"Free Bird" Quotes
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Source: "Free Bird"
Speaker: Lynyrd Skynyrd
If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?
Context
This line is from the song "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, from the album Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd (1973).
"Free Bird" is a break-up song. Songwriter Allen Collins tells the real-life story of a love spat he had with his girlfriend. Storming out the door, she asks, "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" So the quote is really about a girl in the early '70s expressing her liberated self. You can hear all about it at this link.
Where you've heard it
"Free Bird" has found new meaning beyond the stage or studio. It's often heard at funerals and graduations as a metaphor for being set free. But "Free Bird" will never die. Some call it the most requested song in rock and roll history. It seems like "Play Free Bird!" is the most accepted way to thank the band at the end of a rock concert these days.
Additional Notable References:
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
You might as well wear a T-shirt that says "Need Space—Emotionally Unavailable." Instead, just yell "Play Free Bird!" at the end of the night for a few cheap laughs.