Well, I heard O'Neill put her down

The story:

We heard the song on the PA in a store, and it reminded me of
something I'd always been curious about, so in the parking lot I
asked my wife if she knew which Eugene O'Neill play was a "put
down" of Alabama. She was confused by my question, so I explained
about the Lynryd Skynyrd song and the lyric where they mention that
"...O'Neill put her down." She laughed long and hard before finally
telling me that A) I was a nerd. -and- B) The lyrics referred to
Neil Young, "ol' Neil." The lines before and after should have
clued me in, but I actually never understand them clearly, so I was
oblivious.