His most famous work is Alice's Restaurant, a talking blues song that lasts eighteen minutes and twenty seconds (in its original recorded version; Guthrie has been known to spin the story out to forty-five minutes in concert). The song, a bitingly satirical protest against the Vietnam War draft, is based on a true incident. In the song, Guthrie was called up for a draft examination, and rejected as unfit for military service as a result of a criminal record consisting in its entirety of a single arrest, court appearance, fine and clean-up order for littering. In reality, Guthrie, though a carrier of the genetically inherited disease Huntington's chorea, was classified as fit (1A); however, his draft-lottery number did not come up.
109. Coming into Los Angeles
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
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Flyin' in a big airliner
Chickens flyin' everywhere around the plane
Could we ever feel much finer?
Comin' into Los Angeles
Bringin' in a couple of keys
Don't touch my bags if you please, mister customs man
Yeah, there's a guy with a ticket to Mexico
No, he couldn't look much stranger
Walkin' in the hall with his things and all
Smilin, said he was the Lone Ranger
Comin' into Los Angeles
Bringin' in a couple of keys
Don't touch my bags if you please, mister customs man
Hip woman walkin' on the movin' floor
Trippin' on the escalator
There's a man in the line and she's blowin' his mind
Thinkin' that he's already made her
Comin' into Los Angeles
Bringin' in a couple of keys
Don't touch my bags if you please, mister customs man
Comin' in from London, from over the pole
Flyin' in a big airliner
Chickens flyin' everywhere around the plane
Could we ever feel much finer?
Comin' into Los Angeles
Bringin' in a couple of keys
Don't touch my bags if you please, mister customs man
Yeah, alright
Arlo Guthrie's song "Coming Into Los Angeles" tells the story of a traveler who has just arrived in Los Angeles from London. The song is immediately lively and upbeat, with a catchy guitar riff and Guthrie's memorable voice. The opening lines describe the traveler's journey over the pole of the earth and into LAX, where chickens are flying around the plane. The lyrics suggest that the traveler feels great and couldn't be better.
The chorus of the song describes the traveler's arrival in Los Angeles with enough drugs to qualify as a dealer. The lyrics say "Don't touch my bags if you please, mister customs man" which conveys that the traveler knows they are carrying illicit products and wants the customs officials to turn a blind eye. The song goes on to describe various characters in the airport, including a man with a ticket to Mexico and a hip woman walking on the moving floor, alluding to the excitement and thrill of traveling.
Overall, "Coming Into Los Angeles" presents a fun and carefree image of travel, but also acknowledges the seedy underbelly of drug trafficking. The song ultimately captures the spirit of the 1960s and early 70s, a time when drugs and counterculture were becoming more prevalent in America.
Line by Line Meaning
Coming in from London, from over the pole
Arriving in Los Angeles all the way from London, having flown over the North Pole
Flyin' in a big airliner
Traveling on a large commercial airplane
Chickens flyin' everywhere around the plane
Live chickens are flying around inside the airplane
Could we ever feel much finer?
Is there any better feeling than this?
Comin' into Los Angeles
Approaching Los Angeles
Bringin' in a couple of keys
Bringing a couple of kilograms of drugs
Don't touch my bags if you please, mister customs man
Please do not search or confiscate my bags, customs officer
Yeah, there's a guy with a ticket to Mexico
Observation of a man with a plane ticket to Mexico
No, he couldn't look much stranger
The man looks very odd or unusual
Walkin' in the hall with his things and all
Walking through the airport terminal with all of his belongings
Smilin, said he was the Lone Ranger
The man appears to be happy and claims to be the Lone Ranger
Hip woman walkin' on the movin' floor
A stylish woman walking on the conveyor belt
Trippin' on the escalator
She appears to be under the influence of drugs and stumbling on the escalator
There's a man in the line and she's blowin' his mind
A man in line is mesmerized or impressed by the woman's behavior
Thinkin' that he's already made her
He believes he has already made a connection with her
Yeah, alright
An expression of excitement or approval
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ARLO GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@homegrownmusicnj2089
Thanks for picking this song, I love anything Arlo. Lead guitar sounded great on this.
@partnersintime3384
Thanks for taking the time to send such a nice message! A great old song with some great energy!
@ericsmith3968
Great job !! I never understood why this song was not a bigger hit.
@partnersintime3384
I agree with being it being a bigger hit - especially when it had the exposure of being performed at Woodstock.
@ferdinandthecrow
@@partnersintime3384 Subject matter! Arlo said "My 1st big song was 18 minutes long, the 2nd was about smuggling dope so the radio wouldn't play 'em." Then Steve Goodman played him "New Orleans" & he knew he had a hit...
@robertmccue5912
Nice lead!
@partnersintime3384
Thank you for taking the time to send the compliment! It was really appreciated!