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JFH1111 t1_ixntdxg wrote

I drove past Alice’s Restaurant in Woodside just yesterday. I had forgotten the story took place at thanksgiving.

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Uranus_Hz t1_ixnvw9d wrote

How can you forget “Alice’s Restaurant Thanksgiving Day Massacree”

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casuallylurking t1_ixp1q04 wrote

With four part harmony! And mother rapers? Father rapers!

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JFH1111 t1_ixnwfen wrote

Lol! It’s probably been a good 15 years since I heard the song. I guess I’ll have to remedy that today.

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AU_Cav t1_ixq65do wrote

The radio station near my mother’s house plays it at noon every Thanksgiving. I time my trip to arrive at her house at 12:15 so I don’t have to sit in her driveway listening to the end

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evensevenone t1_ixo658o wrote

Different Alice’s, the song is about one in Massachusetts.

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umbrella-maker t1_ixoq947 wrote

It’s still a restaurant, different name though.

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PLEBMASTA t1_ixpf2nc wrote

Well Alice’s Restaurant wasn’t the name of the restaurant it was the name of the song. That’s why he called the song Alice’s Restaurant

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EaterOfFood t1_ixp1ekn wrote

But can you get anything you want there?

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Homelessnomore t1_ixo1h0a wrote

The missing audio from the Nixon Watergate tapes is about the same length as Alice's Restaurant. Coincidence? I think not.

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Snatch_Pastry t1_ixofox8 wrote

There is a version out there where he talks about that during the song. I heard it on the radio once, but have never been able to find it.

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johnnywriteswrongs t1_ixnrtuh wrote

Just finished listening to it. Thanksgiving tradition at my house.

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Uranus_Hz t1_ixnx8ux wrote

We used to have two thanksgiving dinners - one at my parents house and then another with my wife’s family. It was about a 45 minute drive so we’d listen to it in the car every year.

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johnnywriteswrongs t1_ixnyobk wrote

Perfect idea. I've listened to it every year since about 1979. My teenage kids hate it for some reason.

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PuddleCrank t1_ixq30t2 wrote

They'll come around, just like the next chorus on this here guitar.

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[deleted] t1_ixpzwy4 wrote

Teenagers hate everything for some reason.

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BearsArrive t1_ixq5gut wrote

I listened to that shit in my dad's car all throughout my teenage years and loved it. They'll come around lol.

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BearsArrive t1_ixq5f0v wrote

How many times has someone made a joke about having 'another thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat?'

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Jaded_Prompt_15 t1_ixnz6rd wrote

The movie holds up pretty well if youve never seen it, give it a shot.

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HapaxesL t1_ixq1a09 wrote

Obie and the blind judge (James Hannon) play themselves.

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mediumokra t1_ixo1r1r wrote

It took me YEARS to realize the point of the song Alice's Restaurant. The hidden message in the song is that he tells the story and says he's REALLY here to talk about the draft, and the things he does to try to make himself undesirable to the military.... But then they find out he was arrested for littering and they wouldn't take him.

The REAL hidden message in the song is if you can get yourself arrested for a minor crime like littering, you can avoid getting drafted. That's the whole hidden message.

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therealganjababe t1_ixo7suh wrote

I have to disagree,. I believe the message is how fucked up war is, that they'd take murderers and rapers but not someone who got arrested for something silly. That he was unacceptable to go kill people, and the absurdity of the draft, the war, all of it.

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Desarme t1_ixotbj8 wrote

I believe rapers aren't the only type of musician they draft to war.

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richg0404 t1_ixofdsf wrote

> The hidden message in the song is that he tells the story and says he's REALLY here to talk about the draft

Well it's not really hidden given that Arlo says that exact thing in the song.

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BearsArrive t1_ixq5sr0 wrote

Not sure I'd say that's a hidden message as much as it's just the exact content of the song.

The 'message,' as Arlo tells it, is a sort of celebration of stupidity. Let's all be thankful that the assholes running our world are morons too, or there'd have been a lot more folks shipped out to Vietnam.

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SatansLoLHelper OP t1_ixnrdar wrote

Newspaper clipping.

