That doesn't work if the pattern is found in the first three lines. (And what's with the quotes around a variable?) Change 
print "$file[$_]" for ($i-3 .. $i-1);

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to 
print $file[$_] for grep $_ >= 0, $i-3 .. $i-1;

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In reply to Re^2: How can I print three lines before pattern match? by ikegami
in thread How can I print three lines before pattern match? by neurotoxx

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