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.
Oklahoma Nights
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Buy us a bottle of wine
Head up north to see the old gang
I want to see some friends of mine
I want to see some friends of mine
True loving people whose hearts are kind
Find that little town that's in the back of my mind
Oklahoma nights I will never forget you
Oklahoma, the wind comes sweepin'
Through a sky full of lights
While he's a singin' of an airless flight
Put the lamp in a window, lead me back
Lead me back to those Oklahoma nights
Oklahoma nights
When we get back to the old barn dance
We'll hear that Rock-a-billy band
Singin' about some long lost romance
And we'll know we're home again
Yes we'll know we're home again
With Panhndle people who understand
Dry a little tear from the back of my hand
Oklahoma nights I will never forget you
Oklahoma the wind comes sweepin'
Through a sky full of lights
While he's singin' of an airless flight
Put the lamp in a window mama, turn it up bright
Lead me back to those Oklahoma nights
Oklahoma nights
Oklahoma nights
The lyrics of Arlo Guthrie's song "Oklahoma Nights" revolve around the idea of reminiscing past memories and wanting to go back to relive them. The singer urges his companion to go on a road trip in an old Mustang, buy some wine, and head towards a small town in Oklahoma where he wants to meet his old friends. He describes these friends as true, loving people whose hearts are kind.
The chorus of the song, "Oklahoma nights, I will never forget you," is repetitive and signifies the important role that Oklahoma played in the singer's life. He talks about how the wind sweeps through a sky full of lights while he listens to rock and roll and remembers the airless flight. He asks his mother to put a lamp in the window, which signifies that he wants to go back to the place where he grew up and feels comfortable.
The song's lyrics are beautifully written, and the vivid imagery of the wind sweeping through the sky and the lamp in the window paint a picture of a typical Oklahoma night. The song speaks of the singer's longing for the simplicity of small-town life, where everyone knows each other, and the kindness of people is a norm.
Line by Line Meaning
Put the top down on this old Mustang
Lower the roof of this vintage Mustang car
Buy us a bottle of wine
Purchase a bottle of wine for us to enjoy
Head up north to see the old gang
Drive towards the north to meet with old friends
I want to see some friends of mine
I wish to meet some of my dear friends
I want to see some friends of mine
I wish to meet some of my dear friends
True loving people whose hearts are kind
Compassionate people with kind hearts from my memory
Find that little town that's in the back of my mind
Locate that small town that is nostalgic to me
[CHORUS:]
Chorus begins
Oklahoma nights I will never forget you
Memories of enchanting Oklahoma nights will forever stay with me
Oklahoma, the wind comes sweepin'
Wind sweeping Oklahoma's plains
Through a sky full of lights
Nighttime sky illuminated with stars
While he's a singin' of an airless flight
Song about flying through the air without air resistance
Put the lamp in a window, lead me back
Put a light in the window to guide me back
Lead me back to those Oklahoma nights
Lead me to those unforgettable Oklahoma nights
Oklahoma nights
Refrain of Oklahoma nights
When we get back to the old barn dance
Once we arrive at the rustic barn dance
We'll hear that Rock-a-billy band
We will listen to the Rock-a-billy band
Singin' about some long lost romance
Lyrics of the song pertaining to a lost love
And we'll know we're home again
We will recognize being back home
Yes we'll know we're home again
Yes, we will realize being back home
With Panhndle people who understand
In the company of people from the Panhandle who understand
Dry a little tear from the back of my hand
Wiping away a tear from the back of my hand
Oklahoma nights I will NEVER forget you
An assurance that Oklahoma nights will never be forgotten
Oklahoma, the wind comes sweepin'
Reiteration of wind sweeping the Oklahoma plains
Through a sky full of lights
Recurrence of the description of the night sky
While he's singin' of an airless flight
The singer continues his song of weightless flight
Put the lamp in a window mama, turn it up bright
Directing mama to brighten the light in a window
Lead me back to those Oklahoma nights
Asking to be led back to those memorable Oklahoma nights
Oklahoma nights
Refrain of Oklahoma nights
Oklahoma nights
Refrain of Oklahoma nights
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIMMY WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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