The Motorcycle Song (in album Arlo)
Arlo Guthrie

words and music by Arlo Guthrie

CHORUS:
I don't want a pickle
Just want to ride on my motorsickle
And I don't want a tickle
'Cause I'd rather ride on my motorsickle
And I don't want to die
Just want to ride on my motorcy...cle

It was late last night the other day
I thought I'd go up and see Ray
So l went up and I saw Ray
There was only one thing Ray could say, was:

CHORUS

This song is about the time that I was ridin' my motorcycle.
Going down a mountain road, at 150 miles an hour, playin'
my guitar. On one side of the mountain road there was a
mountain, and on the other side there was nothin' - there was
a cliff in the air.

Now, when you're going down a mountain road at I50 miles
an hour you gotta be very careful, especially if you're playin'
a guitar. Especially if that guitar is an acoustic guitar.
Because if it's an acoustic guitar, the wind pressure is greater
on the box side than on the neck side, because there's
more guitar on the box side. I wasn't payin' attention ..

Luckily I didn't go into the mountain - I went over the cliff.
I was goin' at 150 miles an hour sideways and 500 feet down
at the same time.

I knew it was the end. I looked down, I said ''Wow! Some
trip. I thought it...well I knew it was...I knew it was my last
trip, and in my last remaining seconds in world,I decided
to write one last farewell song to the world.

Put a new ink cartridge in my pen. Took out a piece of paper.
I sat back and I thought awhile. Then I started writin':
I don't want a pickle
Just want to ride on my motorsickle
And I don't want a tickle
'Cause I'd rather ride on my motorsickle

And I don't want to die
Just want to ride on my motorcy ...cle.

I knew that, it wasn't the best song l ever wrote, but I didn't
have time to change it. I was comin' down mighty fast.

But as you all know, and as fate would have it, I didn't die. I
landed on the top of a police car. And he died. I drove away
on the road that he was on. I came into town at a screamin'
175 miles an hour, playin' the motorcycle song.

I came into town, I jumped off my bike, the bike went around
the corner by itself, went up on the stand by itself, turned
itself off.

I walked over to my friend. He was standin' there eatin'
pickles. I said Hi, what's happenin'? He looked at me in the
eye and said Nothin'.

You gotta sing it with that kind of enthusiasm. Like you just
squashed a cop...

CHORUS


  Purchase "The Motorcycle Song (in album Arlo)"   Purchase Entire Album   Email Video to Friends   Play Youtube "The Motorcycle Song (in album Arlo)" Video   Play Spotify "The Motorcycle Song (in album Arlo)" Song   View Wikipedia "The Motorcycle Song (in album Arlo)" Entry   Receive Emails for Future Arlo Guthrie Lyrics

Email:

  Link to "The Motorcycle Song (in album Arlo)"   Share on Facebook, Twitter, and more
  See Recommended Lyrics For You

Loading...

