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.
Ring-Around-A-Rosy-Rag
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He went into the park and got busted
Doing the ring-a-round-a-rosy rag
Went in the park late at night
And he put a lot of people over eighty up tight
He was doing the ring-a-round-a-rosy rag
Ring around, ring around rose
Doing the ring-around-a-rosy rag
(It really was a drag)
Ring around, ring-around-a-rose
Touch your nose and blow your toes and mind
Doing the ring-around-a-rosy rag
We ought to send Officer Joe Strange
To some Australian mountain range
So we all can do the ring-around-a-rosy rag
Would you like to put Philadelphia up tight
One mass ring-around-a-rosy
In the middle of the night?
We all should do the ring-around-a-rosy rag
The lyrics of Arlo Guthrie's "Ring-Around-A-Rosy-Rag" describe the story of a friend who gets caught doing something illegal in a park late at night. He is doing what is called the "ring-a-round-a-rosy rag", which involves making older people uncomfortable by playing a game similar to the popular nursery rhyme "Ring Around the Rosie". The game involves linking arms and circling around a "rosy" or flower, then falling to the ground when the verse says "all fall down". In this version, though, the actions involve touching one's nose and blowing one's toes. The song suggests that this game can be subversive and rebellious, as it goes against the norms of society and causes discomfort to the elderly.
The lyrics also feature a call to action, suggesting that the game should be more widely played and that Officer Joe Strange should be sent away to make it happen. The reference to Philadelphia is likely a nod to the history of the city, which is known for its many public parks and monuments. The song is ultimately a commentary on the counterculture and the desire to shake up society's norms and expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Had a friend, a friend I could trust
I had a friend who was reliable and dependable
He went into the park and got busted
He went to the park and got caught by law enforcement
Doing the ring-a-round-a-rosy rag
He was participating in a game or activity called the ring-a-round-a-rosy rag
Went in the park late at night
He entered the park at a time when most people would be sleeping
And he put a lot of people over eighty up tight
He made elderly people feel anxious or tense
He was doing the ring-a-round-a-rosy rag
He was still participating in the game or activity
Ring around, ring around rose
The game or activity started with participants forming a circle holding hands and singing this phrase
Touch your nose and blow your toes and mind
Participants followed certain instructions such as touching their nose and blowing on their toes while also being mentally stimulated
Doing the ring-around-a-rosy rag
Participants continued playing the game or activity
(It really was a drag)
This phrase indicates the activity was boring or uneventful
We ought to send Officer Joe Strange
The singer suggests sending a police officer named Joe Strange
To some Australian mountain range
The artist suggests sending Joe Strange to a remote area in Australia
So we all can do the ring-around-a-rosy rag
The singer wants to participate in the game or activity with others
Would you like to put Philadelphia up tight
The singer asks if people would like to make the city of Philadelphia anxious or tense
One mass ring-around-a-rosy
The singer suggests forming a large circle for the activity
In the middle of the night?
The artist suggests doing the activity at a late hour
We all should do the ring-around-a-rosy rag
The artist encourages everyone to participate in the game or activity
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: ARLO GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bob
on Ring-Around-A-Rosy Rag
What is represented by “ ring-around-a-rosy rag”? Is that a sexy act or a drug?