Obie plays himself in the movie, because making himself look like a fool was preferable to having somebody else make him look like a fool. He did spend 2 hours to find evidence of whose trash it was.

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Longjumping_Youth281 t1_ixqbqy1 wrote

Wait so in the song is this made out to be like trivial or something like that? Because it sounds like he dumped an entire bus worth of trash in a beautiful meadow. That actually is a kind of shitty thing to do. When people said littering I always thought like it was one paper cup or something like that.

Stockbridge is absolutely beautiful and has some great natural beauty and stuff like that. It would definitely suck if two people came from out of town and literally just dumped garbage everywhere

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naturalchorus t1_ixql1vs wrote

They added their garbage onto a pile of garbage the locals of the area had been using as their dumping site.

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SerenaSamantha t1_ixtp34l wrote

They thought one big pile of garbage was better than two little piles, so instead of bringing the other pile up they threw theirs down.

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balsaaaq t1_ixnsdka wrote

Did you think I was going to hang myself for littering?

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SatansLoLHelper OP t1_ixnsx1n wrote

You want to know if I'm moral enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein' a Litterbug

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ScorpionX-123 t1_ixoscqq wrote

He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send your fingerprints off to Washington."

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PirateQM t1_ixpwkvr wrote

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.

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VADave83 t1_ixnvi5f wrote

Even the father rapers?

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bstowers t1_ixnvrq9 wrote

27 8×10 color glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one don't lie about father rapers.

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NevaehKnows t1_ixojyl1 wrote

They were sittin right there on the bench!

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SheeEttin t1_ixowtoh wrote

Which bench?

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Iamjum t1_ixoz1f9 wrote

The Group W bench!

Where you smoke cigarettes and play with pencils.

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Positive-Source8205 t1_ixp533d wrote

I was sittin’ there on the Group W bench snd the biggest, meanest farther taper of them all cane up to me and said, “What’d you get?”

And I said, “I got a $50 fine for littering …” And they all moved away from me, then I said, “And creating a public disturbance.” And they all moved back.

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dancegoddess1971 t1_ixpus3k wrote

"I didn't get anything. I had to pay $50 and clean up the garbage."

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TheOutbreak t1_ixo3bt9 wrote

I have no idea what this is about. I've never heard about any of this. Is this Thanksgiving tradition? What? Is it a regional thing?

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SatansLoLHelper OP t1_ixo6xs0 wrote

https://www.nytimes.com/1969/08/25/archives/movie-of-arlo-guthries-alices-restaurant-opens.html

> it's about the America of the nineteen-sixties, which is like a dog being wagged by a tail pronounced "VEETnam," about the continuity between generations (as well as the gap), about the mindlessness of authoritarian systems

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TheOutbreak t1_ixot6j1 wrote

thank you, that explains the "what", but I'm truly lost on how that's relevant to Thanksgiving. America is pretty big, maybe this is an East Coast thing?

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Ent_Trip_Newer t1_ixouq41 wrote

Radio stations only played it on Thanksgiving as it's a 30 or so minute song. Advertising rates are low on holidays. And part of the story takes place on Thanksgiving

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MWBluegrass t1_ixou1qv wrote

The incident happened on Thanksgiving. That's why the dump was closed. People try to listen to the song once a year on Thanksgiving. I mean, I mean...it's only 18 minutes long.

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jazzminetea t1_ixp0vzi wrote

It's more generational than location. Been a thanksgiving tradition in my southern family for years.

or maybe more anti-war folk than generational... but definitely not about where you are from; other than it is American.

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SatansLoLHelper OP t1_ixp1oeu wrote

> Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago

It's a hippie thing. Arlo Guthrie is Woody Guthrie's kid, Woody was a famous Union Folk Singer in the US. You may have heard his hit song "This Land is Your Land".

Is Die Hard only a Christmas movie on the West Coast where Nakatomi Plaza blew up?

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subsonicmonkey t1_ixpdr7a wrote

We used to hear it on Thanksgiving on the radio in California as we drove to my grandparents’ place in Lake Tahoe in the 80s & 90s.

I just played it on Spotify this morning for myself while I was prepping some Thanksgiving dishes.