Lyrics by Arlo Guthrie

  1913 Massacre   A Little A This N That   Alice's Restaurant   Alice's Restaurant Massacre   Alice's Restaurant Massacree   Alice's Rock & Roll Restaurant   Alice's Restaurant   Alice's Rock & Roll Restaurant   All Over the World   All This Stuff Takes Time   Anytime   Bling Blang   Buffalo Gals   Buffalo Skinners   Carry Me Over   Children Of Abraham   Chilling of the Evening   City of New Orleans   Coming Into Los Angeles   Connection   Cooper's Lament   Cooper's Lament   Cowboy Song   Darkest Hour   Days Are Short   De Colores   Dead Or Alive   Deportees   Deportees (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)   Doors of Heaven   Drowning Man   Eli   Epilogue   Evangelina   Every Hand In The Land   Face Of Time   Fence Post Blues   Gabriel's Mother's Highway Ballad #16   Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues   Gabriel's Mother's Highway Ballad #16   Garden Song   Gates of Eden   Give It All You Got   Grocery Blues   Guabi, Guabi   Gypsy Davey   Hard Times   Here We Are/Way Out In The Country   Here We Are\/Way Out In The Country   Highway In the Wind   Hobo's Lullaby   Hobo's Lullaby   I Could Be Singing   I Ride an Old Paint   I Ride On Old Pain   I Want To Be Around   I'll Be With You Tonight   I'm Changing My Name To Chrysler   I'm Going Home   I've Just Seen a Face   I'll Be With You Tonight   I'm Changing My Name To Chrysler   I'm Going Home   I've Just Seen A Face   If I Could Only Touch Your Life   If You Would Just Drop By   Introduction   Jacob's Ladder   Jacob's Ladder   Jamaica Farewell   John Looked Down   Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream   Last To Leave   Last Train   Lay Down Little Doggies   Lightning Bar Blues   Little Beggar Man   Little Beggarman   Living In the Country   Living Like a Legend   Lord Grenville   Lovesick Blues   Major Blues   Manzanillo Bay   Massachusetts   Me and My Goose   Meditation (Wave Upon Wave)   Miss the Mississippi and You   Moon Song   Mother The Queen Of My Heart   Motorcycle Song   My Creole Belle   My Front Pages   My Love   Mystic Journey   Nostalgia Rag   Now and Then   Ocean Crossing   Oh Mom   Oh, In The Morning   Oklahoma Hills   Oklahoma Nights   One Night   Patriot's Dream   Patriot's Dream   Percy's Song   Percy's Song   Power Of Love   Presidential Rag   Prologue   Ramblin' Round   Ramblin' Round   Red River Valley   Ridin' Down the Canyon   Ridin' Down The Canyon   Ring Around-A-Rosy Rag   Ring-Around-A-Rosy Rag   Ring-Around-A-Rosy-Rag   Running Down The Road   Russian Girls   Sailing Down This Golden River   Satellite   Shackels And Chains   Shackles and Chains   Slow Boat   Solo Le Pido A Dios   Somebody Turned On the Light   Someday   Stairs   Standing at the Threshold   Stealin'   Story of Reuben Clamzo & His Strange...   Story of Reuben Clamzo & His Strange...   Streets of Laredo   Telephone   Tennessee Stud   The City of New Orleans   The Gal I Left Behind   The Motorcycle Song   The Motorcycle Song (The Significance Of The Pickl...   The Motorcyle Song   The Pause of Mr. Claus   The Ross Perot Guide To Answering Embarassing Ques...   The Sinking of the Reuben James   This Land Is Your Land   This Troubled Mind of Mine   Try Me One More Time   Ukulele Lady   Uncle Jeff   Under Cover of Night   Underground   Unemployment Line   Union Maid   Utah Carroll   Valley To Pray   Victor Jara   Wabash Cannonball   Waimanalo Blues   Wake Up Dead   Walking Song   Wedding Song   Wheel of Fortune   When a Soldier Makes It Home   When I Get To The Border   When The Cactus Is In Bloom   When The Ship Comes In   Where Have All The Flowers Gone   Which Side   Won't Be Long   Won't Be Long   Woody's Rag/hard Work   Woody's Rag\/Hard Work   Woody's Rag/hard Work   World Away From Me   Wouldn't You Believe It   Wouldn't You Believe It   You and Me   You Are the Song

