apparently today is the official southpaw day here in UK
Chris

So if I were going to strum the song with these chords...what is the strumming pattern? And do you do that strumming pattern fully for each chord?

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