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.
Shackles and Chains
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh darling, and please don't you cry
Though in shackles and chains they will take me
In prison to stay till I die
And at night through the bars, I gaze at the stars
And I long for your kisses in vain
A piece of stone I will use for my pillow
Put your arms through these bars once, my darlin'
Let me kiss those sweet lips that I love best
In heartache, you're my consolation
In sorrow, my haven of rest
And at night through the bars, I will gaze at the stars
The plans that we made were in vain
A piece of stone I will use as my pillow
While I'm sleeping in shackles and chains
The lyrics of Arlo Guthrie's Shackles and Chains present a poignant and somber tale of a long and lonesome journey of a prisoner. The lyrics speak of a separated lovers' unfulfilled yearning and the pain of imprisonment. The opening lines of the song are a plea from the prisoner to his beloved, to not cry and feel sad about his fate. The next few verses describe the captive's daily hardships, gazing longingly at the stars at night and using a stone for a pillow to sleep on. The only source of comfort he has is the memory of his lover, who he longs to kiss through the bars of his cell.
The chorus repeats the same message, albeit with a heightened sense of emotion as the prisoner asks his love to put her arms through the bars so he can kiss her. Despite the bleak outlook, the prisoner takes solace in the thought that his beloved is his "consolation in heartache" and "haven of rest in sorrow."
Shackles and Chains is a powerful and moving song that highlights the emotional turmoil of those behind bars. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a prisoner's life and the emotional toll of being separated from loved ones. The anguish and pain of the prisoner come through beautifully in Guthrie's haunting voice.
Line by Line Meaning
On a long lonesome journey I'm going
I am on a journey, feeling lonely and isolated.
Oh darling, and please don't you cry
My loved one, please don't cry for me.
Though in shackles and chains they will take me
Despite being imprisoned and restricted, I will still be taken away.
In prison to stay till I die
I will be imprisoned until the end of my life.
And at night through the bars, I gaze at the stars
Even though I am trapped, I can still appreciate the beauty of the night sky.
And I long for your kisses in vain
I desire your affection but cannot have it.
A piece of stone I will use for my pillow
I must use a hard object for comfort since I have no other options.
While I'm sleeping in shackles and chains
I will endure great discomfort while being detained.
Put your arms through these bars once, my darlin'
I wish to embrace you through the prison bars.
Let me kiss those sweet lips that I love best
I long to kiss the person I cherish deeply.
In heartache, you're my consolation
When I am in pain, you are my comfort.
In sorrow, my haven of rest
When I am sad, you offer me solace.
The plans that we made were in vain
The dreams we had for our future together were for naught.
A piece of stone I will use as my pillow
I must make do with the harsh reality of my imprisonment.
While I'm sleeping in shackles and chains
My time spent detained will be filled with pain and discomfort.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JIMMIE DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jerry Sullivan
Arlos' best work..love this album!!
Okejee
I've still got my LP. lol Thanks for sharing...this is easier than getting the record player out. Love this song.
Leonie Aldcroft
I've still got this LP. Such a great album.
Robin Hood
Me Three 😀
Rumple S
me too
Jerome Newberry
I love this album. It's one of the few 33's I keep in my collection. Love Shackles and chains too. Great old song.
morag mckay
The song I always find myself singing obsessively for days or weeks after playing my tape of the album.Now I have my first computer and don't have to worry about my tape wearing out, I'll just resign myself to never being shot of it! There are worse fates.
Rosanne Atkinson
I fell in love with this song first time I ever heard it in my early twenties. It still sounds great.
Robin Hood
@clash1954 And I as well.
I was astounded and confused that none of my friends and family shared my feelings for it.
This album is up there with the best of Arlo’s work. If we can call it that. Let me say his playing is wonderful here.
Thanks 😊
clash1954
Love it the first time I heard it too.