Members:
Lee Aaron Fisher - Drums
Bobby Spell - Bass
Matt Sabbath - Guitar
Scott Evans - Vocals
Brian Snyder - Guitar
Dakota
Allan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought I wanted a Coca-Cola and I started out on the jump
She said hold it Dave come quick there's something you gotta see
That man had got a dancing bear tied up to that old tree
I said dance dance Dakota dance all around the country store
Me and sweet Betty ain't never seen a bear that could dance before
Well it's one step two steps three steps four
A bottle of soda and he'll dance some more
Well these hippies walked up to the cage giving pills to that ole bear
I don't know what it was they was giving to him it had him pulling out his hair
I tried to keep time with the music Lord with the beat on my tamborine
Gave him some wine from a Mason jar and we all began to sing
I said dance dance Dakota dance...
The lyrics to Allan's song Dakota tells a story of a man named Dave and his friend Betty who stumbled upon a strange sight: a dancing bear tied up to an old tree outside of a country store. The two are amazed by the sight and begin to encourage the bear to dance even more with the help of a bottle of soda. The song takes a darker turn when a group of hippies arrive and begin to give the bear pills, causing it to get agitated and pull out its hair. Despite this, Dave and the group continue to sing and play music, seemingly unaware or unconcerned with the mistreatment of the dancing bear.
The lyrics to Dakota seem to have a clear message about the exploitation of animals for human entertainment. The dancing bear can be seen as a symbol for the cruel treatment of animals in circuses, which have been criticized for their inhumane practices. The way Dave and Betty are initially fascinated by the bear's abilities suggests how people can be easily entertained without considering the well-being of the animal. However, the arrival of the hippies and their mistreatment of the bear shows the darker side of animal captivity and the harm that it can cause.
Line by Line Meaning
Betty drove the semi she pulled up to the pump
The singer meets Betty who is driving a semi, at the gas station.
I thought I wanted a Coca-Cola and I started out on the jump
The singer was originally planning to get a Coca-Cola, but is suddenly distracted.
She said hold it Dave come quick there's something you gotta see
Betty calls for the singer's attention to show him something interesting.
That man had got a dancing bear tied up to that old tree
The artist and Betty discover a man who has tied a dancing bear to an old tree.
I said dance dance Dakota dance all around the country store
The artist is excited to see the bear dance and urges it to continue.
Me and sweet Betty ain't never seen a bear that could dance before
The singer and Betty are amazed by the bear's dancing abilities as they've never seen a dancing bear before.
Well it's one step two steps three steps four
The singer describes the bear's dancing steps.
A bottle of soda and he'll dance some more
The artist explains that the bear will dance more if given soda.
Well these hippies walked up to the cage giving pills to that ole bear
Later, some hippies give drugs to the bear while it's in its cage.
I don't know what it was they was giving to him it had him pulling out his hair
The bear's negative reaction to the drugs is described by the artist.
I tried to keep time with the music Lord with the beat on my tamborine
The singer plays his tambourine along with the music.
Gave him some wine from a Mason jar and we all began to sing
The artist and hippies give the bear wine and sing along with the music.
I said dance dance Dakota dance...
The singer continues to urge the bear to dance despite being drugged and given alcohol.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@estebandavila9971
[Verse 1]
Betty drove the semi, she pulled up to the pump
I thought I wanted a Coca-Cola and I started out on the jump
She said, "Hold it Dave, come quick, there's something you got to see
That man has got a dancing bear tied up to that old tree"
[Chorus 1]
I said, "Dance, dance, Dakota dance all around the country store"
Me and sweet Betty ain't never seen
A bear that could dance before
Well, it's one step, two steps, three steps four
A bottle of soda and he'll dance some more
Dance, dance Dakota dance all around the country store
[Verse 2]
Well, these hippies walked up to the cage
Giving pills to that old bear
I don't know what it was they was giving to him
It had him pulling out his hair
I tried to keep time with the music
Lord with the beat on my tambourine
Gave him some wine from a mason jar and we all began to sing
[Chorus 1]
[Recitation:]
Well, I went out to Los Angeles, California and I saw a semi-truck along the side of the road. It said 'Dakota the Dancing Bear' on the side of it. Now they charged you 50 cents to watch this bear dance around a truck. So I turned to Arl,o and I said "Arlo, we ought to get down off these motorcycles and walk over there and see if that's the same bear that Betty told U.S. about when she was driving the semi-truck for us back in Nashville, Tennessee." So we got down off our motorcycles and we walked over there eaten' our pickles. Now there was four or five hundred thousand of these hippies freaks standing around waiting on a rock festival. It appeared that David Allan Coe, Kris Kristofferson and the Grand FUNK Railroad was playing in town that day and their airplane had got hijacked somewhere over Chicago, Illinois. So it turned out that the people with short hair started throwing rocks at the people that had long hair, and the people with long hair started throwing the rocks back. So we come to find out in California, when they had a rock festival, you was supposed to carry your own rocks. Well, I walked up to the bears cage, and the bear looked at me, and he said: "I know you, you're David Allan Coe, and that's Arlo Guthrie that sings country and western music on jukebox radio and television. And y'all gave me some acid when I was in Nashville, and started me to dance around this truck. And I said: "That's right son, that's why I'm here, because you signed a contract with me, and you owe me twenty percent of all the money you've been making since you've been out here on the road". He said: "Man, I ain't got no money". I said: "What'd you do with it?" He pointed to the next cage, and there was a female bear over there shooting up heroine. And before I could say anything, I turned around and I saw a Greyhound bus, painted black and white, and it said the David Allan Coe show, with the Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy, and the Tennessee Hat Band on the side of it. And their was a woman driving the bus, and sure enough, it was old pusher Betty, and she didn't have no bra on, and she said to me, she said:
[Chorus 2]
"Hey Dave, come here quick
Something you got to see
That man has got a dancing bear tied up to that old tree"
She said, "Dance, dance, Dakota dance all around the country store"
Me and sweet Betty ain't never seen
A bear that could dance before
But, it's one step, two steps, three steps four
A bottle of soda and he'll dance some more
Dance, dance Dakota dance all around the country store
@couchpotatoprepper3357
2024 anyone?
@wandywoblox7
2020 anyone??
@ryan-fg9cw
Oh yes
@Guster123451
Yes sir
@benpaquin7663
2020 and till the day I die! At 36 that's at least 2040 hahah
@coreyakawilson0
Yupp
@druwallis9856
Hell ya
@danielt8960
"we awta get down off these motor'sickles"
@feloniousfloyd2203
Eatin’ our pickles
@samlawhorn
This is the most hilarious trolling of Arlo Guthrie that I've ever heard.