Arlo Guthrie

[fox69]

"Union Maid"

"Union Maid"



There once was a union maid, she never was afraid
Of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid.
She went to the union hall when a meeting it was called,
And when the Legion boys come 'round
She always stood her ground.

Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union, I'm sticking to the union.
Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union 'til the day I die.

This union maid was wise to the tricks of company spies,
She couldn't be fooled by a company stool, she'd always organize the guys.
She always got her way when she struck for better pay.
She'd show her card to the National Guard
And this is what she'd say

You gals who want to be free, just take a tip from me;
Get you a man who's a union man and join the ladies' auxiliary.
Married life ain't hard when you got a union card,
A union man has a happy life when he's got a union wife.

 

[fox69]

"Utah Carroll"

"Utah Carroll"



So you ask me my kind friend
Why I am sad and still
And why my brow is darkened
Like the clouds upon the hill

Rein in your ponies closer
And I'll tell you all a tale
Of Utah Carroll, partner
And his last ride on the trail

In a grave without a headstone
Without a date or name
My partner lies there silent
In the land from which I came

Long ago we rode together
We'd ridden side by side
I loved him like a brother
And I wept when Utah died

While riding up one morning
And our work was almost done
The cattle quickly started
On a wild and maddening run

The boss's little daughter
Who was riding on that side
Rushed in to stop the stampede
It was there my partner died

Lenore upon her pony
Tried to turn the cattle right
But her blanket slipped beneath her
And she caught and held on tight

When we all saw that red blanket
Each cowboy held his breath
For should her pony fail her
None could save the girl from death

When the cattle saw the blanket
Almost dragging on the ground
They were maddened in a moment
And they charged with deafening sound

The girl soon saw her danger
And she turned her pony's face
And bending in her saddle
Tried the blanket to replace

Just then she lost her balance
In the front of that wild tide
Carroll's voice controlled the round up
"Lie still, Lenore" he cried

And then close up beside her
Came Utah riding fast
But little did the poor boy know
The ride would be his last

Full often from the saddle
He had caught the trailing rope
To pick her up at full speed
Was now his only hope

He swung low from his saddle
To take her to his arm
We thought that he'd succeeded
That the girl was safe from harm

But such a strain upon his saddle
Had ne'er been put before
And the cinches gave beneath him
And he fell beside Lenore

When the girl fell from her saddle
She had dragged the blanket down
It lay there close beside them
Where they lay upon the ground

Utah took the blanket
And to Lenore he said
"Lie still" and quickly running
Waved the red thing o'er his head

He turned the maddened cattle
From Lenore, his little friend
And as the mighty herd rushed toward him
He turned to met his end

And as the herd came on him
His weapon quickly drew
He was bound to die defended
As all brave cowboys do

The weapon flashed like lightning
And it sounded loud and clear
As the cattle rushed and killed him
He dropped the leading steer

When I broke through that wide circle
To where poor Utah lay
With a thousand wounds and bruises
His life blood ebbed away

I knelt down close beside him
And I knew that all was o'er
As I heard him faintly whisper
"Good-bye, my sweet Lenore"

Next morning at the churchyard
I heard the preacher say
"Don't think our kind friend Utah
Was lost on that great day

He was a much-loved cowboy
And not afraid to die
And we'll meet him at the round up
On the plains beyond the sky"

So you ask me my kind friend
Why I am sad and still
And why my brow is darkened
Like the clouds upon the hill

Rein in your ponies closer
And I'll tell you all a tale
Of Utah Carroll, partner
And his last ride on the trail

 

[fox69]

"Valley To Pray"

"Valley To Pray"



I went down in the valley to pray
Learnin' about the good old way
And who would wear the starry crown
Oh Lord, show me the way

Oh Brother, let's go down
Come on down, don't you want to go down
Oh Brother, lets go down
Down in the valley to pray

As I went walkin in the valley to pray
Learnin' about the good old way
And who would wear the starry crown
Oh Lord, show me the way

Oh Father, let's go down
Come on down, don't you want to go down
Oh Father, lets go down
Down in the valley to pray

I went out walkin' on the mountain to pray
Learnin' about the good old way
I went up on the mountain and I just had to say
Oh Lord, show me the way

Oh Sister, let's go down
Come on down, don't you want to go down
Oh Sister, lets go down
Down in the valley to pray

As I went down in the valley to pray
Studyin' about the good old way
And who will wear the starry crown
Oh Lord, show me the way

Oh, let's go down
Come on down, don't you want to go down
Oh, let's go down
Down in the valley to pray

 

[fox69]

"Victor Jara"

"Victor Jara"



Victor Jara of Chile
Lived like a shooting star
He fought for the people of Chile
With his songs and his guitar
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Victor Jara was a peasant
Who worked from a few years old
He sat upon his father's plow
And watched the earth unfold
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Now when the neighbors had a wedding
Or one of their children died
His mother sang all night for them
With Victor by her side
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

He grew up to be a fighter
Against the people's wrongs
He listened to their grief and joy
And turned them into songs
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

He sang about the copper miners
And those who worked the land
He sang about the factory workers
And they knew he was their man
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

