Saturday Night Special

Album: Nuthin' Fancy (1975)
Charted: 27
Play Video
  • Two feet they come a creepin'
    Like a black cat do
    And two bodies are layin' naked
    Creeper think he got nothin' to lose
    So he creeps into this house, yeah
    And unlocks the door
    And as a man's reaching for his trousers
    Shoots him full of thirty-eight holes

    Mr. Saturday night special
    Got a barrel that's blue and cold
    Ain't good for nothin'
    But put a man six feet in a hole

    Big Jim's been drinkin' whiskey
    And playin' poker on a losin' night
    And pretty soon ol' Jim starts a thinkin'
    Somebody been cheatin' and lyin'
    So Big Jim commence to fightin'
    I wouldn't tell you no lie
    Big Jim done pulled his pistol
    Shot his friend right between the eyes

    Mr. Saturday night special
    Got a barrel that's blue and cold
    Ain't good for nothin'
    But put a man six feet in a hole

    Oh, it's the Saturday night special

    Hand guns are made for killin'
    They ain't no good for nothin' else
    And if you like to drink your whiskey
    You might even shoot yourself
    So why don't we dump 'em people
    To the bottom of the sea
    Before some ol' fool come around here
    Wanna shoot either you or me

    Mr. Saturday night special
    Got a barrel that's blue and cold
    Ain't good for nothin'
    But put a man six feet in a hole

    Mr. the Saturday night special
    And I'd like to tell you what you could do with it
    And that's the end of the song Writer/s: Edward C. King, Ronnie Van Zant
    Publisher: Capitol CMG Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 20

  • Iam Kof from IsraelThis great song also appered in the 1978 film: BLue Collar (Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Koto, Richard Pryor)
  • AnonymousLynyrd Sknyrd ... always the best ... god bless them all southern style.
  • Rjh1226 from Long Island I saw Skynyrd open for Black Sabbath at the Nassau Coliseum and they blew me away and Black Sabbath to me that night should have opened for Skynyrd!
  • Mike from St. Louis, MoThe funny think is Ronnie Van Zant's brother Donnie is the lead singer for "38 Special."
  • Neil from Seattle, WaThose who are saying handguns can't be used for hunting obviously have little knowledge of the subject. Handguns come in a variety of sizes and powers, some of which are specifically for hunting. Many states have a specific hunting season for handguns. Additionally, the Second Amendment mentions nothing about hunting.
  • Oldpink from New Castle, InIt's a great song, alright.
    However, speaking as someone who knows guns very well, there are plenty of handgun calibers perfectly suitable for deer, and some even suitable for animals as large as Grizzly Bears.
    The .44 Magnum was originally conceived not as a caliber for humans, but one for deer and other big game instead.
  • John from Texas Where Else, TxONE OF THE GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL SONG OF ALL TIME. EASILY ONE OF THE TOP 5 ROCK AND ROLL SONGS OF ALL TIME. IMAGINE SEEING THEM AND "THE WHO" ON THE SAME NIGHT BACK IN THE 1970'S. JESUS WHAT A NIGHT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN!!!
  • Myra from Chicago, IlAnd Big Jim done pull his pistol
    And shot his friend right between the eyes
    Handguns are made for killin'
    They ain't no good for nothin' else
    THIS SONG IS SIMPLY AWESOME!
    We do indeed have some major gun control issues.


  • Pytlak from Bakersfield, CaI thought the lyric was "somebody been cheatin' here tonight." Anyway, I think it cool for a Southern band to take a stand that is at odds with the way a lot of Southerners feel.

    Skynyrd rules!
  • Matthew from Milford, MaYeah, don't handguns lack the power to "drop" a deer or a bison?
  • Ryan H. Harris from Bellevue, NeSimply put handguns are made for killing and nothing else. You cant hunt with them.
  • Jordan from Menominee , MnLynyrd Skynyrd is the sh*t simply put
  • Dan from Worcester, MaAs a reward for writing this song, Ronnie Van Zant, (who was a marksman shooter), was banned from the NRA.
    Dan, Worcester MA
  • Johnny from Los Angeles, CaHow come this isn't in songs with count-in's?
  • Joseph from Wise, Vathe first time i listened to it i thought it said "Mr Saturday night so special" But i later looked it up to find i was wrong
  • Travis from Laconia, NhI like the lead singers accent. =)
  • Johnny from Los Angeles, CaI could not agree more, with all yall
  • Alison from Kill Devil Hills, NcI LOVE LYNYRD SKYNYRD!!!!they are the best of the best!!they rock!!!!this song kicks a$$!!

    god bless the van zant family!

    good ol southern rock!!
  • Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScThe drum intro at the beginning of the song is pretty cool!
  • Jude from Thomasville, GaEvery single word in this song is absobloodylutely true! And they are sung by Southerners. Right on, Lynyrd Skynyrd!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.