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.
Last night I had the strangest dream
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Last night I had the strangest dream
I'd ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war
I dreamed I saw a mighty room
And the paper they were signing said
They'd never fight again
And when the paper was all signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
And grateful pray'rs were prayed
And the people in the streets below
Were dancing 'round and 'round
While swords and guns and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground
Last night I had the strangest dream
I'd never dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war.
Arlo Guthrie's song "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" is a hauntingly beautiful composition that speaks to our yearning for a peaceful world. The song is based on the poem of the same name by Ed McCurdy, who was an American folk singer and songwriter. The lyrics describe a dream that the singer had, in which the world has agreed to end all wars. The dream takes the singer to a mighty room filled with women and men signing a paper that declares a commitment to peace. As the paper is signed, the people outside are celebrating, and weapons are scattered on the ground.
The song's message is powerful and clear. It speaks to the desire for a better future, where peace is the norm instead of the exception. Guthrie's slow, melancholic melody and McCurdy's poetic lyrics create a deeply emotional and thought-provoking experience for the listener.
The song's popularity peaked in the 1960s, during the height of the Vietnam War era, when people were protesting the war and calling for peace. The song became an anthem for the peace movement and was covered by many other artists, including Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash, and Joan Baez.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I had the strangest dream
The singer had a dream that felt more unusual than any other dream
I'd ever dreamed before
In the singer's entire life, he never had such a dream
I dreamed the world had all agreed
The dream involved every single person in the world reaching a consensus
To put an end to war
The consensus was to eliminate any and all wars
I dreamed I saw a mighty room
The artist saw a grand and powerful gathering of individuals
Filled with women and men
This gathering consisted of both males and females
And the paper they were signing said
A document was being signed by the people
They'd never fight again
The document stated a vow to never engage in any more conflicts
And when the paper was all signed
Once the signing process was complete
And a million copies made
A great number of copies were made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
Every individual held hands and lowered their heads in humility
And grateful pray'rs were prayed
They offered up prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude
And the people in the streets below
The people in the area around the gathering
Were dancing 'round and 'round
The citizens were joyous and dancing in circles
While swords and guns and uniforms
Weapons and military equipment
Were scattered on the ground
Were thrown to the ground and left behind
Last night I had the strangest dream
The artist brings up the strange dream once again
I'd never dreamed before
The dream was truly a first-time occurrence
I dreamed the world had all agreed
The dream centered on the entire world agreeing to a significant decision
To put an end to war
The decision was to completely and wholeheartedly reject all wars
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ed McCurdy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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