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.
Darkest Hour
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
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And I still ain't had no sleep
She comes waItzing in the nighttime
Made of wings
She is dressed up like a bandit
With a hundred sparkling rings
Looking for my company to keep
Coming closer to me
In the shadow of the carved rock tower
Where the sounds of the night
Were the only things we heard
In my darkest hour
She don't want to hear no secrets
She would guarantee me that
She knows there ain't no words
That can describe her
With her white silk scarves
And her black Spanish hat
She knows there ain't no way I can deny her
Yes her blue velvet perfume
Filling up the night
The guards are all asleep
That watch the tower
The moon light held her breast
As she easily undressed
In my darkest hour
Her father's in his chambers with his
Friends all gathered 'round
They are plotting their enemy's demise
With their last detail done
They await the coming sun
While I am staring in my lover's eyes
Her brothers and her sisters
Are all through for tonight
Pretending that they've just
Come into power
But she far most of all, knows that they
Can only fall
In my darkest hour
Hungry wings; their melodies
While my love awakens me
In the midst of the sunburst first light
Her hands are holding up the skies
As I hid my opened eyes
Every move just for herself
And that's so right
Soon I went along my way
With no words that could explain
As she began descending to the tower
Her safety now concerns me
Her circumstance to blame
In my darkest hour
The song "Darkest Hour" by Arlo Guthrie is a haunting tale of love and danger set in a medieval-like fantasy world. The first stanza sets the scene, describing the singer's sleepless night and the sudden appearance of a mysterious woman. She is "made of wings" and "dressed up like a bandit" with "a hundred sparkling rings". The woman doesn't speak as she approaches the singer in the shadow of a carved rock tower, where they are surrounded by the sounds of the night. The setting is ambiguous, but the mood is foreboding, indicating that something dangerous is about to happen. The woman seems to have a magnetic pull on the singer, who is drawn to her even though he doesn't know her.
The second stanza describes the woman in more detail. She "doesn't want to hear no secrets," and "knows there ain't no way I can deny her". She is described as wearing "white silk scarves" and a "black Spanish hat," and her "blue velvet perfume" fills up the night. The guards who watch the tower are asleep, and the woman undresses easily in the moonlight. The third stanza introduces the woman's family, who are plotting an enemy's demise in the chamber while the singer is staring into his lover's eyes. In the final stanza, the woman's wings symbolize her freedom and power, and she lifts her hands up to hold the skies. The singer watches her as she descends to the tower, leaving him alone, worried about her safety.
Overall, "Darkest Hour" is a tale of forbidden love and the dangers that come with it. The woman is a symbol of freedom, mystery, and danger, representing the singer's desire for something he cannot have. The song's medieval-like setting and imagery add to the sense of foreboding and mystery, forcing the listener to imagine what could happen next.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the tenth of January
The singer sets the scene of a specific day
And I still ain't had no sleep
The singer has not slept yet
She comes waItzing in the nighttime
A woman arrives, slowly walking with a swinging gait
Made of wings
The woman is graceful, like a bird
She is dressed up like a bandit
The woman is wearing a disguise
With a hundred sparkling rings
The woman is adorned in jewelry
Looking for my company to keep
The woman wants to spend time with the singer
Coming closer to me
The woman approaches the artist
She doesn't say a word
The woman is silent
In the shadow of the carved rock tower
The woman and narrator are near a tower
Where the sounds of the night
They can hear only the sounds of nature
Were the only things we heard
There is silence besides nature
In my darkest hour
The singer is in a difficult time
She don't want to hear no secrets
The woman doesn't want to know any secrets
She would guarantee me that
The woman promises this assurance
She knows there ain't no words
The woman understands words are not enough
That can describe her
Words cannot fully capture the woman's essence
With her white silk scarves
The woman is wearing a specific type of scarf
And her black Spanish hat
The woman also has on a Spanish style hat
She knows there ain't no way I can deny her
The artist is unable to resist the woman
Yes her blue velvet perfume
The woman is wearing a blue velvet scented perfume
Filling up the night
The perfume's scent is dominating the area
The guards are all asleep
The guards are not alert
That watch the tower
They are supposed to be guarding the tower
The moon light held her breast
The moonlight shone on her chest
As she easily undressed
The woman disrobed, untroubled
In my darkest hour
The singer is in a difficult time
Her father's in his chambers with his
The woman's father is in a specific room
Friends all gathered 'round
The father has friends visiting
They are plotting their enemy's demise
The group is planning to harm their adversary
With their last detail done
They have completed their final arrangements
They await the coming sun
They are waiting for sunrise
While I am staring in my lover's eyes
The artist is gazing into his partner's eyes
Her brothers and her sisters
The woman has siblings
Are all through for tonight
Her siblings are finished for the evening
Pretending that they've just
They are acting as if they just became in control
Come into power
The siblings are acting like they have taken command
But she far most of all, knows that they
Above everyone, the woman is most aware that her siblings
Can only fall
Will eventually fail
In my darkest hour
The artist is in a difficult time
Hungry wings; their melodies
Birds are singing loudly
While my love awakens me
The woman wakes the singer up
In the midst of the sunburst first light
It is early morning
Her hands are holding up the skies
A metaphorical expression for the woman's power and beauty
As I hid my opened eyes
The artist pretends to still be asleep
Every move just for herself
The woman is self-interested
And that's so right
The singer approves of her actions
Soon I went along my way
The artist left the area
With no words that could explain
The singer leaves silently
As she began descending to the tower
The woman is leaving the tower
Her safety now concerns me
The singer is worried about the woman's safety
Her circumstance to blame
The woman is in a challenging situation
In my darkest hour
The artist is in a difficult time
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ARLO GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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