Alice’s Restaurant

Alice’s Restaurant: Chords

Intro:
LA SIm7 LA/DO# RE   SI7   MI7 LA

RE   SI7   MI7   LA

RE      SOL  MI7/SOL#  RE/LA  SI7 MI7 LA7 RE LA7

RE   SI7   MI7 LA RE   SI7   MI7   LA

RE  RE7  SOL  MI7/SOL#  RE/LA  SI7  MI7 LA7 RE LA7

This song is called Alice's Restaurant, 
and it's about Alice, and the
Restaurant, but Alice's Restaurant 
is not the name of the restaurant,
That's just the name of the song, 
and that's why I called the song Alice's
Restaurant

RE             SI7               MI7     LA7   RE
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
               SI7           MI7         LA7
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
RE                  RE7
Walk right in it's around the back
SOL                         MI7/SOL#
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
RE             SI7               MI7     LA7   RE
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant


Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, 
was on - two years ago on
Thanksgiving, when my friend 
and I went up to visit Alice at the
Restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, 
she lives in the
Church nearby the restaurant, 
in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and
Fasha the dog 
And livin' in the bell tower like that, 
they got a lot of
Room downstairs where the pews used to be in 
Havin' all that room,
Seein' as how they took out all the pews, 
they decided that they didn't
Have to take out their garbage for a long time
We got up there, we found all the garbage in there, 
and we decided it'd be
A friendly gesture for us to take the garbage down 
to the city dump So
We took the half a ton of garbage, 
put it in the back of a red VW
Microbus, took shovels and rakes 
and implements of destruction and headed
On toward the city dump
Well we got there and there was a big sign 
and a chain across across the
Dump saying, "Closed on Thanksgiving" 
And we had never heard of a dump
Closed on Thanksgiving before, 
and with tears in our eyes we drove off
Into the sunset looking for another place 
to put the garbage
We didn't find one. Until we came to a side road, 
and off the side of the
Side road there was another fifteen foot cliff 
and at the bottom of the
Cliff there was another pile of garbage 
And we decided that one big pile
Is better than two little piles, 
and rather than bring that one up we
Decided to throw our's down
That's what we did, and drove back to the church, 
had a thanksgiving
Dinner that couldn't be beat, 
went to sleep and didn't get up until the
Next morning, when we got a phone call 
from officer Obie. He said, "Kid,
We found your name on an envelope at the bottom 
of a half a ton of
Garbage, and just wanted to know 
if you had any information about it." And
I said, "Yes, sir, Officer Obie, 
I cannot tell a lie, I put that envelope
Under that garbage."
After speaking to Obie 
for about fourty-five minutes on the telephone we
Finally arrived at the truth of the matter 
and said that we had to go down
And pick up the garbage, and also had to go down 
and speak to him at the
Police officer's station. So we got in the red VW 
microbus with the
Shovels and rakes and implements of destruction 
and headed on toward the
Police officer's station.
Now friends, there was only one 
or two things that Obie coulda done at
The police station, 
and the first was he could have given us a medal for
Being so brave and honest on the telephone, 
which wasn't very likely, and
We didn't expect it, 
and the other thing was he could have bawled us out
And told us never to be see driving garbage 
around the vicinity again,
Which is what we expected, 
but when we got to the police officer's station
There was a third possibility that 
we hadn't even counted upon, and we was
Both immediately arrested. Handcuffed. 
And I said "Obie, I don't think I
Can pick up the garbage with these handcuffs on.
"He said, "Shut up, kid.
Get in the back of the patrol car."
And that's what we did, 
sat in the back of the patrol car and drove to the
Quote Scene of the Crime unquote. 
I want tell you about the town of
Stockbridge, Massachusets, 
where this happened here, they got three stop
Signs, two police officers, and one police car, 
but when we got to the
Scene of the Crime there was five police officers 
and three police cars,
Being the biggest crime of the last fifty years, 
and everybody wanted to
Get in the newspaper story about it. 
And they was using up all kinds of
Cop equipment that they had hanging 
around the police officer's station.
They was taking plaster tire tracks, 
foot prints, dog smelling prints, and
They took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour 
glossy photographs with circles
And arrows and a paragraph on the back 
of each one explaining what each
One was to be used as evidence against us. 
Took pictures of the approach,
The getaway, the northwest corner the southwest corner 
and that's not to
Mention the aerial photography.
After the ordeal, we went back to the jail. 
Obie said he was going to put
Us in the cell. Said, 
"Kid, I'm going to put you in the cell, I want your
Wallet and your belt." And I said, 
"Obie, I can understand you wanting my
Wallet so I don't have any money to spend in the cell, 
but what do you
Want my belt for?" And he said, 
"Kid, we don't want any hangings." I
Said, "Obie, did you think I was going 
to hang myself for littering?"
Obie said he was making sure, 
and friends Obie was, cause he took out the
Toilet seat so I couldn't hit myself 
over the head and drown, and he took
Out the toilet paper 
so I couldn't bend the bars roll out the - roll the
Toilet paper out the window, 
slide down the roll and have an escape. Obie
Was making sure, 
and it was about four or five hours later that Alice
(Remember Alice? It's a song about Alice), 
Alice came by and with a few
Nasty words to Obie on the side, 
bailed us out of jail, and we went back
To the church, had a another thanksgiving dinner 
that couldn't be beat,
And didn't get up until the next morning, 
when we all had to go to court.
We walked in, sat down, 
Obie came in with the twenty seven eight-by-ten
Colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows 
and a paragraph on the back
Of each one, sat down. 
Man came in said, "All rise." We all stood up,
And Obie stood up 
with the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
Pictures, and the judge walked in sat down 
with a seeing eye dog, and he
Sat down, we sat down. 
Obie looked at the seeing eye dog, and then at the
Twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures 
with circles and arrows
And a paragraph on the back of each one, 
and looked at the seeing eye dog.
And then at twenty seven eight-by-ten 
colour glossy pictures with circles
And arrows and a paragraph 
on the back of each one and began to cry,
'Cause Obie came to the realization 
that it was a typical case of American
Blind justice, 
and there wasn't nothing he could do about it, and the
Judge wasn't going to look 
at the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
Pictures with the circles and arrows 
and a paragraph on the back of each
One explaining what each one was to be used 
