Underground
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics


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Words and music by Arlo Guthrie

There's a river running underground
That roll along the clay
That took my body when I laid it down
And carried it far away

It's too damned dark for you to see
So I did not protest
My soul shook free, you can't have me
But you may keep the rest

The waters weep, the sickles reap
My hands are cold with sweat
The eagle screams with frightened wings
The dust does not forget

There's a river running underground
That rolls along the clay




That tempts the sould to the ocean cold
To with the body lay

Overall Meaning

Arlo Guthrie's song, "Underground," is a dark ballad about death and the afterlife. The lyrics depict a river running underground that carries the singer's body away after death. The singer observes their own death from a detached perspective, stating that it was too dark for anyone to protest when their body was carried away. The singer's soul shakes free from their body, indicating a belief in the afterlife, but tells the river to keep the rest of them. Guthrie imbues these lyrics with a foreboding quality, hinting that the afterlife is not a pleasant place.


Line by Line Meaning

There's a river running underground
There's a hidden river that exists beneath the surface


That roll along the clay
The river flows through the earthy soil


That took my body when I laid it down
The river carried away the singer's physical body when they died


And carried it far away
The river transported the artist's physical remains to an unknown location


It's too damned dark for you to see
The environment surrounding the hidden river is too dark for anyone to observe


So I did not protest
The singer did not resist the river's pull


My soul shook free, you can't have me
The singer's non-physical essence was liberated from their body, and cannot be possessed


But you may keep the rest
The river has ownership of the artist's physical form after death


The waters weep, the sickles reap
The river cries and the tools of death gather the souls of the departed


My hands are cold with sweat
The artist is anxious and fearful


The eagle screams with frightened wings
The majestic bird responds to the distress of the moment with frantic noises and motion


The dust does not forget
Memories of those who have passed linger in the earth


That tempts the soul to the ocean cold
The river allures the singer's innermost being to the chilling sea


To with the body lay
To reunite the non-physical with the physical, and form a final resting place




Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ARLO GUTHRIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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