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.
Pause of Mr. Claus
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
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Organization. Tonight I'd like to dedicate this to our boys
In the FBI.
Well, wait a minute. It's hard to be an FBI man. I mean, first
Of all, being an FBI man, you have to be over 40 years old.
And the reason is that it takes at least 25 years with the
Organization to be that much of a bastard. It's true. You just
Natural bastardness can grow and develop and take a
Meaningful shape in today's complex society.
But that's not why I want to dedicate the song to the FBI. I
Mean, the job that they have to do is a drag. I mean, they have
To follow people around, you know. That's part of their job.
Follow me around.
I'm out on the highway and I'm drivin' down the road and I
Run out of gasoline. I pull over to the side of the road. They
Gotta pull over too - make believe that they ran out, you
Know.
I go to get some gasoline. They have to figure out whether
They should stick with the car or follow me. Suppose I don't
Come back and they're stayin' with the car.
Or if I fly on the airplanes, I could fly half fare because I'm 12
To 22. And they gotta pay the full fare. But the thing is that
When you pay the full fare, you have to get on the airplane
First, so that they know how many seats are left over for the
Half fare kids. Right? And sometimes there aren't any seats
Left over, and sometimes there are, but that doesn't mean that
You have to go.
Suppose that he gets on and fills up the last seat, so you can't
Get on. Then he gets off then you can get on. What's he gonna
Do?
Well, it's a drag for him. But that
's not the main point of the song. The song is called "Pause of Mr. Claus," and Arlo Guthrie wrote it in 1967 as a protest against the Vietnam War draft. The song is a humorous take on what it would be like if Santa Claus was drafted to fight in the war. The song talks about how Santa would be too old to join the military, but if he was drafted, the government would probably make an exception for him.
The lyrics about the FBI are meant to be a sarcastic dig at the government and its agencies. Arlo Guthrie sees the FBI as being a tool of the government, following people around and spying on them. He uses the example of running out of gas and having to pull over to the side of the road to illustrate how the FBI would be watching his every move.
The song is often associated with the Vietnam War, but it also speaks to a larger issue of government overreach and the erosion of civil liberties. Arlo Guthrie was known for his political activism, and "Pause of Mr. Claus" is just one of many songs he wrote that addressed social and political issues.
Line by Line Meaning
This next song we're going to dedicate to a great American
Organization. Tonight I'd like to dedicate this to our boys
In the FBI.
Arlo Guthrie dedicates the next song to the FBI, acknowledging and appreciating the hard work done by them in keeping America safe.
Well, wait a minute. It's hard to be an FBI man. I mean, first
Of all, being an FBI man, you have to be over 40 years old.
And the reason is that it takes at least 25 years with the
Organization to be that much of a bastard. It's true. You just
Can't join, you know. It needs an atmosphere where your
Natural bastardness can grow and develop and take a
Meaningful shape in today's complex society.
The singer acknowledges that becoming an FBI agent is not an easy task. It requires at least 25 years of experience with the organization and a certain level of natural cunning to navigate the complex society of law enforcement.
But that's not why I want to dedicate the song to the FBI. I
Mean, the job that they have to do is a drag. I mean, they have
To follow people around, you know. That's part of their job.
Follow me around.
The singer notes that FBI agents have to do a lot of tedious work, such as following people around, as part of their job but despite that he chooses to dedicate the song to them.
I'm out on the highway and I'm drivin' down the road and I
Run out of gasoline. I pull over to the side of the road. They
Gotta pull over too - make believe that they ran out, you
Know.
The artist imagines a hypothetical scenario where his car runs out of gas and wonders if the FBI agents following him have to fake running out of gas too just to maintain their cover.
I go to get some gasoline. They have to figure out whether
They should stick with the car or follow me. Suppose I don't
Come back and they're stayin' with the car.
The artist wonders if the FBI agents following him would have to decide whether to stick with his car or follow him while he goes to get gas, and what they would do if he didn't come back.
Or if I fly on the airplanes, I could fly half fare because I'm 12
To 22. And they gotta pay the full fare. But the thing is that
When you pay the full fare, you have to get on the airplane
First, so that they know how many seats are left over for the
Half fare kids. Right? And sometimes there aren't any seats
Left over, and sometimes there are, but that doesn't mean that
You have to go.
