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.

How Can I Keep From Singing?
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics

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My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation.
I hear the real, thought far off hymn
That hails the new creation
Above the tumult and the strife,
I hear the music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?

What through the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it live'th.
What through the darkness round me close,
Songs in the night it give'th.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of Heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble, sick with fear,
And hear their death-knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing?

In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging.

When friends by shame are undefiled,
How can I keep from singing?

Overall Meaning

Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger's song "How Can I Keep From Singing" is a song that speaks about the resilience and steadfastness of an individual's spirit. The singer speaks of how their life flows on in an endless song, above the chaos and turmoil of the world around them. They hear a hymn that hails the new creation which is far away but very real to them. They can hear the music ringing, full of echoes in their soul, which is why they can't keep themselves from singing.

The second stanza of the song speaks of the truth that the singer hears through the tempest that loudly roars. They hear it clearly despite the darkness that surrounds them. The songs in the night give them hope and resilience. They cling to the rock with all their might, and nothing can shake their inmost calm or break their spirit. The singer acknowledges that love is the lord of Heaven and Earth, which is why they can't help but sing.

The last two stanzas of the song reflect the singer's acknowledgement of the power of music in the face of tyranny, fear, and repression. They sing, even when tyrants tremble with fear, or when people are imprisoned, or when their friends are facing shame. The song is a testament to the human spirit's ability to find hope, joy, and solace in music and to resist the oppressive forces that try to break it.

Line by Line Meaning

My life flows on in endless song
My existence continues in a never-ending melody

Above earth's lamentation.
Despite the sadness and sorrow of the world

I hear the real, thought far off hymn
I listen to the genuine hymn, even though it sounds distant

That hails the new creation
That celebrates a new beginning

Above the tumult and the strife,
Above the confusion and conflict,

I hear the music ringing;
I hear the music playing loudly

It sounds an echo in my soul
It resonates within me

How can I keep from singing?
How can I refrain from singing along?

What through the tempest loudly roars,
What loudly rages during the storm

I hear the truth, it live'th.
I hear the truth, it lives on

What through the darkness round me close,
What surrounds me in darkness