The
1995 rerecording of this song (on the anniversay of thirty
Thanksgivings since the day of the original incident) , appearing as "Alice's Resturant (The Massacree Revisited)", while essentially faithful to the
1967 original, does differ in a few places, being a live retelling of the
massacree. Aside from the editing of the line regarding what happens to the pair of people of people who walk into the
shrink's office (a wonderful illustration of the way
liberalism has
evolved over the years), the most notable change is the addendum inspired by the passing of former president
Richard M. Nixon. It comes in right as he
chides the audience after singing the
chorus with them...
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
(Arlo drops out)
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
No, nooo! You can't start singing loud just at the end if I quit singing! You would've thought after all this time you'd've learned by now! If you wanna end war and stuff you've gotta sing loud all the time, so people can hear you!
Now, I know this is a long song, believe me, I know how long it is, even on the record when it come out it was pretty long, what, eighteen minutes like I said or something, and I'm not sitting here trying to make it any longer, but I can feel it. I know there's people sitting in this very room tonight that don't believe that songs can change the world, or that songs can change the destiny of nations.
I don't blame you. I wouldn't have thought so myself. 'Course I know something that some of you may not know, but I was reminded of it during the last election, see, I remembered when Jimmy Carter was elected President, 'cause I got an invitation to his inauguration, and I knew I had to go, 'cause I knew it'd be the only one I ever got. Been right so far. But I went down to Washinton, D.C. -- I ain't making this up now, this is real -- I went down to Washington, and it's just like you see on TV, people partying and stuff, and everything was fine until along toward evening somebody come around, tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned around, and it was Chip Carter, the President's son.
I said, "Hi, Chip!" -- I recognized him, he was about my age -- he said,
"Arlo, I've been looking everywhere for you."
I said, "Chip, how come?"
He said, "Arlo, I've got something very important to tell you."
And I said, "Chip, what is it?"
He said, "Arlo, we were moving our stuff into the White House, and in the Nixon Record Library we found a copy of your record, Alice's Restaurant."
I looked at Chip Carter, I looked deep into the man's soul and I said, "Chiiii-iiiiip! Was it opened?"
And it slow motion he noded, yes, it had been opened. Now I want you folks to know that I did not think about that for a long time, until recently, when we was all thinking 'bout Richard Nixon when he passed away, and... I see some people here who may not know, see, but Richard Nixon was the President of the United States, and he used to like to tape stuff. I mean, if you can imagine a world before cassette decks and VCRs was everywhere, you can imagine a man who was truly ahead of his time! He taped everything that went on in the White House, and everything was fine until one day they started playing back the tapes! People found out what was going on in there! But it wasn't anything that was on any tape that got the man in trouble, so much as it was what he had erased from the tapes, and there was one particular famous gap in one of the tapes that I was thinking about one night, when I said to myself,
"Arlo, how many things in the world are eighteen minutes and twenty seconds long?"
Well? How many things in the world ARE exactly eighteen minutes and twenty seconds long? Probably just a coincidence, but it's good enough for me.
So when the song comes around on the guitar, remember that songs can change the destiny of nations, even if it's only by coincidence. You just have to know the words, have the feeling, and wait for it come around again on the guitar...