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.
Waimanalo Blues
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down on the road again
Starting where the mountains left me
I'm up where I began
Where I will go, the wind only knows
Good times around the bend
Get in my car, goin' too far
Tired and worn, I woke up this mornin'
Found that I was confused
Spun right around and found I had lost
The things that I couldn't lose
The beaches they sell to build their hotels
My father's and I once knew
Birds all along sunlight at dawn
Singing Waimanalo blues
Down on the road with mountains so old
Far on the country side
Birds on the wing forget in a while
So I'm headed for the windward side
All of your dreams, sometimes it just seems
That I'm just along for the ride
Some they will cry because they have pride
For someone who's loved here died
The beaches they sell to build their hotels
My father's and I once knew
Birds all along sunlight at dawn
Singing Waimanalo blues
The song Waimanalo Blues is a poignant meditation on the loss of home and the irreversibility of change. The singer is starting his journey again, leaving behind the places and people he knows, in search of something new. The wind is blowing, suggesting a sense of restlessness, and the mountains are behind him. He doesn't know where he's going, but he hopes for good times around the bend. He's leaving everything behind, not planning on coming back.
The second verse shows the singer waking up confused, realizing that he's lost things that were supposed to be impossible to lose. He's mourning the loss of something that he can never get back, and that's when the beaches come to mind. The beaches he once knew are gone, replaced by hotels. The singer's father and him knew those beaches well, but they are no longer there. The imagery of birds singing the Waimanalo blues at dawn is a powerful image of mourning and disbelief.
The final verse finds the singer on the road again, headed for the windward side. He acknowledges that sometimes he's just along for the ride, feeling powerless to change his circumstances. He knows that some people will cry because they are proud of someone who loved this land, and who has now passed away. The singer acknowledges the passing of time, the loss of home and the changing landscape without judgment, and with a sense of sad resignation.
Line by Line Meaning
Wind's gonna blow, so I'm gonna go
I'm leaving because change is inevitable
Down on the road again
Starting a new journey
Starting where the mountains left me
Going back to the beginning
I'm up where I began
Overall, nothing has changed
Where I will go, the wind only knows
I don't know where my journey will take me
Good times around the bend
Positive experiences are coming
Get in my car, goin' too far
Leaving everything behind, going to a place no one knows
Never comin' back again
Breaking away from a past that no longer exists
Tired and worn, I woke up this mornin'
Feeling drained and lost
Found that I was confused
No clear direction or purpose
Spun right around and found I had lost
Realizing something important is missing
The things that I couldn't lose
Important things that were taken for granted
The beaches they sell to build their hotels
Loss of natural beauty for commercial gain
My father's and I once knew
Connecting to ancestral land
Birds all along sunlight at dawn
A moment of peace and beauty in nature
Singing Waimanalo blues
Expressing the loss and sorrow for what has been taken away
Down on the road with mountains so old
Recognizing the passage of time
Far on the country side
Embracing rural living and simplicity
Birds on the wing forget in a while
Finding temporary release from worries
So I'm headed for the windward side
Chasing after a different way of life
All of your dreams, sometimes it just seems
Other people's expectations and goals can overshadow individual desires
That I'm just along for the ride
Feeling like things are out of one's control
Some they will cry because they have pride
Loss of important cultural heritage and history
For someone who's loved here died
Dealing with the pain of loss and mourning
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LIKO MARTIN, THOR WOLD
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?