The singer talks about another hypothetical scenario where he could get on an airplane for half fare while FBI agents have to pay full fare, and ponders the logistical challenges of figuring out how many seats are left for half fare kids.
Suppose that he gets on and fills up the last seat, so you can't
Get on. Then he gets off then you can get on. What's he gonna
Do?
The singer wonders what the FBI agent would do if they got on the plane and took the last seat, and then got off to let the singer on - a scenario that would likely make the FBI agent's job even more difficult.
Well, it's a drag for him. But that doesn't mean that they aren't doing
A valuable service. They help keep us safe and they do it in a
Thankless job. And for that, we want to say thank you. So
This next song is for the FBI and all the hard work they do to
Keep us safe.
The artist acknowledges the difficult and often thankless work done by the FBI in keeping America safe, and dedicates the next song to them as a way of saying thank you.
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: ARLO GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christopher Meade
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers 39 nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
“Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding.”—PROVERBS 3:5.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
“Openly confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may get healed.” (James 5:16)
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
“In my flesh, there dwells nothing good.” (Romans 7:18)
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
“If, then, you are bringing your gift to the altar and you there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go away; first make your peace with your brother, and then, when you have come back, offer up your gift.”—Matt. 5:23, 24.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Jesus said to him: “Get up! Pick up your mat* and walk.”+ 9 And the man immediately got well, and he picked up his mat* and began to walk.
Bill W. Quotes this one in the big book ^^^
Jesus says, 'no one comes to the Father except through me.'
(If you are rationalising, you are doing something wrong - mine)
Jehovah is God, may He pour His Holy Spirit out upon us. Jesus Christ is Lord, Saviour and King.
Maybe I'll stick around A.A. in case I can help someone else. The teachers shall be judged more harshly than the students. Jehovah has the final say.
P.S. You might need a bigger banner, I'm not joking, I am in earnest. The scripture should go above the steps
Robin Roche
Somehow, whenever I listen to Arlo, I always end up feeling like things will end up being okay. Even when it's a bit about how bad some things are. I have loved this artist since I was a kid and will until I die. Thanks Arlo for a lifetime of hope.
Lisa Colbert
Oh to have things as bad/good as they were when you left this comment …
Claudia James
I count on you. man!
Thanks to the Guthrie
Family! You ROCK😍🐦
Theseustoo Astyages
@John Cook Reckon his dad must've taught him a thing or two, too! Woody could tell a tall story with the best of 'em! :D
John Cook
Arlo Guthrie said from the stage that his mother was his mentor. I would have liked to have met her.
John Cook
I have heard talk about Arlo Guthrie's influences; Woody, and Bob Dylan. But I don't hear or see writing about Arlo's sense of humor. His humor and his delivery of the humor. His casual presence on stage.
Ravenmane13
I fell in love with Arlo as a little girl when I saw him for the first time on the Muppet Show. :) It wasn't until my teens that I got to know more of his stuff and realized just how cool he really is! Awesome musician, heart of gold, and funnier than most stand-up comics. I've started my bike so many times while singing to myself, "I don't want a pickle....." ;) Arlo will always have a place in my heart!
Ravey Thirteen
@Theseustoo Astyages I couldn't agree more!
Theseustoo Astyages
@Ravey Thirteen That's a lovely story Ravey... That guitar is probably worth a small fortune by now, but I'm betting you'll never sell it! Must sound fabulous, too! So far as I'm concerned the music of the 50s, 60s and 70s is the best this world has produced. (Though it also produced some crap too. I suppose every generation does! But the best of it was the best ever, imho... But I'm biased as I grew up during that period!) :D
Ravey Thirteen
@Theseustoo Astyages New account, so didn't see your reply right away. Yes! I remember my dad telling me about Woodie Guthrie when I discovered Arlo, Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson in his record collection. Woodie sounded a bit "too country" to my teenage ear, but I appreciate it more now that I'm older. :) Dad introduced me to a lot of great folk artists from the 60s. The first song I ever learned to play (on his 1968 Gibson Folk Acoustic) was "Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills and Nash. My dad passed in 1989 but I still have that guitar, and the memory of him playing it, and teaching me on it. All the wonderful music from his generation will always remind me of him. ♥