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ZsaFreigh t1_ixost1c wrote

Yeah I'm Canadian and have no clue what anyone in here is talking about.

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corycutstrees t1_ixoulqq wrote

Some radio stations play it every thanksgiving since the events in the song begin on thanksgiving day.

I didn’t grow up with my parents playing it, but I’ve played it on thanksgiving every year since 2004 when I was 14 and first heard it on the radio on the way to a family thanksgiving lunch.

I called my folks today and what are they doing? Listening to Alice’s Restaurant in my absence. They have apparently done that every year since I moved out of the state (10 years ago). It made me feel very loved.

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TheOutbreak t1_ixovp2p wrote

I guess I should have read the lyrics, thank you for further explanation. It makes a lot more sense now.

It really seemed like y'all were saying "here is an anti-draft/anti-vietnam song we play on Thanksgiving just because" which sounds just as bizarre as Unfortunate Son being a classic Christmas jingle.

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agreeingstorm9 t1_ixohfe0 wrote

I'm an American and had never ever heard of it. If it's a tradition it's not a big one or it's regional one or the other.

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wingedcoyote t1_ixp3bkv wrote

It's a "your parents or grandparents were hippies or hippy-adjacent in the 70s" tradition

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jazzminetea t1_ixp129z wrote

not regional, but maybe generational. Definitely anti-war.

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loquacious_avenger t1_ixpb96l wrote

I grew up on the west coast. My parents were horrified by it, my sisters and I made it a family tradition. Very much a generational thing.

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AudibleNod t1_ixodayi wrote

My house put it on when we were setting all the food out and doing final cooking. Good times.

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jbrc89 t1_ixot6q7 wrote

Kshe 95 in Saint Louis has been playing this song at noon on Thanksgiving day since it came out its a Midwest tradition

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Important_Collar_36 t1_ixq0jkq wrote

NPR plays it every year, some other commercial radio stations do too. But mostly it's an NPR listener thing.

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msspider66 t1_ixrdmkn wrote

I grew up on Long Island. A radio station, I think WBAB, played it every Thanksgiving.

These days I live in Michigan and listen to it on YouTube

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loquacious_avenger t1_ixo4vka wrote

Our local radio station (KINK FM) always played Alice’s Restaurant at 1:00, and supper at my sister’s was at 2:00. We would leave the house at 1:00 sharp and pulled into her driveway as the song ended.

My youngest son came home one day and said he had to share a Vietnam War protest song with his APUSH class but didn’t know any. I told him to just wait ‘til it came ‘round on the guitar again.

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picklefluffer t1_ixp79os wrote

I’m sorry you eat dinner at 2pm? Is that every day or just thanksgiving? We eat at 7 or 8 in my house

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loquacious_avenger t1_ixp8oc6 wrote

My family traditionally has holiday meals mid-afternoon. I have no idea why, and it’s not a tradition I’ve continued.

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stilljustguessing t1_ixpaa8k wrote

It's so the poor slobs working kitchen duty can eat and get things cleaned up and stilll have a tiny bit of holiday left themselves before everybody eats and runs.

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loquacious_avenger t1_ixpbcsi wrote

makes sense. better division of labor is another option.

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Important_Collar_36 t1_ixpzawy wrote

It's more like the sheer amount of food to put away/divvy up, and dishes to wash. Even if you keep up on the washing, it's still a lot after the meal. It would take a 4 or so people a couple hours in my family most of the time.

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niamhweking t1_ixpitaj wrote

We'd have Xmas and easter dinner around 3, but never eat dinner any other day at that time. It takes so long to eat you gotta start earlier than normal, we'd also be up earlier on Xmas day than normal and I'm motnmaking a lunch and dinner that day so it's a dunch or linner type thing

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Raistline1 t1_ixool0d wrote

Wife took me to see him about 15 years ago couple weeks before Thanksgiving in a room maybe seating 150 peeps. One of the the most memorable nights of my life. And of course he threw in Alice's Restaurant Massacre in four part harmony with extra jokes scattered throughout.

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wdwerker t1_ixpb6co wrote

A client owned a small venue and they saved me front row seats to see Arlo. At the break I got to go on the tour bus and meet him !

