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.
Moon Song
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beneath this balcony of stars
Beyond the searchlight stage where we've become
The stuff of time amid the waves
Whose nets are cast along the shore when day is done
As the seabird flies aboce
The petals strung into the leis
The flowering of days I've just begun
A second chance to grasp a dance
Beneath the last rays setting of the sun
Tears along the trail of sand
Footprints in the water lead me back to who I am
When gods and goddesses decreed
The mountains raised up from beneath the seas
The sound of sovereign thrones
Above the hand tied bureaucrat who moans
This crazy love amazes me
As I just gaze into your eyes
The liquid sun is split upon the sea
I want to be where I can see the moon arise
A second chance to grasp a dance
Before the moment fades to summarize
Tears along the trail of sand
Footprints in the water lead me back to who I am
Along the lonely stretch of sand
Reduced to just a woman and a man
Bathed in the lunar light
The likes of which I might just understand
Among the myths I know are real
The goddess disguised as herself revealed
I sang her song out loud
She sat herself beside me in the crowd
A second chance to grasp a dance
Into the moment that she would allow
Tears along the trail of sand
Footprints in the water lead me back to who I am
The song "Moon Song" by Arlo Guthrie is a beautiful tribute to the power and wonder of nature, love, and life. The lyrics evoke the image of the singer standing beneath a balcony of stars, looking out at the waves crashing along the shore, and singing to those he loves. The imagery of the seabird flying above and the petals strung into leis, the flowering of days that have just begun, and the tears and footprints along the trail of sand, all come together to create a powerful and moving portrait of a life fully lived.
The song also contains references to ancient myths and legends, as the singer muses on the power of the mountains raised up from beneath the sea by the gods and goddesses, and the goddess who reveals herself to him as he sings her song out loud. Throughout the song, there is a sense of awe and reverence for the beauty and mystery of life, and a celebration of the moments that truly matter.
Overall, "Moon Song" is a beautiful and poetic tribute to the cycles of life and nature, and a reminder to cherish each moment and to be present in the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Beneath this balcony of stars
Underneath the breathtaking view of the stars
Beyond the searchlight stage where we've become
The stuff of time amid the waves
Whose nets are cast along the shore when day is done
Away from the busy stage where we are bound by time and responsibilities, embracing the freedom of the ocean and its daily rituals
As the seabird flies aboce
My songs are sung to those I've come to love
The petals strung into the leis
The flowering of days I've just begun
As I soar above like a seabird, I sing my songs of love and bind hearts with the flowers of new beginnings
A second chance to grasp a dance
Beneath the last rays setting of the sun
Tears along the trail of sand
Footprints in the water lead me back to who I am
An opportunity to dance once more in the fading light of the day, reminiscing my past through the trail of tears and leaving my mark on the world
When gods and goddesses decreed
The mountains raised up from beneath the seas
The sound of sovereign thrones
Above the hand tied bureaucrat who moans
In the times of gods and goddesses, the mountains rose majestically from under the ocean, with the sound of rulers omnipresent, while the common man struggles to be free
This crazy love amazes me
As I just gaze into your eyes
The liquid sun is split upon the sea
I want to be where I can see the moon arise
The intensity of this love astounds me as I look into your eyes, as the sun's reflection breaks into shards on the surface of the sea, longing for a place where the beauty of the moonrise can be witnessed
Along the lonely stretch of sand
Reduced to just a woman and a man
Bathed in the lunar light
The likes of which I might just understand
Walking along a deserted beach with only each other's company, immersed in the gentle glow of the moon, potentially gaining a deeper understanding of life's mysteries
Among the myths I know are real
The goddess disguised as herself revealed
I sang her song out loud
She sat herself beside me in the crowd
In the midst of realities shaped by myths, the goddess reveals herself in disguise and I sing her praises, to my delight, she reveals herself to me
A second chance to grasp a dance
Into the moment that she would allow
Tears along the trail of sand
Footprints in the water lead me back to who I am
An opportunity to sway with the goddess in the moment she allows, leaving a trail of tears along the sand and reflecting on my journey to discover my true self
Contributed by Tristan W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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