He campaigned for Allende
Working night and day
He sang, "take hold of your brother's hand
The future begins today"
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Then the generals seized Chile
They arrested Victor then
They caged him in a stadium
With five thousand frightened men
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Victor stood in the stadium
His voice was brave and strong
And he sang for his fellow prisoners
'Til the guards cut short his song
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

They broke the bones in both his hands
They beat him on the head
They tore him with electric shocks
And then they shot him dead
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

Victor Jara of Chile
Lived like a shooting star
And he fought for the people of Chile
With his songs and his guitar
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong
His hands were gentle, his hands were strong

 

[fox69]

"Wabash Cannonball"

"Wabash Cannonball"



I stood on the Atlantic Ocean
The wide Pacific shore
To the queen of the flowing mountains
To the southbell by the door
She's long and tall and handsome
And loved by one and all
She's a modern combination
Called the Wabash Cannonball

Oh listen to the jingle
The rumble and the roar
As she glides along the woodlands
Through the hills and by the shores
Hear the mighty rush of engines
Hear the lonesome hobos' call
We're travelling through the jungles
On the Wabash Cannonball

The eastern states are dandies
So the western people say
From New York to St. Louis
And Chicago by the way
Through the hills of Minnesota
Where the rippling waters fall
No chances can be taken
On the Wabash Cannonball

Oh listen to the jingle
The rumble and the roar
As she glides along the woodlands
Through the hills and by the shores
Hear the mighty rush of engines
Hear the lonesome hobos' call
We're travelling through the jungles
On the Wabash Cannonball

Here's to Daddy Klaxton
May his name forever stand
Will he be remembered
Through parts of all our land
His earthly race is over
And the curtain 'round him falls
We'll carry him on to victory
On the Wabash Cannonball

Oh listen to the jingle
The rumble and the roar
As she glides along the woodlands
Through the hills and by the shores
Hear the mighty rush of engines
Hear the lonesome hobos' call
We're travelling through the jungles
On the Wabash Cannonball

 

[fox69]

"Waimanalo Blues"

"Waimanalo Blues"



Wind's gonna blow so I'm gonna go
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
Never comin' back again

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 fathers 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

AU 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 fathers and I once knew
Birds all along sunlight at dawn
Singing Waimanalo blues

 

[fox69]

"Wake Up"

"Wake Up"



Wake up, wake up, wake up.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.

Open eyes, open eyes, open eyes.
Open eyes, open eyes, open eyes.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
Open eyes, open eyes, open eyes.

Stretch arms, stretch legs, and feet and toes.
Stretch arms, stretch legs, and feet and toes.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
Stretch arms, stretch legs, and feet and toes.

 

[fox69]

"Wake Up Dead"

"Wake Up Dead"


When I was younger
She'd come to me in dreams
Her face was hidden
In the mountain streams
Her voice disguised
As the sound of the wind
The rustling of leaves
She would call from within

[Chorus:]
Wake up, wake up, wake up, she said
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up dead

So many memories
Of those years have passed
Beyond the confusion
That... thought would last forever
The countless veils
That I wore like clothes
Have been stripped away
Now... stand here exposed

[Chorus]

In the night when the moon
Casts no shadows at all
We sat by the fire
As she started to call
Out to all who would hear
That the death of what's dead
Is the birth of what's living
And her words filled my head

[Chorus]

It's the life that lies sleeping
When you think you're awake
Forever is real
And the rest is just fake
And though volumes are written
On this subject alone
She used three simple words
And she brought it all home

[Chorus]

 

[fox69]

"Walking Song"

"Walking Song"



Oh, last night I sat by your side
Oh, I was feelin' so lonely
Would have given up my pride
All night I was so lonely

Then you took to the streets
You don't have much to say
But I listened to your feet
As they walked away
Bye bye bye bye

Now walking's the only thing I know
Oh, we do well together
I ain't thinkin' 'bout where we go
Lace up your boots of leather

Then we take to the streets
We don't have much to say
But I listen to our feet
As we walk away
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye

I wasn't lookin' for love
I'm a little sorry you're gore
But until we have something to say
I'll just keep walking along
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye

Ask me if I need you now
Oh no, I'm feeling great
If you haunt me in my dreams
Ah, there is one escape

I'll just take to the streets
I won't have much to say
But I'll be listening to my feet
As they walk away
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
Bye bye bye bye

 

[fox69]

"Wedding Song"

"Wedding Song"



Poor Adam alone in Eden
Taking off his shoes
Tired of running around all morning
From his animal interviews

He awoke with a hand on his brow
Asking, who are you
They spent the rest of their lives together
Making their debuts
Dressed in leaves and wearing blues

Some say one thing, some say two
Ain't much about it anyone can do
Keep on walking till my soles wear through
Wearing away my shoes

Evening comes and the sky turns red
Clouds of color cover up our heads
Ain't it something just to lie here in bed
Just me and you

Oh Mary, wrapped up in glory
What are you going to tell your groom
How's he going to feel on the day of your wedding
What will your friends assume

Oh, but Joseph and Mary were married
The angels carried the news
What the Lord has joined together
The world must not undo

There's a wedding down at the church this morning
Let's go wish them well
It's a beautiful day for getting married
I hope the weather lasts as well

It's been years since we've been married
I know we've paid some dues
Now ain't it something just to lie here together
Just me and you
Outlasting the blues