Related Songs

  Motorcycle Song - Billy Joel  The Motorcycle Song - Richard Hawley  Speeding Motorcycle - Daniel Johnston  Speeding Motorcycle - Yo La Tengo  Speeding Motorcycle (Daniel Johnston cover)...  Mutha Fukka On A Motorcycle - Machine Gun Fellatio  Motorcycle Boy - Gutterball  The Garden Song (Arlo Guthrie Version)...  Motorcycle Mama - I See Hawks In L.A.  Motorcycle Mama - Neil Young  Motorcycle Mystics - Eurythmics  Taller Than His Hair - David Roth  Bad Motorcycle - Tracey Ullman  Blanc-Bec - Buck 65  Motorcycle - SNSD  Bad Motorcycle - Various Artists  Motorcycle St Sebastian - Doug Anthony Allstars  Motorcycle Emptiness - Manic Street Preachers  Stunna Frames - Kia Shine  Stunna Frames - Kia Shine  Ghost Rider - Suicide  I Feel Speed - Love and Rockets  I Need Your Clothes, Your Boots, And Your Motorcyc...  Motorcycle - The Rumble Strips  Ghost Rider - Anna Calvi  High Off The Ground - Project Pat  Motorcycle - Acid  I Feel Speed - Dubfire  Motorcycle Man - Saxon  LET'S GO AWAY FOR AWHILE - Neil Young  Motorcycle - Kip Moore  Get On Dis Motorcycle - Petey Pablo  Get On Dis Motorcycle - Bubba Sparxxx  Motorcycle Mama - Harpo  Rec & Play - I'm From Barcelona  Motorcycle Daydream - Bedroom Eyes  21 Days - Pete International Airport  Down At The Ball Park - Jandek  M.C. Baby - Hanoi Rocks  An Album By Chris Moyles - Chris Moyles  My Parody Album - Chris Moyles  White Wolf - Retribution Gospel Choir  Coma Girl - The Loved Ones  The Ballad Of Spiro Agnew - John Denver  As the Rush Comes - Jes  Underwater Birth...  Highway One Zero Street - Joe Strummer  Home For the Holidays - Halie Loren  The Girl from Ipanema - Halie Loren  Smile - Hamish Kilgour  Motorcycle - A Brief Smile  Motorcycle - Love and Rockets  Motorcycle - Wussy  Motorcycle - Iggy Pop  Motorcycle - The Front Bottoms  Highway On Zero Street - Joe Strummer  Rime - A Hill To Die Upon  Moody Motorcycle - Human Highway  Jingle Bells - John Denver  Harley Dollar Bill$ - Turbo Fruits  Ardiente Tentacion - Sentidos Opuestos  Ardiente Tentación - Sentidos Opuestos  MOTORCYCLE RIDE - Rancid  Bulldozer - Datarock  A Song For All Lovers - John Denver  The Motorcycle Boy Reigns - Modern Life Is War  The Christmas Song - Halie Loren  Now Hear This - Hal Galper  Part 1 - Harald Weiss  On the Retina - In Camera  High Heel Blues - Halie Loren  Rockstar - Haraeki Stage A  Last Song - Hamish Kilgour  Going Out - Hamish Kilgour  The Attic - In Camera  Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots [*]...  Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots...  Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots [*]...  Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots...  Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots...  Black Denim Trousers - The Cheers  Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots...  San Antonio Rose - John Denver  The Ballad of Richard Nixon - John Denver  Hang On - Hank Williams Sr.  Tennessee Driver - Hank Williams Sr.  