In the early 1970s a wave of southern rock groups including the Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band, ZZ Top, the Charlie Daniels Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd began to break the chart dominance of British Invasion bands. Thomas E. Larson writes that southern rockers, with their harder edge and deep roots in the blues, were unlike traditional Southern rock bands like Poco, the Flying Burrito Brothers and New Riders of the Purple Sage.

They were grittier, and played louder and harder than their country rock cousins; their lyrics reflected less emphasis on intellectual subjects and more on identifying with “good old boy” Southern stereotypes and male posturing and swagger.

Drinking and fighting were popular subjects and in 1973 Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Charlie Daniels Band both incorporated bars and brawls in their debut singles. Instead of the swagger you might expect, both songs — CDB’s “Uneasy Rider” and Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps” — boasted about how they managed to stay out of a fight.

“Gimme Three Steps,” produced by Al Kooper, was written by Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. The song tells the story of what happens to Ronnie when he’s caught by a jealous boyfriend while dancing in a bar “with a girl named Linda Lou.”

Guitarist Gary Rossington says “Gimme Three Steps” came to be when the band lived in Jacksonville, Florida.

We went in this W. T. West Tavern one day — me, Ronnie and Allen. Me, I never danced in my whole life. We always played so people could dance. I never been able to. But anyway, this girl came over and wanted Ronnie to dance, because he was old, you know? So they went out and started twisting and doing the Monkey. This guy came in and said, "Hey, that's my girl. You better get. What are you doing dancin' with her?" And Ronnie went, "Hey, I'm just having fun."

Anyway, this guy was gonna whip Ronnie for dancin' with his girlfriend. They were in a little fight and the only reason the girl was dancing with Ronnie was because she was fighting with her boyfriend. Then the guy pulled a gun and said he was gonna blow Ronnie's brains, you know? And Ronnie said, "Please just let me leave. I don't know the girl. I don't want to see her again." And he turned around he said, "If you're gonna shoot me, you're gonna have to shoot me in the ass or the elbows." And we started walking out, er, Allen and me saw Ronnie walking so we started to walk. We got to the car and we wrote it in the car driving back to the house.

“Uneasy Rider,” written by Charlie Daniels, tells the hilarious story of a long-haired stoner whose car breaks down outside of a redneck bar in Jackson, Mississippi. To get out of trouble, Daniels accuses one of the locals of being a spy. Daniels told Keith Van Allen the inspiration for the song.

I used to produce records and I was doing a group, the Youngbloods, a rock group, and we were doing a rock festival… down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was right after the “Easy Rider” movie came out. All the San Francisco bands were down there, there was the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane, Chicago was there and all these long-haired guys. And here they are right in the middle of Dixie and the movie had come out where this guy on a motorcycle got shot because they didn’t like what he looked like.

These guys were just very concerned with being in the South and of course I was born and raised in the South and I thought it was kind of funny, that attitude. And I think that’s what got me started thinking in that direction.

Daniels told Shawna Ortega that the situation – and the bar —  were pure fiction, though he based the line, “I just reached out and kicked ol’ Green Teeth right in the knee” on someone he knew.

I did actually know a guy one time who had green teeth. He had tartar on his teeth, and they actually turn green if they don’t get it off. I don’t think he practiced very good dental hygiene. And that’s where that came from.

I was cutting a 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
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 was scared and fearing for my life
I was shakin' like a leaf on a tree
'Cause he was lean, mean
Big and bad, Lord
Pointin' that gun at me
I said, "Wait a minute, mister
I didn't even kiss her
Don't want no trouble with you
And I know you don't owe me
But I wish you'd let me
Ask one favor from you"

"Won't you give me three steps
Gimme three steps mister
Gimme three steps towards the door?
Gimme three steps
Gimme three steps mister
And you'll never see me no more"

Well the crowd cleared away
And I began to pray
As the water fell on the floor
And I'm telling you son
Well, it ain't no fun
Staring straight down a forty-four
Well he turned and screamed at Linda Lou
And that's the break I was looking for
And you could hear me screaming a mile away
As I was headed out towards the door

