At the risk of being ignorant.... someone told me Coming to L.A. was based on a real life experience of Mr Guthries. Can anybody verify?
Thanks, Barry

I don't think I believe the part about bringin' in a couple of "keys", but he does tell an interesting story as an intro to the song that I believe has some truth in it.

I always thought it was a true story. Thanks for the info Sue...

Its a parable. Keys have more than one meaning even though Arlo was probably think of the green keys...

Not to mention, it rhymes with Los Angel-ees.

You mean lost angels don't you?

No. I mean Los-Angelees.

Well, I didn't really mean lost angels. But los almost rhymes with lost. The song took on a new picture to me, after a lady I had almost made it with but didn't. Since then, I have felt a bit like the lone ranger. Just see my profile at http://my.care2.com/leoburg
With my knowing music comes from above, what else do I have to say?

I thought "keys" meant kilogram. A unit of weight used for drugs, in the case of the song, pot. (I can't spell marijauna.)

By the way, I have this information because I worked at the county jail for 6 years, not because I know a lot about drugs except through that job.

Well keys has more than one meaning. Sure Arlo was singing about pot. But a couple of keys could have meant more. Its a parable, along with Arlo cleaning crap out from a church is. Some churches, still haven't taken theirs out for a long time. (I know all their dogma, which some I know don't really believe.)
http://my.care2.com/leoburg

I don't claim to know anything, just that's what I thought it meant. This year is the first time I'd heard it.

I didn't realize there was a double meaning about the church in Alice. I am glad my church isn't a traditional Baptist church. I've learned more about the Bible and God in the past few years than I had in 40 years in "Regular churches."

Oh, in my mind Arlo meant a key of pot. How cleaning crap out of churches may be in some my own mind.
But the parody of ... LA always gives me a laugh. Along with some hope.
Even if it seems like I lived some it, though it may not have been meant at the time.
Anyone can put them selves into any song can't they? Thats what I mean by songs being parables. On the pool table for me, sometimes it just roll-playing. As long as I can dance at the table while playing to the music.

This Meatloaf song is what I would sing to the churches, if ever I get the chance: Amensty was granted, and the sooner they figure that out, the better off we all will be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFou8iXql00
mcd
http://my.care2.com/leoburg

Well, my interest comes from the song's performance at Woodstock. It was just a passing song as having been born on 12/14/57 I wasn't quite old enough to be there. If I had been there I might know the meaning?

Hey Barry, that is my exact birthday too.
But I see all songs as parables. Like, "I wanna hold your Hand" is god singing to the girls how he feels. The music comes down from above. For Hurricane by Neil Young has some awful (I mean awfull) strange coincidences
to a lady that cut me all up in 1994. Who I had first seen in a crazy hazy bar, years before.
-Though I kept getting blown away by her, I know all songs can apply to all kinds of people. For I know I am not the only one who has lived Steve Miller's Jungle Love, or Stevie Ray Vaughn's Crossfire, along with The Band's, "The Weight."

There has always been so much music out there, at least in my life. I think that every favorite song takes you back to a moment in your life with memories-either bad or good.

This seems especially true for my oldest daughter. She lost her older sister when they were 13 and and 15, then over the next few years a boy cousin at age 15 and a boyfriend, 16 to suicide. At times I wounder how she ever made it through the teenaged years, emotionally. Today she is a wonderful adult, great daughter and mother to her 2 boys. Her 17 year-old son is always amazed at her knowledge of music, both old and new.

One of my earliest memories in the 50's was hearing the song "Davy Crocket" (it was #1) on the radio and Hank Williams Sr.