The 1983 song “Dixieland Delight” by the country band Alabama has been a Bryant-Denny Stadium fan favorite for years. Crimson Tide fans have adopted the tune as a game-day anthem, perhaps more so than even Sweet Home Alabama.

But what’s the story behind Dixieland Delight?

AL.com spoke with Ronnie Rogers, the songwriter who penned the song more than four decades ago. Here is how he explained his songwriting process for Dixieland Delight. It began with Rogers driving down a country road.

“I came to a stop sign at a dead-end road,” Rogers said, “and the thought just came “rolling down the backwoods, Tennessee by-way,” which is what I was doing. ‘One arm on the wheel …” and I finished about half of it that day. And the chorus.

“I went home and a guy came to my house asking what songs I’ve written in a week and I played him the half of the song and he said ‘Man, you have to finish that. There’s a group called Alabama cutting next week and I think they might like this song.’

“So, well, I went out in the woods and I didn’t know where I was going. So I look around and there was a white-tail buck deer, a red-tail hawk sitting on a limb and a chubby old groundhog was all around me.

“So I said ‘God, thank you.’ I wrote it all down and they liked it.”

The song was recorded as the lead single for Alabama’s album entitled “The Closer You Get …” The single was released Jan. 28, 1983 — two days after Alabama legend Paul “Bear” Bryant died in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama lead singer Randy Owen in an interview with AL.com recalled the process of recording the song.

RELATED: Inside surreal moment at Dixieland Delight songwriter’s first Alabama football game

“Well, it’s a good time song,” Owen told AL.com. “A fun song. Ronnie Rogers brought the song to me and I took the song in and told Teddy (Gentry) and Jeff (Cook), let’s just do it acoustically and do the vocals as we go down. That’s what we did. They went back and added some vocals and did a little wishy washy in the bridge with the vocals and a little fiddle.”

Let’s try to ask some frequently asked questions about Dixieland Delight.

Is Dixieland Delight about the state of Alabama or the state of Tennessee?

Owen laughed when asked about the dispute between Alabama and Tennessee football fans.

“I hope they keep debating,” he said.

Rogers didn’t settle it either.

“The song wasn’t written for a collegiate song,” Rogers said. “It was written for Alabama (the band) as a record and they cut such a record on it, I think that’s the reason Alabama (the school) adopted the song.”

Where is Dixieland Delight set?

Leipers Fork, Tennessee. It’s outside Franklin, Tennessee where Rogers lives. It’s about a 45-minute drive from downtown Nashville.

Is Dixieland Delight a song about making love?

There’s a good-time element to Dixieland Delight with lyrics that include “make a little loving.” That’s led a fair number of people to assume Dixieland Delight is about a romantic interlude.

FROM 2022: The wild view from the field as Alabama students sing Dixieland Delight

Rogers cited another lyric when asked if the assumptions were true.

“Well, ‘One arm on the wheel, holding my lover with the other,’” Rogers said. “I thought explained it pretty well.”

Is Rogers, the Dixieland Delight songwriter, an Alabama or Tennessee fan?

The resident of Franklin, Tennessee said he’s gone to a few Vol games in Knoxville and supports his home-state program.

“But Alabama is my second home,” Rogers said, “because the boys in Alabama are like my brothers.”

FROM 2017: ‘Dixieland Delight’ blasts outside Bryant-Denny Stadium after beating LSU

Rogers wore an Alabama hat to last Saturday’s game he attended in Bryant-Denny Stadium, a hat he said he bought on game day in Tuscaloosa.

There are a few alternate lyrics to Dixieland Delight involving Auburn that have been adopted by Alabama fans. How does that sit with the singer and writer?

While Dixieland Delight further divides the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry, the addition of the f-bomb to the pauses in the chorus ignited the Iron Bowl rivalry between Alabama and Auburn.

“I don’t know what the alternate lyrics are,” Owen, the Alabama lead singer told AL.com in May. “Honestly, when we do the song, all across the country, there’s different lyrics.”

We then told Owen about the “F ***, Auburn” line.

“Oh really?” Owen said. “Ha. Like I said, I haven’t been to an Alabama game. I’m just proud they play it.”

Rogers was aware of the lyrics, the fact they got Dixieland Delight banned from Bryant-Denny Stadium for a few years and the effort to bring it back.

“Well, they’re going to do what they do and I can’t help that,” Rogers said of those who sign about Auburn with the bad word. “God, I’m not saying anything about that because I’m thrilled to death they’re enjoying it.”

What has Nick Saban said about Dixieland Delight?

From 2018, when Dixieland Delight returned to Alabama home games:

“This is a great tradition,” Saban said, “and something I really enjoy and one of the traditions that I will always remember about being here at Alabama is playing that song at the games and everybody singing and having a good time with it.”

He said he hoped Alabama fans — mainly students — used the “BEAT AUBURN” lyrics instead of the vulgar version.

“I hope all the people who embrace it now will be able to hold everybody accountable to do it the right way so that everybody will be able to continue enjoy that tradition in the future,” Saban said in 2018.

Have other schools mocked Dixieland Delight?

Rivalries are best when schools can have fun with traditions like this. Tennessee certainly did as it played Dixieland Delight after beating Alabama last year in Knoxville.

The song was also played earlier this year in Oklahoma City when Tennessee beat the Crimson Tide on the softball field in the Women’s College World Series.

Arkansas fans played their version of Dixieland Delight before Alabama visited last year.

And Auburn trolled Alabama by playing Dixieland Delight after fans stormed the field to celebrate Iron Bowl wins over the Crimson Tide in both 2017 and 2019.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.