My college roommate played this song all of the time. As a result I acquired a taste for Woody Guthrie and other folk song artists. It seems that I have listened to this song at least a million times. Being curious I wanted to know why Woody Guthrie wrote this song. This Land Is Your Land is one of the United States most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody, in critical response to Irving Berlins God Bless America, which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. Tired of hearing Kate Smith sing it on the radio, he wrote a response originally called God Blessed America. Guthrie wrote the song in 1940 and recorded it in 1944. The song was not published until 1945, when it was included in a mimeographed booklet of ten songs with typed lyrics and hand drawings. The booklet was sold for twenty-five cents, and copyrighted in 1951. What is amazing about that song is that in reality it is a protest song. It was written in reaction to the great depression when folks were unable to find work and were going hungry. The song writer (Woodie Guthrie) starts off by painting a pleasant picture about the United States of America as the land of opportunity but towards the end he starts to address real social issues. He points out that he sees his fellow citizens standing in welfare lines and then asks, is this land really ours? He seems to be asking whether the government really cares about its citizens. He is also addressing the issue of ownership by noting that common folks are dealing with hunger while the land is so fruitful/rich. Thus begging the question, is this land really ours? It seems like a simple song but it is very deep and it offers critical commentary on capitalism, land ownership, and the way our society is set up. See lyrics\: woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/This_Land.htm
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 16:53:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015