Arlo Guthrie (born 10th July 1947, Brooklyn, New York ) is an American folk… Read Full Bio ↴Arlo Guthrie (born 10th July 1947, Brooklyn, New York ) is an American folk singer who is the son of folk singer and composer Woody Guthrie and his wife Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, a one-time professional dancer with the Martha Graham Company and founder of The Committee to Combat Huntington's Disease. He graduated from the Stockbridge School of Massachusetts in 1965, and briefly attended Rocky Mountain College.

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.

Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics

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Woke up this morning with my head in my hand
Come on, children, come on
The snow was falling all over the land
Come on, children, come on

I don't know but I've been told
Come on, children, come on
That the streets of heaven have all been sold

Come on, children, come on

[Chorus]
Come on, children, all come home
Jesus gonna make you well
Come on, people, now its time to go
Go to where a man can dwell

Well the sun come up while I wrote this song
Come on, children, come on
To remind me well that it won't be long
Come on children come on

[Chorus]

Come on, Gabriel, blow that thing
Come on, children come on
All God's children got to dance and sing
Come on, children come on

All God's children got to sing and shout
Come on, children, come on
There ain't nobody 'round bound to kick you out
Come on, children, come on

One of these days we'll all be there
Come on, children, come on
Seeing those wheels way up in the air
Come on, children, come on

Come on everybody now what's it worth
Come on, children, come on
To make a heaven out of this earth
Come on, children, come on

[Chorus]

Noah goin' to make you well
Moses gonna make you well
You know even Daniel's gonna make you well

Jesus gonna make you well
Mm, mm, gonna make you well

Overall Meaning

In Arlo Guthrie's song "Gabriel," the singer wakes up one morning with his head in his hand and realizes that the snow is falling all over the land. He begins to call out to the children to come, insinuating that he has something important to say and that they should gather around him. He then makes reference to a belief he has heard that the streets of heaven have been sold, suggesting that the idea of a pure and blissful afterlife is no longer true. Guthrie then invites everyone to come home, hinting that the time has come for them to return to a place where they will be safe, and the man can dwell.

Line by Line Meaning

Woke up this morning with my head in my hand
Starting the day with introspection and reflecting on life.

The snow was falling all over the land
Nature's beauty seen on a winter morning.

That the streets of heaven have all been sold
The belief that heaven is not an option for everyone.

Come on, children, all come home
Inviting everyone to come together.

Jesus gonna make you well
Belief that Jesus can heal and make us whole.

Well the sun come up while I wrote this song
Reflecting on how time passes quickly.

To remind me well that it won't be long
Life is short and fleeting, so we should make the most of it.

All God's children got to sing and shout
Expressing joy and happiness in life.

There ain't nobody 'round bound to kick you out
Everyone is welcome and accepted here.

One of these days we'll all be there
Acknowledge that all people will eventually pass away.

Seeing those wheels way up in the air
Visualizing the idea of heaven and the afterlife.