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.
Ukulele Lady
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On Honolulu Bay
There's something tender in the moonlight
On Honolulu Bay
And all the beaches are filled with peaches
Who bring their ukes along
And in the glimmer of the moonlight
1:
If you like Ukulele Lady
Ukulele Lady like a'you
If you like to linger where it's shady
Ukulele Lady linger too
If you kiss Ukulele Lady
While you promise ever to be true
And she sees another Ukulele
Lady foolin' 'round with you
2:
Maybe she'll sigh (an awful lot)
Maybe she'll cry (and maybe not)
Maybe she'll find somebody else
By and by
To sing to when it's cool and shady
Where the tricky wicky wacky woo
If you like Ukulele Lady
Ukulele Lady like a'you
She used to sing to me by moonlight
On Honolulu Bay
Fond memories cling to me by moonlight
Although I'm far away
Some day I'm going, where eyes are glowing
And lips are made to kiss
To see somebody in the moonlight
And hear the song I miss
Arlo Guthrie's "Ukulele Lady" is a romantic and sentimental song about the beauty of moonlit nights in Hawaii. In the opening lines of the song, the singer describes the splendor and tenderness of the moonlight on Honolulu Bay. The beaches are filled with peaches and their ukuleles, strumming along and singing this very song. The first verse is a repeated chorus that emphasizes the romantic sentiment of the song. If you like Ukulele Lady, she'll like you and together they can enjoy a lingering and shady romance. However, if you break her heart, another Ukulele Lady might come along and steal your heart.
In the second verse, the song takes on a more melancholic tone. The singer remembers how Ukulele Lady used to sing to him at moonlit nights on Honolulu Bay, evoking memories of love and longing. The melancholy of the song is enhanced by the reference to "tricky wicky wacky woo", which hints at the fleeting nature of love and the uncertainty of romantic relationships. The singer longs to go back to Hawaii, where eyes are glowing and lips are made to kiss, and to see again the person he misses.
Overall, "Ukulele Lady" is a poetic love song that evokes a sense of nostalgia, longing, and romanticism. Through the imagery of moonlit nights, beaches, and ukuleles, the song creates a dreamy and emotional atmosphere that captures the essence of Hawaii's beauty and passion.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw the splendor of the moonlight
I witnessed the beauty of the moonlight
On Honolulu Bay
At Honolulu Bay
There's something tender in the moonlight
The moonlight creates a soft and gentle atmosphere
On Honolulu Bay
At Honolulu Bay
And all the beaches are filled with peaches
The beaches are crowded with attractive women
Who bring their ukes along
Carrying their ukuleles with them
And in the glimmer of the moonlight
In the shimmering of the moonlight
They love to sing this song
They enjoy singing this tune
If you like Ukulele Lady
If you are fond of a lady who plays ukulele
Ukulele Lady like a'you
That Ukulele Lady will like you too
If you like to linger where it's shady
If you prefer to stay in cool places
Ukulele Lady linger too
Ukulele Lady will stay with you
If you kiss Ukulele Lady
If you kiss Ukulele Lady
While you promise ever to be true
While you swear to always be faithful
And she sees another Ukulele Lady foolin' 'round with you
And she witnesses you having an affair with another woman
Maybe she'll sigh (an awful lot)
She might let out a deep, sorrowful breath
Maybe she'll cry (and maybe not)
She may or may not shed tears
Maybe she'll find somebody else
Perhaps she'll discover someone new
By and by
Eventually
To sing to when it's cool and shady
To sing with in a peaceful, shady spot
Where the tricky wicky wacky woo
In a whimsical, magical location
She used to sing to me by moonlight
She used to serenade me under the moon
On Honolulu Bay
At Honolulu Bay
Fond memories cling to me by moonlight
Nostalgic recollections stay with me under the moon
Although I'm far away
Even though I am distant
Some day I'm going, where eyes are glowing
Someday I will go where eyes sparkle
And lips are made to kiss
Where lips are meant for kissing
To see somebody in the moonlight
To witness someone under the moon
And hear the song I miss
And hear the melody I yearn for
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICHARD A. WHITING, GUS KAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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