Yes Virginia, There is a Quintessential Thanksgiving Song and it’s Quite Long

There are only a few Thanksgiving themed songs. Most people, including radio stations, begin playing Christmas music on Thanksgiving Day.

Yes, Adam Sandler of Saturday Night Live fame, released The Thanksgiving Song which has experienced some notoriety. But there is a long-running cult favorite that was born out of the 1960s anti Viet Nam protests that has become somewhat of a tradition to play, especially by Rock radio stations around the country.

An yes, the song is quite long.

Arlo Guthrie's Alice’s Restaurant Massacree is approximately 18 minutes and 34 seconds long in its original 1967 recording. Its lengthy runtime and detailed storytelling make it more of a spoken-word performance set to music than a traditional song, which adds to its unique appeal and iconic status as a Thanksgiving tradition.

Every Thanksgiving, as families gather to feast, a peculiar tradition unfolds on radios across America: the annual playing of Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant Massacree. This 18-minute satirical ballad, first released in 1967, has become synonymous with Thanksgiving, offering a humorous, poignant commentary on society and rebellion.

The song’s story begins with a seemingly mundane Thanksgiving in 1965, when a young Guthrie visited his friend Alice in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. After a festive meal, Guthrie and his companion disposed of Alice’s post-holiday trash in an unauthorized dump, an act that spiraled into an absurd series of events. They were arrested, convicted of littering, and later found themselves deemed morally unfit for military service due to this minor infraction. The tale is told with Guthrie’s signature wit, punctuated by catchy guitar riffs and sardonic observations.

At its heart, Alice’s Restaurant is more than a whimsical recount of a littering arrest. It’s a biting critique of bureaucracy, war, and the absurdities of authority, resonating deeply during the Vietnam War era. Guthrie’s anti-establishment message, delivered through his storytelling charm, made the song an anthem for countercultural resistance.

Its association with Thanksgiving is both literal and symbolic. The events of the song take place around Thanksgiving, but its themes of community, rebellion, and questioning societal norms resonate with the holiday’s spirit of gratitude and reflection. Over time, radio stations began playing the track annually, turning it into a quirky Thanksgiving ritual.

More than five decades later, Alice’s Restaurant endures as a cultural touchstone—a reminder of the power of humor and storytelling to challenge the status quo. It’s a Thanksgiving staple that connects generations, sparking conversations about the values we hold dear while making us laugh along the way.