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.
INTRODUCTION
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let the world I live in let me
Take these chains from off my thumb
Let the world just know you've come
Everyone is thinking that there must be a way
Come closer to me, babe, and hear what I say
Lay down beside me, listen to my song
Do you ever seem so happy and feel so sad?
Feel that someone that you never had
The lyrics of Arlo Guthrie's song Introduction appear to depict a desire for freedom from external constraints and an acknowledgement of the struggle to reconcile conflicting emotions. The opening line, "Loose the bonds that tie me," suggests a yearning for release from limitations or restrictions that may be suffocating, potentially referring to societal or personal expectations. The subsequent line, "Let the world I live in let me," indicates a desire for self-determination and agency in navigating one's environment.
The next two lines, "Take these chains from off my thumb / Let the world just know you've come," seem to suggest a desire to be recognized and acknowledged for one's presence and contributions without being weighed down by external pressures or expectations. The following lines, "Everyone is thinking that there must be a way / Come closer to me, babe, and hear what I say," could potentially be an invitation to listen to one's own voice and intuition instead of succumbing to societal expectations.
The final two lines, "Lay down beside me, listen to my song / It's something other than it's right or it's wrong," suggest a desire for emotional intimacy and an acknowledgement of the complex and nuanced nature of human experience. The closing lines, "Do you ever seem so happy and feel so sad? / Feel that someone that you never had," further highlight the struggle to reconcile seemingly discordant emotions and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Loose the bonds that tie me
I want to break free from the limitations that are holding me back
Let the world I live in let me
I want to be able to live my life without being constrained by external factors
Take these chains from off my thumb
I want to remove any constraints that are restricting my movements
Let the world just know you've come
I want to make my presence felt and my voice heard in the world
Everyone is thinking that there must be a way
Society is searching for a solution to its problems
Come closer to me, babe, and hear what I say
Listen to my perspective on the issue at hand
Lay down beside me, listen to my song
Take the time to understand my point of view fully
It's something other than it's right or it's wrong
My perspective may not fit into a traditional framework of right and wrong
Do you ever seem so happy and feel so sad?
Have you ever felt conflicted internally despite appearing outwardly happy?
Feel that someone that you never had
Feel a sense of longing for something that may not be attainable
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ARLO GUTHRIE
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?