I Know A Little Lynyrd Skynyrd

I Know A Little Album: Street Survivors (1977)
by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Street Survivors is the fifth studio album released on October 17, 1977. The LP is the last Skynyrd album recorded by original members Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, and is the sole Skynyrd studio recording by guitarist Steve Gaines. Three days after the album's release, the band's chartered airplane crashed en route to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, killing the pilot, co-pilot, the group's assistant road-manager and three band members (Van Zant, Gaines, and Gaines' older sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines), and severely injuring most who survived the crash.

On October 20, 1977, only three days after the release of Street Survivors, and five shows into their most successful headlining tour to date, Lynyrd Skynyrd's chartered Convair CV-300 ran out of fuel near the end of their flight from Greenville, South Carolina, where they had just performed at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium, to LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Though the pilots attempted an emergency landing on a small airstrip, the plane crashed in a forest five miles (8 km) northeast of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray, were killed on impact. The other band members (Collins, Rossington, Wilkeson, Powell, Pyle, and Hawkins), tour manager Ron Eckerman, and road crew survived, but suffered serious injuries.

Following the crash and the ensuing press, Street Survivors became the band's second platinum album and reached No. 5 on the U.S. album chart. The single "What's Your Name?" reached No. 13 on the single airplay charts in January 1978.

The original cover sleeve for Street Survivors had featured a photograph of the band standing on a city street with all its buildings engulfed in flames, some near the center nearly obscuring Steve Gaines's face. After the plane crash, this cover became highly controversial. Out of respect for the deceased (and at the request of Teresa Gaines, Steve's widow), MCA Records withdrew the original cover and replaced it with a similar image of the band against a simple black background, which was on the back cover of the original sleeve. An urban legend has long claimed that only those band members touched by flame in the photograph were killed in the crash, but this is not true (flame appears to touch nearly all band members).

Written by: Steve Gaines
Album: Street Survivors
Released: 1977

Yes sir

Well the bigger the city well the brighter the lights
The bigger the dog well the harder the bite
I don't know where you been last night
But I think Mama you ain't doin' right

Say I know a little
I know a little about it
I know a little
I know a little about it
I know a little about love
And baby I can guess the rest

Well now I don't read that daily news
'Cause it ain't hard to figure where people get the blues
They can't dig what they can't use
If they stick to themselves they'd be much less abused

Say I know a little
Lord I do know a little about it
I know a little
I know a little about it
I know a little about love
And baby I can guess the rest

Play me a little
Whoa
Yeah

Well now you want me to be your only man
Said listen up Mama teach you all I can
Do right baby by your man
Don't worry Mama I'll teach you all I can

Say I know a little
Lord I know a little about it
I know a little
I know a little about it
I know a little about love
And baby I can guess the rest

Well I know a little about love
Baby I want your best