Alabama
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The devil fools with the best laid plan
Swing low, Alabama
You got the spare change
You got to feel strange
And now the moment is all that it meant
Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders
That's breaking your back
Your Cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch
And a wheel on the track
Oh, Alabama
Banjos playing through the broken glass
Windows down in Alabama
See the old folks tied in white ropes
Hear the banjo
Don't it take you down home?
Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders
That's breaking your back
Your Cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch
And a wheel on the track
Oh-oh, Alabama
Can I see you and shake your hand?
Make friends down in Alabama
I'm from a new land
I come to you and see all this ruin
What are you doing Alabama?
You got the rest of the union to help you along
What's going wrong?
Neil Young's song "Alabama" is a haunting anthem against racism and bigotry that was written in response to the senseless brutality that occurred at the time in Birmingham, Alabama on May 14, 1963. The song's opening line suggests that the devil is messing with the best laid plan, and the repetition of "swing low" invokes images of a spiritual that slaves sang in the US. The lyrics speak to the mournful spirit of the state - a place where a Cadillac has a wheel in a ditch and a wheel on a track, meaning there is no escape from the quagmire of poverty, inequality and oppression. The weight of history and the burden of the past is too much for the people of Alabama to bear, and the tension between the old traditions understood by the "old folks tied in white ropes" and the new world order represented by Young and others like him, is palpable.
Young calls upon the people of Alabama to unite and seek alliance with the rest of the nation to help them move forward. The lyrics are a call to action to confront the legacy of racism and inequality that the state was built upon. The repetition of the phrase "what's going wrong" suggests that things are not right, and that all is not well in the state. The song highlights the problems of social injustice and questions the political processes in the United States that allowed such conditions to persist. The lyrics are a plea for a brighter future, with the hope that the people of Alabama will ultimately find a way to overcome their hardships.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh-oh, Alabama
Neil is expressing his sentiment towards Alabama and the issues surrounding the state.
The devil fools with the best laid plan
Even the most well thought out and strategic plans can be disrupted by evil forces, like racism and hate.
Swing low, Alabama
Neil is pleading for a change and a better future for Alabama.
You got the spare change
Alabama needs to make changes in order to progress, but even small contributions can make a difference.
You got to feel strange
Asking for change can feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but it is necessary for growth.
And now the moment is all that it meant
The current situation in Alabama is dire, and it is important to take action now to make a difference.
Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders
That's breaking your back
Alabama is carrying the burden of racism and the struggles that come with it.
Your Cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch
And a wheel on the track
Alabama is stuck between progress and stagnant ways of the past, unable to move forward.
Banjos playing through the broken glass
Windows down in Alabama
Even as music plays, the broken state of Alabama is palpable and prevalent in every aspect of life.
See the old folks tied in white ropes
Hear the banjo
Don't it take you down home?
The ties to slavery and the past are deeply rooted and impossible to ignore, creating a sense of nostalgia and regret.
Can I see you and shake your hand?
Make friends down in Alabama
I'm from a new land
Neil is offering to work together with the people of Alabama towards a common goal and a better future for all.
I come to you and see all this ruin
What are you doing Alabama?
You got the rest of the union to help you along
What's going wrong?
Neil is questioning why Alabama is still struggling with progress, and reminding them that they are not alone in their fight for change.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@haydenhoopla
Oh Alabama
The devil fools
with the best laid plan.
Swing low Alabama
You got spare change
You got to feel strange
And now the moment
is all that it meant.
Alabama, you got
the weight on your shoulders
That's breaking your back.
Your Cadillac
has got a wheel in the ditch
And a wheel on the track
Oh Alabama
Banjos playing
through the broken glass
Windows down in Alabama.
See the old folks
tied in white ropes
Hear the banjo.
Don't it take you down home?
Alabama, you got
the weight on your shoulders
That's breaking your back.
Your Cadillac
has got a wheel in the ditch
And a wheel on the track
Oh Alabama.
Can I see you
and shake your hand.
Make friends down in Alabama.
I'm from a new land
I come to you
and see all this ruin
What are you doing Alabama?
You got the rest of the union
to help you along
What's going wrong?
@eco2geek.
So now the Alabama supreme court has ruled that embryos are "extrauterine children" and this song is more relevant than ever.
@scottsegraves9601
And today, Alabam Attorney General OK'd release of a White police officer after he's served TWO YEARS of a sentence FOURTEEN for the manslaughter of a Black man.
@robertgillingham985
I saw them both live at different times in my teens and they were both geniuses. Neal and Ronnie.
@pazuzu3933
Amazing album.
@claudesaintpierre7352
I got it in 1972 😊
@mikaelpedersen1327
Neil Young a true legend!
@awonderfulfeeling8588
Actually a pretty good song
@bauseeker
DUH ! !
@awonderfulfeeling8588
@@bauseeker what's with the tude
@randyaltiman3426
Plane and simple.