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.
Evangelina
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That she brings me water
And I dream in evening
That she brings me wine
Just a poor man's daughter
From Puerto Penasco
Evangelina in old Mexico
South of Mexicali
And if you don't have water
Then you better not go
Tequila won't get you
Across the desert
To Evangelina in old Mexico
And the fire I feel for the
Woman I love
Is driving me insane
Knowing she's waiting
And I just can't get there
Lord only knows that I've
Racked my brain
To try and find a way
To see that woman in old Mexico
I met a kind man
Who guarded the border
He said you don't have papers
But I'll let you go
I can tell that you love her
By the look in your eyes now
She's the rose of the desert
In old Mexico
And the fire I feel for the
Woman I love
Is driving me insane
Knowing she's waiting
And I just can't get there
Lord only knows that I've
Racked my brain
To try and find a way
To see the woman in old Mexico
And I dream in the morning
That she brings me water
And I dream in the evening
That she brings me wine
Just a poor man's daughter
From Puerto Penasco
Evangelina in old Mexico
There's a great hot desert
South of Mexicali
And if you don't have water
Then you better not go
Tequila won't get you
Across the desert
To Evangelina in old Mexico
She's the rose of the desert
In old Mexico
Arlo Guthrie's song Evangelina is a bittersweet story about a man in love with a woman from Puerto Penasco in old Mexico. The song describes the man’s desperate desire to see the woman he loves, Evangelina. He dreams of her in the morning and evening, always hoping to be reunited with her. The man attempts to cross the great hot desert south of Mexicali, knowing that it is a treacherous journey, but driven by his love for Evangelina. However, Tequila won’t get him across the vast wilderness to see her. The man meets a kind guard who is touched by his love and allows him to cross the border even without papers. He soon finds himself in the arms of Evangelina, the rose of the desert.
The lyrics are rich in symbolism as they portray the journey of love melded with physical and emotional obstacles. The hot desert in the song is symbolic of the harsh realities of life that the man must overcome to reach his love. Tequila is a metaphor for illusory escape or relief, which he understands won’t help him cross the desert. The song tells the story of a love that endures against all odds, even when an entire desert lies between the lovers. It highlights the common human elements of love and desire that are prevalent in our world, and the power of a dream that can uplift our spirits against all adversities.
Line by Line Meaning
I dream in the morning
That she brings me water
Evangelina is a symbol of hope and salvation for the singer, who dreams of her bringing him water in his time of need.
And I dream in evening
That she brings me wine
Evangelina is also the singer's comfort and pleasure as he dreams of her bringing him wine.
Just a poor man's daughter
From Puerto Penasco
Evangelina in old Mexico
Evangelina is portrayed as an ordinary, yet beautiful girl from a small town in Mexico, who the singer is in love with.
There's a great hot desert
South of Mexicali
And if you don't have water
Then you better not go
Tequila won't get you
Across the desert
To Evangelina in old Mexico
The desert between the artist and Evangelina symbolizes the challenges and hardships the artist must face to be with her. He acknowledges that tequila cannot get him across, implying that it takes far more than a drink to bridge the deep chasm between them.
And the fire I feel for the
Woman I love
Is driving me insane
Knowing she's waiting
And I just can't get there
Lord only knows that I've
Racked my brain
To try and find a way
To see that woman in old Mexico
The artist is consumed by his love for Evangelina and the thought of her waiting for him is causing him immense frustration and desperation. He has exhausted all his efforts to find a way to reach her and the passion he feels for her is driving him crazy.
I met a kind man
Who guarded the border
He said you don't have papers
But I'll let you go
I can tell that you love her
By the look in your eyes now
She's the rose of the desert
In old Mexico
The singer encounters a border guard who sees the love the singer has for Evangelina in his eyes and lets him pass through without any papers. The guard describes Evangelina as the 'rose of the desert' meaning she is as rare and beautiful as a bloom in the harsh desert conditions.
She's the rose of the desert
In old Mexico
The singer reiterates the beauty and rarity of Evangelina, likening her to a rose in the middle of the harsh desert.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HOYT WAYNE AXTON, KENNETH ELVIN JR. HIGGINBOTHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bob
on Ring-Around-A-Rosy Rag
What is represented by “ ring-around-a-rosy rag”? Is that a sexy act or a drug?