as evidence against us. And
We was fined $50 
and had to pick up the garbage in the snow, but thats not
What I came to tell you about.
Came to talk about the draft.
They got a building down New York City, 
it's called Whitehall Street,
Where you walk in, you get injected, 
inspected, detected, infected,
Neglected and selected. 
I went down to get my physical examination one
Day, and I walked in, I sat down, 
got good and drunk the night before, so
I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning. 
'Cause I wanted to
Look like the all-American kid from New York City, 
man I wanted, I wanted
To feel like the all-, 
I wanted to be the all American kid from New York,
And I walked in, sat down, I was hung down, 
brung down, hung up, and all
Kinds o' mean nasty ugly things. 
And I waked in and sat down and they gave
Me a piece of paper, said, 
"Kid, see the phsychiatrist, room 604."
And I went up there, I said, 
"Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I
Wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, 
I wanna see blood and gore and
Guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. 
I mean kill, Kill,
KILL, KILL." And I started jumpin up and down yelling, 
"KILL, KILL, " and
He started jumpin up and down with me 
and we was both jumping up and down
Yelling, "KILL, KILL." And the sargent came over, 
pinned a medal on me,
Sent me down the hall, said, "You're our boy."
Didn't feel too good about it.
Proceeded on down the hall gettin more injections, 
inspections,
Detections, neglections and all kinds of stuff 
that they was doin' to me
At the thing there, 
and I was there for two hours, three hours, four
Hours, I was there for a long time going through 
all kinds of mean nasty
Ugly things and I was just having 
a tough time there, and they was
Inspecting, injecting every single part of me, 
and they was leaving no
Part untouched. Proceeded through, 
and when I finally came to the see the
Last man, I walked in, 
walked in sat down after a whole big thing there,
And I walked up and said, "What do you want?" 
He said, "Kid, we only got
One question. Have you ever been arrested?"
And I proceeded to tell him the story 
of the Alice's Restaurant Massacre,
With full orchestration and five part harmony 
and stuff like that and all
The phenome... - and he stopped me right there 
and said, "Kid, did you ever
Go to court?"
And I proceeded to tell him the story 
of the twenty seven eight-by-ten
Colour glossy pictures with the circles 
and arrows and the paragraph on
The back of each one,
and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, I want
You to go and sit down on that bench 
that says Group W ... NOW kid!!"
And I, I walked over to the, to the bench there, 
and there is, Group W's
Where they put you if you may not be moral 
enough to join the army after
Committing your special crime, 
and there was all kinds of mean nasty ugly
Looking people on the bench there.
Mother rapers. Father stabbers. Father
Rapers! Father rapers sitting right there 
on the bench next to me! And
They was mean and nasty 
and ugly and horrible crime-type guys sitting on the
Bench next to me. And the meanest, ugliest, 
nastiest one, the meanest
Father raper of them all, 
was coming over to me and he was mean 'n' ugly
'N' nasty 'n' horrible and all kind of things 
and he sat down next to me
And said, "Kid, whad'ya get?" 
I said, "I didn't get nothing, I had to pay
$50 and pick up the garbage." 
He said, "What were you arrested for, kid?"
And I said, "Littering." 
And they all moved away from me on the bench
There, and the hairy eyeball 
and all kinds of mean nasty things, till I
Said, "And creating a nuisance." 
And they all came back, shook my hand,
And we had a great time on the bench, 
talkin about crime, mother stabbing,
Father raping, all kinds of groovy things 
that we was talking about on the
Bench. And everything was fine, 
we was smoking cigarettes and all kinds of
Things, until the Sargeant came over, 
had some paper in his hand, held it
Up and said.
"Kids, this-piece-of-paper's-got-47-words-
37-sentences-58-words-we-wanna-
Know-details-of-the-crime-time-of-the-
crime-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-
You-gotta-say-pertaining-to-and-about-
the-crime-I-want-to-know-arresting-
Officer's-name-and-any-other-kind-
of-thing-you-gotta-say", and talked for
Forty-five minutes and nobody understood 
a word that he said, but we had
Fun filling out the forms and playing 
with the pencils on the bench there,
And I filled out the massacre 
with the four part harmony, and wrote it
Down there, just like it was, 
and everything was fine and I put down the
Pencil, and I turned over the piece of paper, 
and there, there on the
Other side, in the middle of the other side, 
away from everything else on
The other side, in parentheses, 
capital letters, quotated, read the
Following words:
I went over to the sargent, said, 
"Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to
Ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, 
I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm
Sittin' here on the bench, 
I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench
'Cause you want to know if I'm moral 
enough join the army, burn women,
Kids, houses and villages 
after bein' a litterbug." He looked at me and
Said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, 
and we're gonna send you fingerprints
Off to Washington."
And friends, somewhere in Washington enshrined 
in some little folder, is a
Study in black and white of my fingerprints. 
And the only reason I'm
Singing you this song now is 
cause you may know somebody in a similar
Situation, or you may be in a similar situation, 
and if your in a
Situation like that there's only one thing 
you can do and that's walk into
The shrink wherever you are, 
just walk in say "Shrink, You can get
Anything you want, at Alice's restaurant.". 
And walk out. You know, if
One person, just one person does it they 
may think he's really sick and
They won't take him. 
And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,
They may think they're both faggots 
and they won't take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, 
three people walking in
Singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. 
They may think it's an
Organization. And can you, 
can you imagine fifty people a day, I said
Fifty people a day walking in singin a bar 
of Alice's Restaurant and
Walking out. 
And friends they may thinks it's a movement.
And that's what it is, 
the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement, and
All you got to do to join is sing it 
the next time it come's around on the
Guitar.
With feeling. So we'll wait for it 
to come around on the guitar, here and
Sing it when it does. Here it comes.
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
That was horrible. 
If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
I've been singing this song now 
for twenty five minutes. I could sing it
For another twenty five minutes. 
I'm not proud... or tired.
So we'll wait till it comes around again, 
and this time with four part
Harmony and feeling.
We're just waitin' for it to come around 
is what we're doing.
All right now.