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xilix2 t1_ixyh4aw wrote

Arlo played during Ratdog's intermission at the Further Festival many years ago. I think it's the only thing I remember from that day. -:)

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IMind t1_ixodjkp wrote

It's fucking hilarious

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mclms1 t1_ixoz6jd wrote

And creating a nuisanse.

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BloodChasm t1_ixpattw wrote

My favorite touch tunes song to play. Annoys the shit out of people cause it's 20 minutes of a dude rambling.

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ilrosewood t1_ixp9iju wrote

I always assumed Obie knew what he was doing and purposely saved him from the draft.

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Brock_Way t1_ixp0s70 wrote

Yeah...mostly

As it turns out, you CAN get Alice.

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Melondog7 t1_ixphbl0 wrote

Pierre Robert, WMMR 93.3

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alarsonious t1_ixo9moz wrote

Well it's certainly true it is a story...

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Gay-is-me t1_ixov06v wrote

I have been looking for this on and off for 5 years, thank you.

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Gaygay09 t1_ixp1mgg wrote

My husband and I listen to it every Thanksgiving

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Redawg660 t1_ixp7v0d wrote

It was the quintessential protest song of the Vietnam era.

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daisy0723 t1_ixph48j wrote

That is so funny. I heard it for the first time yesterday.

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dinodoes t1_ixpmoll wrote

I have never heard of this song. Will listen and edit my comment when I do

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chilicuntcarne t1_iy076x8 wrote

I know that it's a long song but it really doesn't span 2 days.

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dinodoes t1_iy2xcne wrote

Don't currently have internet where I live. Having to use data. Doesn't work well enough to listen to music

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mr_four_eyes t1_ixpoty2 wrote

I mentioned listening to it to some of my old co-workers and not a single one had ever heard of it

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leeroy20 t1_ixq3aja wrote

Great song! We listen to it every year on Thanksgiving. He's an outstanding performer, I've seen him about 10 times. Went and visited the church a few years back, Arlo bought it and turned it into a music venue.

https://imgur.com/a/Gzk84eZ

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CircaSixty8 t1_ixq5ryg wrote

Fun facts, Alice's restaurant still very much exists and is open for business to this very day.

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Bigbird_Elephant t1_ixqe59w wrote

My dad was an extra on the movie and did some work for Arlo at the time

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36-3 t1_ixqhtya wrote

You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant (excepting Alice)......

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RealityGuru t1_ixqio8p wrote

Named my son Arlo. This was the first year he was old enough to listen and understand that the singer had the same name as him.

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Avium t1_ixqlz13 wrote

Damnit! I forgot that was a Thanksgiving song.

Now, I must go listen to the whole 18 minutes again.

Oh, and the first time I heard that song was on the radio in my car. I had to pull over because I was laughing too hard to drive.

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LeonardSmallsJr t1_ixpatuh wrote

Kiss my grits. Which Alice’s Restaurant are we talking about?

Edit: Answer is one Arlo Guthrie sings about, not the sitcom.

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[deleted] t1_ixpw0gf wrote

[deleted]

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BearsArrive t1_ixq62ho wrote

It's a very famous protest song against the Vietnam war, taking the form of a true story about how the singer got arrested for dumping garbage when he was a teenager, and later found out that made him ineligible for the draft.

It's poignant and really funny, I'd definitely recommend having a listen sometime. It is like, 15 minutes long, though.

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bolanrox t1_ixoabfq wrote

And it was first perform at the same workshop event that time had come today was

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[deleted] t1_ixocsau wrote

[deleted]

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ProfessionallyJudgy t1_ixokzbv wrote

The line is like 95% of the way through the song and its a single use of the word, not multiple slurs.

Personally, I always figured it was a tongue in cheek reference to the homophobia of the very conservative US military of the Vietnam Era, not that he was himself referring to gay men in that way. But sure, people can be offended about it if they like.

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darkbee83 t1_ixojnwt wrote

Projecting much?

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kay14jay t1_ixol7jy wrote

So you read through the lyrics and found nothing wrong? Maybe a word that belongs in the past .. many ‘good’ things have been left there for far less.

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