Ain't No Good Life

This was the first song ever released on a Lynyrd Skynyrd album that did not feature Ronnie Van Zant on vocals. It was sung by guitarist Steve Gaines, who was a singer, songwriter and guitarist prior to joining Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1976. The song is very much a blues tune.

The "good life" would be a life of luxury. In this song, Steve Gaines is struggling to get by, barely paying his rent - it definitely ain't no good life. He seems resigned to his fate: the more he fights it, the more he grieves. At the end of the song, we learn why he gives in: nobody tells him what to do.

Steve Gaines wrote this song on his own. He was first recommended to the band by his sister, Cassie Gaines, who was one of the original backup singers added to the band. Cassie had originally been part of a group called The Honkettes, before they got absorbed into Lynyrd Skynyrd. Gaines made huge contributions to Street Survivors, his first Lynyrd Skynyrd album, and sadly, his last. Three days after it was released, he, Van Zant and Cassie all died in a plane crash. Gaines other writing credits on the album are: "You Got That Right," which he co-wrote with Van Zant. He and Ronnie shared lead vocals on that one. "I Never Dreamed" - another song he wrote with Van Zant. "I Know A Little" - a song he wrote on his own that was never released as a single, but became one of the group's best-known songs.