Dissent: This Land Is Your Land
October 8th, 2008 | by Scott |When Woody Guthrie first wrote this song almost 70 years ago it was not the overtly patriotic anthem that many perceive it to be. Instead, it was a protest response to Irving Berlin’s God Bless America. Guthrie was a product of the Great Depression spending time in his early adulthood traveling with migrants from the Dust Bowl. He chafed at the seeming injustice that these migrants endured in their endeavors to find a place to live, work and prosper (captured beautifully in his song Do Re Mi, here sung by Ani Difranco).
Woody felt that Berlin’s tune did not capture the truth of the difficult plight of many Americans and glossed over with complacency the reality of the day. His original version of the song was a stunning indictment of the dangers of rampant capitalism that loses sight of individuals.
My girls love this song and ask me to play the different versions of the song I have on my iPod. I try to make sure they hear all of the verses in order to appreciate the rich history and legacy of protest that weaves its way through the genre of folk music.
I could talk about Guthrie and his music all day but instead I will recommend Joe Klein’s Woody Guthrie: A Life and the 1976 film Bound For Glory.
Here is Steve Earle including the more radical verses:
And my favorite version of the song, courtesy of The Boss:
9 Responses to “Dissent: This Land Is Your Land”
By jim MacKenzie on Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
Scott, let me jump in here first and offer a thought about your blogging (since very recently you took a break and have been wondering about what to do with it).
THIS is what you need to do. I love these posts when you blend your extensive knowledge of music and pop culture and important issues and you offer thoughts along the way. I think it is a perfect blending of your gifts and interests with just enough stuff to challenge us. Just my opinion… great stuff with the protest songs…
Jim
By Scott on Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
Thanks, Jim. I really enjoy doing stuff like this. It doesn’t typically garner as many comments but hopefully stirs a bit of thinking.
By Jeff Slater on Oct 9, 2008 | Reply
I remember singing this song in elementary school music class. Along with the silly “One Tin Soldier.”
By jasonk on Oct 9, 2008 | Reply
Scott, did you know that toward the end of his life, Woody spent much of his time exploring his faith in Christ? Had he lived, his Christianity might have made the church shiver as much as he made some American citizens.
Now that you’re an Oklahoman like me and Woody, did you make it to the Woody Guthrie Free Folk Festival this summer?
By matt elliott on Oct 10, 2008 | Reply
Good stuff. And it really rings true at the moment, not only given the current economic state, but also because I’m in the midst of re-reading “The Grapes of Wrath”!
Here’s a great version of “Do Re Mi” from John Mellencamp:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1vowl_john-mellencamp-do-re-mi_music
By jeff_r on Oct 11, 2008 | Reply
I remember hearing U2 do a cover of this song - the first time I’d heard anything except the sanitized version we sang in elementary school. The verse that surprised me as “as I went walking, I saw a sign there, and on that sign it said ‘no trespassing’; but on the other side, that sign said nothing. That side was made for you and me”
What a great verse! (The Steve Earle version says “high wall” and “private property”, but, as usual, I’m sticking with Bono.)
By Scott on Oct 11, 2008 | Reply
Jeff, One Tin Soldier is nothing less than a classic cheese anthem.
Jason, Guthrie was baptized into the Church of Christ. It would have been interesting to see him grow old within my tradition. I did not make the festival this past July but I have plans for next summer.
Matt, great version by Mellencamp. That entire Folkways tribute to Guthrie and Leadbelly was first-rate.
Jeff, do you remember the video I had for Folkways: A Vision Shared? I listened to that endlessly the summer you stayed with us. It included a rollicking version of “Jesus Christ” by U2.
Earle’s version seems to be the original lyric but, I agree, the later version is better.
By jasonk on Oct 11, 2008 | Reply
I did not know that he had been baptized into the Church of Christ. Was this later in his life? He surely had the potential to hack off some CofC ladies :>)
How about God’s Promise, by Ellis Paul? Excellent song.
By happy on Oct 14, 2008 | Reply
My buddy Mike was tour manager for Arlo for the past ten years (he’s currently doing Preservation Hall). When Arlo and his daughters sing it I get tears.