Freebird by the rock music band Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of the
great classic songs in rock music history. The extended dual guitar instrumental which ends the song is
listed as number three on Guitar World’s list of the Greatest Guitar Solos in history.
Readers of this blog know that I comment on songs, books,
and movies from a Christian perspective. Christian understandings can be seen
in works of art, often with messages not clearly intended by the original
artists. This is sort of like
using the work of art as a parable pr allegory to illustrate a deeper meaning.
Freebird is a hauntingly beautiful but ultimately very sad
song. It can be seen as a
statement of self absorption. The
singer tells a woman who loves him that he has to move on because “there’s so
many places I have to see.” He
tells her not to react “so badly” and that he just has to be free. He admits that he has no intention to
change. (“Lord knows I can’t
change.”) He never asks her if she would like to go with him.
Many people are frightened of, and even unable to make a
commitment to another person. They
are emotionally shallow and ultimately concerned only with themselves. A Christian understanding is that this
is the very definition of the Human Problem: the elevation of Self above all
else.
The extended guitar riff which ends Freebird can be seen from
a Christian perspective as illustrating the world’s wildly distracting
influences coming at the individual from all directions. The distractions can seduce a person
and pull them away into unknown territories.
The lyrics of Freebird are here.
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