RE             SI7                MI7     LA7   RE          
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
          LA7 
Excepting Alice
RE             SI7                MI7     LA7
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
RE                  RE7
Walk right in it's around the back
SOL                         MI7/SOL#
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
RE             SI7                MI7     LA7   RE
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
            SI7      MI7/SOL#
Da da da da da da da dum
         LA7     RE    SOL SOL#dim RE/LA LA7 RE
At Alice's Restaurant

Alice’s Restaurant: Video

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Rock Italiano

Alice's Restaurant Massacree è un brano scritto e interpretato da Arlo Guthrie, pubblicato come singolo in 45 giri nel 1967. Si tratta della canzone più conosciuta ed apprezzata del "figlio d'arte" di Brooklyn, ma anche la più lunga visto che dura ben 18 minuti! La lunghezza del brano è dovuta al monologo recitato dallo stesso Arlo, che prende spunto dallo stile comico di Bill Cosby; il testo racconta di una bizzarra disavventura testimoniata dallo stesso Guthrie ai danni di un ristorante e diventa, in poco tempo, un inno pacifista contro la leva obbligatoria per il Vietnam!

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L'autore del post

Alberto Moneti

36 anni, polistrumentista: pianoforte, chitarra, batteria, clarinetto. Ha conseguito la licenza in teoria musicale e solfeggio presso il Conservatorio Cherubini di Firenze. Dal 1997 è organista presso la Basilica di Santa Maria del Sasso, a Bibbiena (AR).