K.m.a. \/q.b. - Bluiett Baritone Saxophone Group  Legion - In Camera  His Majesty Is Coming - In Crowd  Scream In Silence - Incrave  Happy Retirement - Happy Retirement  Motorcycle Rider - The Icicle Works  Motorcycle Rider - Icicle Works  Faster, Faster - Bree Sharp  Mother Natures Son - John Denver  Mother Natureâ??s Son - John Denver  Motorcycle Mama - Sailcat  Mpr-1 - Bluiett Baritone Saxophone Group  Sny Moey Vesny - Igor' Grigor'ev  Man from New Guinea - In Crowd  Black Candles - Candlemass  All Night Home - Sparklehorse  Never 2 Late - Claude  Come Clean - Lungfish  Dead And Gone - Jake Miller  Horny + Sid Greenfield Argument - South Park  Final Achievement - In Camera  We Play Reggae - In Crowd  Love Is - Inas X  Winter Wonderland - Halie Loren  Sugar Cookies - Halie Loren  Santa Baby - Halie Loren  Blue Holiday - Halie Loren  More - Halie Loren  Exploration (Hard Bass 2014 Anthem) - Hard Driver  When the Truth Is... - Hamilton Leithauser  Mixdown - Holiday Parade  Wake (Drake Diss) - Joe Budden  Übertrieben - Inchtabokatables  Scars - In Camera  Co-Ordinates - In Camera  Tsyganskaya - Igor' Grigor'ev  Nevermore - Incrave  Motorcycle Landscape - Andy Partridge  Ballada Ob Ukradennoy Shapke - Igor' Grigor'ev  Grown Up Christmas List - Halie Loren  Waiting for Chet - Hal Galper  Libation for a Baritone Saxophone Nation...  Cowboy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Delight - John Denver  Cowboy's Delight - John Denver  Motorcycle Drive By - Dowsing  Playing A Game... - Incubator  Laskovyy Romans - Igor' Grigor'ev  She Was Like A Bright Light...  If I Am Only Allowed One Song On This Album With C...  One in the Same - My Morning Jacket  Anthem - Revelation - John Denver  4gn 4ever - Impossibles  Songs Of.... - John Denver  Lucky Day Bad Advice - Waterboys  Dakota the Dancing Bear, Pt. 2 - David Allan Coe  Marcus Garvey's Back in Town - In Crowd  Frau Sein - Ina Deter  Malevolence - I Declare War  (Never) Say Goodbye - Impossibles  Everyday - Impossibles  Hagrid on the Hog...  Coda Morte - Impaled  Cowboys Delight - John Denver  Cowboyâ??s Delight - John Denver  Insulated Crate - The Island of Misfit Toys  Love Song - Inchtabokatables  Miss Punta Blanca - Jane Siberry  Another Woman's Dream - Edie Brickell  Zachary and Jennifer - John Denver  Heart Of A Soldier - Claude  Summertime - Halie Loren  I Can't Get Started - Hal Galper  Nature of Blue - Hard Driver  Depths of Green - Hard Driver  Motorcycle Landscape - Xtc  Harleys & Horses - Zona Jones  Hit Song (party Edit) - Kollektivet TV2  Delonte West - Chevy Woods  Your Way - Claude  Ready For Your Love - Claude  Private Dance - Claude  Back Of My Cab (1:39) - Happy Head  The World So Cold - Soulja Boy  In Love With The Greenery - Poor Old Lu  Whiskey, Weed & Women - Hank Williams Sr.  7 Months, 39 Days - Hank Williams Sr.  Atlantic City - Hank Williams Sr.  The Backwards Section From Nature Trail To Hell...  Devil's Daughter - Hank Williams Sr.  Nighttime Ramblin' Man - Hank Williams Sr.  Lovin' & Huggin' - Hank Williams Sr.  Life Of Sin - Hank Williams Sr.  Country Heroes - Hank Williams Sr.  Callin' Your Name - Hank Williams Sr.  Cecil Brown - Hank Williams Sr.  Broke, Lovesick & Driftin' - Hank Williams Sr.  5 Shots Of Whiskey - Hank Williams Sr.  Blue Devil - Hank Williams Sr.  I'm Drunk Again - Hank Williams Sr.  They Oughta Write a Song - Halie Loren  Spacetown (4:53) - Happy Head  Thinkin' Green - Believe In Grey - Incubator  Speak Soft - Poor Old Lu  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...  Harmony - Happy Head  Digital Love Thing (3:00) - Happy Head  Hullabaloo - Hamish Kilgour  Rave Up (For the Yellow Dogs) - Hamish Kilgour  Strength of an Eye - Hamish Kilgour  Get On Up - Hamish Kilgour  Crazy Radiance - Hamish Kilgour  J.B. Groove - Bluiett Baritone Saxophone Group  Walkin' With Sorrow - Hank Williams Sr.  60 Second Song For A Bank, With The Words, â??m...