Decrease your possessions. Increase your own self-sufficiency by gardening and sewing. Become satisfied with needs instead of wants. Focus on what’s important instead of the material. All of these are components of voluntary simplicity. Website, books, online forums, blogs–voluntary simplicity has become its own industry. But there was a song, written in 1973, that extols the virtues of simple living long before it became mainstream lexicon. That song? Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Simple Man. Which happens to be today’s money tune.
I wanted to include Shinedown’s version which is, hands down, one of the best covers I have ever heard (even better than Steel Panther’s cover of Don’t Stop Believin’ or Tesla’s cover of Signs, which actually happens to be one of my all-time favorite songs). But sometimes you just have to go with the original.
My favorite lyric? Is this:
“Forget your lust, for the rich man’s gold,
All that you need, is in your soul”
Awesome message. Life doesn’t have to be all that complicated.
Thanks, Hunter!
I’m glad you went with the original. I take my Lynyrd Skynyrd seriously. 🙂
I can’t help it. I’m from the South.
But have you heard Shinedown’s cover? It is stellar.
Love the song, love Skynyrd AND Shinedown, but hate Shinedown’s cover. You can’t improve on classics.
This song does have an awesome message – it’s one of my favorites. I actually listen to it when I’m feeling overly spendy. Which is probably more than you ever wanted to know. 🙂
I appreciate the honesty! But you seriously don’t like Shinedown’s cover? I think they kill it.
I can’t wait until the day that everything has finally been simplified. So much stuff, so much to do, yada yada yade. Ick! I keep working towards this but it’s really taking me forever to get there—I’m sure it will be worth it though.
There’s a lot to be said for simplicity, for originality, and for Lynyrd Skynyrd too….
I don’t think I could agree more.
One of my favorite songs of all time … And I almost prefer the Shinedown version. *hangs head in shame based on prior comments* 🙂
Love the blog, Jana.
Barb, I too almost prefer the Shinedown version. No head hanging necessary (also, as I type this, Shinedown is on the radio. Eerie)!
I was so bummed last November to have to back out of an all-acoustic Shinedown concert. (and the ticket was free – a birthday gift!) My son said it was an excellent show.