"Won't you give me three steps
Gimme three steps mister
Gimme three steps towards the door?
Gimme three steps
Gimme three steps mister
And you'll never see me no more"


I was takin' a trip out to L.A.
Toolin' along in my Cheverolet
Tokin' on a number and diggin' on the radio

Just as I crossed the Mississippi line
I heard that highway start to whine
And I knew that left rear tire was about to blow

Well the spare was flat and I got uptight
'Cause there wasn't a filling station in sight
So I just limped on down the shoulder on the rim

I went as far as I could and when I stopped the car
It was right in front of this little bar, a
Kind of a red-neck lookin' joint called the Dew Drop Inn

Well I stuffed my hair up under my hat
And told the bartender that I had a flat
And would he be kind enough to give me change for a one

Well there was one thing I was sure proud to see
There wasn't a soul in the place except for him and me and
He just looked disgusted and pointed toward the telephone

I called up the station down the road a ways and
He said he wasn't very busy today
And he could have someone out there in just about 10 minutes or so

He said," Now, you just stay right where yer at!"
And I didn't bother to tell the dern fool
That I sure as hell didn't have anyplace else to go

I ordered up a beer and sat down at the bar
When some guy walked in and said, "Who owns this car
With the peace sign, the mag wheels and the four on the floor?"

Well he looked at me and I damn near died
And I decided that I'd just wait outside
So I laid a dollar on the bar and headed for the door

Just when I thought I'd get outta there with my skin
These 5 big dudes come strollin' in
With this one old drunk chick and some fella with green teeth

Now I was almost to the door when the biggest one
Said, "You tip your hat to this lady, son!"
And when I did, all that hair fell out from underneath

Now the last thing I wanted was to get into a fight
In Jackson Mississippi on a Saturday night
Especially when there was three of them and only one of me

They all started laughin' and I felt kinda sick
And I knew I better think of something pretty quick
So I just reached out and kicked ol' green teeth right in the knee

Now he let out a yell that'd curl yer hair
But before he could move I grabbed me a chair
And said "Now watch him folks 'cause he's a furly dangerous man!"

"Well you may not know it but this man is a spy.
He's a undercover agent for the FBI
And he's been sent down here to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan!"

He was still bent over holdin' on to his knee
But everybody else was lookin' and listenin' to me
And I laid it on thicker and heavier as I went

I said "Would you believe this man has gone as far
As tearing Wallace stickers off the bumpers of cars
And he voted for George McGovern for President."

"Well he's a friend of them long haired, hippy-type, pinko fags!
I betcha he's even got a commie flag
Tacked up on the wall inside of his garage."

"He's a snake in the grass, I tell ya guys
He may look dumb but that's just a disguise
He's a mastermind in the ways of espionage"

They all started lookin' real suspicious at him and
He jumped up and said "Now just wait a minute Jim!
You know he's lyin' I been livin' here all of my life!"

"I'm a faithful follower of Brother John Birch
And I belong to the Antioch Baptist Church
And I ain't even got a garage, you can call home and ask my wife!"

Then he started saying somethin' 'bout the way I was dressed
But I didn't wait around to hear the rest
I was too busy movin' and hopin' I didn't run outta luck

And when I hit the door I was makin' tracks
And they were just taking my car down off the jacks
So I threw the man a twenty and jumped in and fired that mother up

Mario Andretti woulda sure been proud
Of the way I was movin' when I passed that crowd
Comin' out the door and headed toward me at a trot

And I guess I shoulda gone ahead and run
But somehow I just couldn't resist the fun
Of chasin' them all just once around the parking lot

Well they're headed for their car but I hit the gas and
Spun around and headed 'em off at the pass
I was slingin' gavel and puttin' a ton o' dust in the air

Well I had them all out there steppin' and fetchin'
Like their heads was on fire and their asses was catchin'
but I figgered I'd better go ahead and split before the cops got there

When I hit the road I was really wheelin'
Had gravel flyin' and rubber squeelin'
And I didn't slow down till I was almost to Arkansas

Well I think I'm gonna reroute my trip
I wonder if anybody'd think I'd flipped
If I went to L.A., via Omaha