Talking Columbia
Woody Guthrie Lyrics
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I'm a-lookin' at the boats in the Bonneville lock.
Gate swings open, the boat sails in,
Toot that whistle, she's gone again.
Gasoline goin' up. Wheat comin' down.
Well, I filled up my hat brim, drunk a little taste,
Thought about a river just a-goin' to waste;
Thought about the dust, an' thought about the sand,
Folks runnin' round all over creation,
Lookin' for some kind of little place.
Well, I pulled out my pencil, scribbled this song,
Figured all them salmon just couldn't be wrong;
Them salmon fish is mighty shrewd,
They got senators and politicians, too.
Just about like the president. They run every four years.
You just watch this river, though, pretty soon
Everybody's gonna be changin' their tune;
The big Grand Coulee and the Bonneville dams
Run a thousand factories for Uncle Sam.
And everybody else in the world. Turnin' out
Everything from fertilizers to sewing machines,
And atomic bedrooms and plastic --
Everything's gonna be plastic.
Uncle Sam need houses and stuff to eat,
Uncle Sam needs wool, and Uncle Sam needs wheat,
Uncle Sam needs water and power dams,
Uncle Sam needs people, and the people need land.
'Course I don't like dictators none myself,
But then I think the whole country had ought to be run by e-lec-trici-ty.
The lyrics of Woody Guthrie's "Talking Columbia" speak of a river paved with boats that transport goods in and out of Bonneville lock. The gates open to let boats pass, and they're off again with a toot of the whistle. Guthrie muses on the scarcity of resources as he catches a little taste of gasoline and bemoans the waste of the river. He thinks of what the river could do and who it could serve if it were used more efficiently. He contemplates the people and the land, how they all search for their little place in the world.
He borrows wisdom from the salmon swimming upstream, against the flow of the river. The salmon are shrewd, and they've got senators and politicians. And just like the president, those politicians are about as predictable as the salmon run. Woody Guthrie believes that the river will soon change the tune of the people as they begin to see the potential of the Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams. They'll realize the factories that run in Uncle Sam's name turn out everything the world needs, from fertilizers to sewing machines, atomic bedrooms, and plastic.
Although the country has its fair share of dictators, Woody Guthrie believes that electricity is what America needs to run the entire country. The song is nostalgic yet forward-looking, wondering what could have been but hopeful that things can change for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, down along the river just a-sittin' on a rock
I am sitting by the river and observing my surroundings
I'm a-lookin' at the boats in the Bonneville lock.
I am observing the boats entering the Bonneville lock
Gate swings open, the boat sails in,
As the gate swings open, the boat enters the Bonneville lock
Toot that whistle, she's gone again.
The boat blows its whistle and heads to its destination
Gasoline goin' up. Wheat comin' down.
The rising gasoline prices are in contrast to the abundance of wheat being transported
Well, I filled up my hat brim, drunk a little taste,
I observe and take in a little bit of everything around me
Thought about a river just a-goin' to waste;
I am thinking about how the river could be utilized better
Thought about the dust, an' thought about the sand,
I am thinking about the surrounding environment and how it affects people
Thought about the people, an' thought about the land.
I am thinking about how people depend on the land
Folks runnin' round all over creation,
People are searching everywhere for a place to call home
Lookin' for some kind of little place.
They are searching for a small piece of land where they can settle down
Well, I pulled out my pencil, scribbled this song,
I am writing down my thoughts in the form of a song
Figured all them salmon just couldn't be wrong;
Salmon are able to adapt to their environment and survive, so their instincts cannot be wrong
Them salmon fish is mighty shrewd,
Salmon are very intelligent creatures
They got senators and politicians, too.
Even salmon are able to influence politics and decision-making
Just about like the president. They run every four years.
Salmon also have a regular cycle of migration, similar to the presidential election cycle
You just watch this river, though, pretty soon
If we observe the river closely
Everybody's gonna be changin' their tune;
People's perspectives will change as they witness the potential of the river
The big Grand Coulee and the Bonneville dams
The Grand Coulee and the Bonneville dams, with their hydroelectric capabilities, can transform the area
Run a thousand factories for Uncle Sam.
The dams can power numerous factories for the government
And everybody else in the world. Turnin' out
These factories also produce products for the entire world
Everything from fertilizers to sewing machines,
The factories produce a wide range of goods
And atomic bedrooms and plastic --
The factories even produce advanced technology like atomic bedrooms and plastic products
Everything's gonna be plastic.
It seems that plastic will become ubiquitous in the future
Uncle Sam need houses and stuff to eat,
The government requires resources like housing and food
Uncle Sam needs wool, and Uncle Sam needs wheat,
The government needs raw materials like wool and wheat
Uncle Sam needs water and power dams,
The government needs power and water, which can be provided by dams
Uncle Sam needs people, and the people need land.
The government requires people to work, who in turn require land
'Course I don't like dictators none myself,
I am against dictatorial regimes
But then I think the whole country had ought to be run by e-lec-trici-ty.
I believe that the use of electricity can efficiently run the entire country
Contributed by Tyler R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Honest John
Talking Columbia
Words and Music by Woody Guthrie
I was down 'long the river, just settin' on a rock,
Lookin' at the boats in Bonneville Lock.
And the gate swings open and the boat sails in,
Toots her whistle, she's gone a gin'!
Well, I fills up my hat brim, drunk a sweet taste,
Thought 'bout the river goin' to waste,
Thought 'bout the dust, thought 'bout the sand,
Thought 'bout the people, thought 'bout the land.
Ever'body runnin' round all over creation,
Just lookin' for some kind of a little place.
Pulled out my pencil, scribbled this song,
I figgered all these salmon fishers can't be wrong.
Them salmon fish, they're mighty shrewd,
They got senators, politicians, too!
Just like a President, they run ever' four years.
Yes, them folks back east are doin' a lot o' talkin',
Some of 'em balkin' and some of 'em squawkin'
But with all their figgerin' and all their books,
Well, they just didn't know them raw Chinooks.
Salmon! That's a good river!
Just watch this river and pretty soon
Ever'body's goin' to be changin' their tune.
The big Grand Coulee and Bonneville Dam
Run a thousand factories for Uncle Sam.
An' ever'body else in the world
Makin' ever'thing from sewing machines to fertilizer
Atomic bedrooms!... Plastic!
Everything's gonna be made out of plastic!
Yes, Uncle Sam needs wool, Uncle Sam needs wheat,
Uncle Sam needs houses and stuff to eat,
Uncle Sam needs water and power dams,
Uncle Sam needs people and people needs land.
Don't like dictators not much, myself,
But I think the whole country ought to be run
By electricity!
Honest John
Definitely read his Autobiography, “Bound For Glory”
Lewis Taishoff
Prescient in 1941..."everything gonna be plastic."
Markus Garvey
Great Tuff!
Rex Zens
love woody a great song.... E'rything gonna be made outta plastic!!!!!!!
Ignacio Carral
Everything's gonna be plastic.
Liberty Kraft
everything sure is plastic, still waiting on my atomic bedroom though.
Honest John
ann boix I was just telling my dad about the history of this song, he wasn’t wrong
I.D.Y.
Berklee brought me here