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.
Buffalo Gals
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
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Down the street, down the street
A pretty girl I chanced to meet
And we danced by the light of the moon
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Come out tonight come out tonight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stocking
And he knees was a knockin' and her shoes was a rockin'
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stocking
And we danced by the light of the moon
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Come out tonight come out tonight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
And we'll dance by the light of the moon
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stocking
And her knees was a knockin' and her shoes was a rockin'
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stocking
And we danced by the light of the moon
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Come out tonight come out tonight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
And we'll dance by the light of the moon
The song "Buffalo Gals" by Arlo Guthrie is a cover of an American traditional song. The lyrics describe the singer walking down the street and encountering a pretty girl, with whom he dances by the light of the moon. The chorus invites the Buffalo Gals to also come out and join the dancing. The singer then mentions dancing with a girl who has a hole in her stocking and whose knees were knocking as they danced, yet still enjoying the dance. The repeated chorus then ends the song.
The song is a playful and lighthearted depiction of a traditional American pastime- folk dancing with friends and neighbors under the moonlight. The lyrics invoke a sense of community and socializing that was common in small towns and rural areas in the past. The singer is not looking for romantic love, but rather a fun and friendly dance partner. The mention of the girl with the hole in her stocking adds a touch of irony as something that could be seen as a flaw or imperfection becomes insignificant in the joy of dancing.
Line by Line Meaning
As I was walking down the street
While strolling along the street
Down the street, down the street
Continuing my walk down the street
A pretty girl I chanced to meet
I unexpectedly met a beautiful young woman
And we danced by the light of the moon
We shared a dance under the moonlight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Inviting the women of Buffalo to come out and play
Come out tonight come out tonight
Asking them to join in the fun tonight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Again, urging the women of Buffalo to come out and have fun
And we'll dance by the light of the moon
We'll have a night of dancing under the moonlight
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stocking
I shared a dance with a woman whose stockings had a hole
And her knees was a knockin' and her shoes was a rockin'
She was so excited and full of energy that her knees were shaking and her shoes were moving
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stocking
Repeating the experience of dancing with the woman with a hole in her stockings
And we danced by the light of the moon
We continued to dance under the moonlight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Once again, inviting the women of Buffalo to join us
Come out tonight come out tonight
Reiterating the call for the women to come out tonight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Continuing to urge the women of Buffalo to come out and be a part of the festivities
And we'll dance by the light of the moon
Assuring them that we will dance under the moonlight
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ARLO GUTHRIE, UNKNOWN PD WRITER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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