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.
Eli
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
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That I wrote one afternoon after everyone had gone
And I know that this won't mean a lot to you
You've got better things to do but for me I'll just go on
Old dog is lying in the middle of the road
He don't do nothing 'cause he don't want to
And I think I'm gonna like that hound
Gonna sit right here and watch the world roll by
Till we both just up and die watching clouds and eating flies
Don't want to bother no one, don't want nothing here to change
A dusty road is all we've ever dreamed of
And I think I'm gonna love this life
Maybe someday take a wife
She can join us if she wants to
Ain't nobody gonna tell what to do
If a car comes we just move
And we both move real smooth
Like old dog is moving must be something in the air
Some bitch is coming up the road now
And I think I'm gonna like that hound
'Cause the more he gets around, the more I want to do too
Arlo Guthrie's song "Eli" is a contemplative piece that highlights the idea of embracing a simple life, devoid of societal pressures and expectations. The singer sings of sitting and singing a tune that he wrote after everyone had left. He acknowledges that what he's doing might not mean much to others, but he's content to keep going.
The singer observes an old dog lying in the middle of the road, unmoving and unbothered. He says that he's going to like the hound because the more it sits around, the less he wants to do too. The message here is that the singer intends to take a cue from the dog and not worry too much about getting things done. He's content to watch the world roll by until he dies, watching clouds and eating flies. He doesn't want things to change, and all he's ever dreamed of is a dusty road.
The singer believes that he will love this simple life, and perhaps someday, he might want to take a wife. He invites her to join him and the old dog, saying that no one will tell them what to do. If a car comes, they'll both move, smooth like the old dog. The end of the song brings up the possibility of a female dog coming to visit, and the singer concludes that he'll like the hound because the more it moves around, the more he wants to do too. Overall, the song highlights a yearning for simplicity and contentment, far away from the pressures of modern society.
Line by Line Meaning
Gonna sit right here and sing myself a tune
I am going to sit here and sing a song I wrote one afternoon when no one was around.
That I wrote one afternoon after everyone had gone
The tune I will sing is something I composed when there were no people around to distract me.
And I know that this won't mean a lot to you
This song may not be very important or interesting to you.
You've got better things to do but for me I'll just go on
Although you may have more important things to do, I intend to keep listening to my song.
Old dog is lying in the middle of the road
There is a dog lying in the middle of the road.
He don't do nothing 'cause he don't want to
The dog isn't doing anything because it doesn't have any desire to do anything.
And I think I'm gonna like that hound
I believe I will enjoy watching the dog.
'Cause the more he sits around, the less I want to do too
When I watch the dog doing nothing, it becomes easier for me to enjoy doing nothing as well.
Gonna sit right here and watch the world roll by
I am going to remain in this spot and observe everything that happens around me.
Till we both just up and die watching clouds and eating flies
The dog and I will continue watching the world until either we both pass away or some other unforeseen event occurs.
Don't want to bother no one, don't want nothing here to change
I prefer that no one disturbs me, and that everything remains static and unchanging.
A dusty road is all we've ever dreamed of
The dog and I have never wanted much, only to be on this dusty road together.
And I think I'm gonna love this life
I believe I will find great enjoyment in this type of existence.
Maybe someday take a wife
Perhaps someday I will find a companion to share this life with.
She can join us if she wants to
If I do find a companion, they are welcome to join the dog and me in our lifestyle.
Ain't nobody gonna tell what to do
There will be no one to tell us what we can or cannot do.
If a car comes we just move
If a car approaches, we will simply move out of its way.
And we both move real smooth
We will move out of the car's path with ease and coordination.
Like old dog is moving must be something in the air
The dog seems to be responding to something in the environment causing it to move.
Some bitch is coming up the road now
There is a female dog coming down the road.
And I think I'm gonna like that hound
I believe I will also enjoy watching this new dog.
'Cause the more he gets around, the more I want to do too
The more active the new dog is, the more I desire to do something as well.
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Bob
on Ring-Around-A-Rosy Rag
What is represented by “ ring-around-a-rosy rag”? Is that a sexy act or a drug?