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.

Me & My Goose
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics

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Me and my goose
Me and my pal
We had some very good times
Me and my goose his name was Al
And he cost only a dime

Over meadows we'd stray
Playing all day

I missed him at night until dawn
Then one day I found he wasn't around
I wondered where Al could have gone

I looked everywhere he just wasn't there
Where could a goose be all day
I miss my pal
I miss my Al
It's sad that things turned out this way

Then mom brought him
I remember her grin
Stuffed with his feet pointed straight

I'll never forget the night that we ate
Al off of the old yellow plate

Overall Meaning

Arlo Guthrie's song Me and My Goose is a light-hearted tune with a sad twist towards the end. The song starts with a cheerful tone, as the singer reminisces about the good times he had with his pet goose named Al. They used to wander in the meadows all day, playing and having fun. Despite being attached to his feathered friend, the singer missed Al at night until dawn, hinting at a deeper emotional bond.

However, the mood of the song takes a darker turn once the singer realizes that Al is missing. They search everywhere but Al is nowhere to be found. The fact that the singer misses his pal so much shows the depth of their relationship. Sadly, the somber tone is heightened when the singer's mother brings Al back, but as it turns out, he has been killed and stuffed for dinner. This twist serves as an unforeseen sucker punch, driving the listener to realize that the song's mood has been undercut with a harsh reality.

The song Me and My Goose is an example of clever subversion in music. At first listen, the lighthearted melody and humorous lyrics distract from the weight of the story. However, upon close inspection, the emotional bond between the singer and Al, and the shocking fate that befalls him, leaves a lasting impact on the listener. Despite the tragic ending, the song highlights the importance of pets, the unique bond that humans share with animals, and the cruelty of killing them for food.

Line by Line Meaning

Me and my goose
My loyal companion was a goose.

Me and my pal
The goose was my trusted friend.

We had some very good times
The goose and I shared wonderful moments together.

Me and my goose his name was Al
I named my goose Al and we were inseparable.

And he cost only a dime
Al was inexpensive, but his companionship was priceless.

Over meadows we'd stray
We enjoyed wandering through the fields together.

Playing all day
We amused ourselves with playful activities.

I missed him at night until dawn
I longed for Al's presence from sunset to sunrise.

Then one day I found he wasn't around
One day I discovered that Al was missing.

I wondered where Al could have gone
I pondered over Al's whereabouts.

I looked everywhere he just wasn't there
I searched high and low for Al but he was nowhere to be found.