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.
Manzanillo Bay
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some times when the sun goes down
And I'm lost in some other town
My thoughts may drift away
To Manzanillo Bay
And I can see a fisherman
Underneath the palms that sway
Over Manzanillo Bay
CHORUS:
Now I'm missing your silver moon
Black sands and your blue lagoon
Some day I would like to be
Back next to your shining sea
Drinking rum from a conch shell
Caught up in your magic spell
Some day I would like to go
Back down to Mexico
I remember your fields of cane
Your warm breezes and jungle rains
And watching the children play
Over Manzanillo Bay
And out in your market square
The women sing out to sell their wares
I've got fresh shrimp today
From Manzanillo Bay
CHORUS
And under the spell of night
The bay reflecting the harbor light
You can hear the guitar play
Over Manzanillo Bay
And if you're thinking about romance
And you're willing to take a chance
Just pick any small cafe
In Manzanillo Bay
CHORUS
Some times when the sun goes down
And I'm lost in some other town
My thoughts may drift away
To Manzanillo Bay
Arlo Guthrie's song, Manzanillo Bay is a tribute to a beautiful Mexican port, a place the singer longs to return to. As the sun sets and he is lost in another town, his mind tends to wander to the beautiful bay. He describes the beach and the fisherman, his daily catch lying on the sand and the palm trees swaying. The chorus reveals his longing for the bay's environment, missing everything from the silver moon to the black sands and the blue lagoon. He admits his desire to return to Mexico with the hope to be caught up in its spell, drinking rum from a conch shell, and gazing at the beautiful surroundings. The singer remembers the fields of cane and the warm breezes of the jungle rains, and watching the children play over Manzanillo Bay.
The second verse tells of his experience of the market square and the singing of the women as they sell their wares, advertising their fresh shrimp from Manzanillo Bay. The song's final verse is about the magic of the night and the bay reflects harbor light. The air is said to be filled with a guitar's music, and it seems Leitmotifs are everywhere in this place. The song ends with the longing for the singer to be back in Manzanillo Bay at sunset.
Line by Line Meaning
Some times when the sun goes down
Sometimes, during sunset
And I'm lost in some other town
When I find myself in a different place
My thoughts may drift away
My mind may wander
To Manzanillo Bay
Towards Manzanillo Bay
And I can see a fisherman
I picture a fisherman
His day's catch Iying on the sand
His daily catch on display on the beach
Underneath the palms that sway
Beneath the swaying palm trees
Over Manzanillo Bay
Above Manzanillo Bay
CHORUS:
Referring to the chorus that repeats throughout the song
Now I'm missing your silver moon
I long for the silver moon of Manzanillo Bay
Black sands and your blue lagoon
The black sand and blue lagoon are on my mind
Some day I would like to be
I hope to return
Back next to your shining sea
To be near the gleaming ocean again
Drinking rum from a conch shell
Drinking distilled alcohol from a large spiral shell
Caught up in your magic spell
To be entranced by Manzanillo Bay's spell
Some day I would like to go
I yearn to revisit
Back down to Mexico
To Mexico, specifically Manzanillo Bay, once again
I remember your fields of cane
I recollect the sugarcane fields
Your warm breezes and jungle rains
The humid air and tropical rain
And watching the children play
Observing the kids enjoying themselves
Over Manzanillo Bay
In the vicinity of Manzanillo Bay
And out in your market square
The local square
The women sing out to sell their wares
The women showcase their merchandise
I've got fresh shrimp today
Fresh shrimp is available today
From Manzanillo Bay
Sourced from Manzanillo Bay
CHORUS
Referring to the chorus that repeats throughout the song
And under the spell of night
During the enchanting nighttime
The bay reflecting the harbor light
The bay shining with reflecting lights from the harbor
You can hear the guitar play
The sound of the guitar is evident
Over Manzanillo Bay
Around Manzanillo Bay
And if you're thinking about romance
If you're considering love
And you're willing to take a chance
And you're ready to take a risk
Just pick any small cafe
Choose any small diner
In Manzanillo Bay
Located in Manzanillo Bay
CHORUS
Referring to the chorus that repeats throughout the song
Some times when the sun goes down
Sometimes, during sunset
And I'm lost in some other town
When I find myself in a different place
My thoughts may drift away
My mind may wander
To Manzanillo Bay
Towards Manzanillo Bay
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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