Welcome to Chillers, the ongoing series where we take a look at songs that give me goosebumps. Bi-weekly posting will be done on WordPress with a cross post to Bluesky.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Alice’s Restaurant Massacree remains one of the strangest, funniest, and most unexpectedly powerful songs in American folk music.

Across nearly 20 minutes, Arlo Guthrie spins a winding tale of a simple Thanksgiving gesture gone horribly awry. What starts with a friendly meal and a botched garbage dump spirals into a critique of small-town police forces, the justice system, the draft, and the Vietnam War—all wrapped in deadpan humor and guitar strumming.

It’s comedic, yes, but it’s also a mirror—reflecting the contradictions of human nature and the absurdity of bureaucracy. Guthrie’s delivery walks the line between folk storytelling and stand-up comedy, ending with a punchline that still lands nearly 60 years later.

Whether you listen as satire, protest, or just a Thanksgiving tradition, Alice’s Restaurant Massacree is a reminder that even chaos can carry a message worth singing.