"Gimme Three Steps" is a song by American

southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar speculat ...

band

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

, released from the band's debut album, ''

(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) ''(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)'' is the debut album by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in 1973. Several of the album's songs remain among the band's most well-known: "Gimme Three Steps", " Simple Man", "Tuesday's Gone", a ...

'' (1973). It was written by bandmates

Allen Collins Larkin Allen Collins Jr. (July 19, 1952 – January 23, 1990) was an American guitarist. He was one of the founding members and guitarists of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with frontman and origina ...

and

Ronnie Van Zant Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist, primary lyricist and a founding member of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He is the older brother of current ...

. The single release contains the song "

Mr. Banker "Mr. Banker" is a song by American Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was recorded in early 1973 at Studio One, Doraville, Georgia, and was first released as the B-side of "Gimme Three Steps" (a U.S. single release) in November 1973. It was n ...

" as a B-side.

Background

Band member Gary Rossington based the lyrics on a real-life experience Ronnie Van Zant had at a bar in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, having a gun pulled on him for dancing with another man's woman. It narrates how the singer was dancing with a girl named Linda Lou at a bar called The Jug when a man, either the girl's boyfriend or husband, enters with a loaded gun and catches them, angrily believing her to be cheating. The song's title refers to the chorus, where the interloper begs for a head start out of the bar: "Won't you give me three steps / Give me three steps, mister / Give me three steps towards the door? / Give me three steps / Give me three steps, mister / And you'll never see me no more." Of the live single released in 1977, ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said it is "a traditional rock and roller, featuring some tight harmony vocals and the obligatory high-distortion guitar solo."

Personnel

Lynyrd Skynyrd

- vocals *

Gary Rossington Gary Robert Rossington (born December 4, 1951) is an American guitarist. He is the only remaining original member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, in which he plays lead and rhythm guitar. In 2009, he became the last original member to re ...

- lead guitar *

- guitar *

Ed King Edward Calhoun King (September 14, 1949 – August 22, 2018) was an American musician. He was a guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and guitarist and bassist for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 1975 ...

- bass * Bob Burns - drums *

Billy Powell William Norris Powell (June 3, 1952 – January 28, 2009) was an American musician and keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2009. Biography Early life Powell was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He grew u ...

- keyboards

Notes

{{authority control 1973 songs Lynyrd Skynyrd songs Song recordings produced by Al Kooper Songs written by Allen Collins Songs written by Ronnie Van Zant Songs based on actual events 1973 singles MCA Records singles