As times passed in the s, the folk revival moved to very urban areas, creating a juxtaposition between a very liberal movement and McCarthyism. According to Gentry, Guthrie never necessarily prescribed a political alliance that in turn inspired him to parody the song.
Gentry went on to explain that another issue that people on the left seemed to take with the song was the blatant nationalism of the song in combination with the religious message. This land was made for you and me. While this verse was recorded in by Moses Asch, it was never released. In fact, this version of the song was almost lost until it was once again unearthed in Additionally, there were even more radical verses that Guthrie wrote but never officially recorded.
As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if God blessed America for me. Gentry explains that these lyrics may not have been necessarily removed for a nefarious reason. Therefore, in order to be more child-friendly and universal, it could be likely that these verses were naturally phased out of the song. His close friend, Pete Seeger, was denounced as a communist and blacklisted as well. The Weavers, a folk quartet, lost their recording contract, could not book concerts and their recordings could not be played on the radio.
Treatment of folk singers at the time had a deep impact on the folk revival — with groups such as the Kingston Trio trying to avoid any political or social commentary in an attempt to achieve success without being labeled as communists.
Gentry explained that even today, many political campaigns will identify with music, though partisanship may not be as obvious from the lyrics of the song. However, some songs are so closely affiliated with campaigns that it is hard to ignore the correlation. Gentry also makes an interesting point about music once it leaves its maker. The original intent by the creators of either of these songs do not necessarily correlate with the message of the campaigns but are nonetheless frequently played.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It's the musical equivalent of apple pie, though the flavor varies wildly depending on who's doing the singing. On its most basic level, "This Land Is Your Land" is a song about inclusion and equality—the American ideal broken down into simple, eloquent language and set to a melody you memorize on first listen.
The underlying message, repeated throughout the song, makes the heart swell: "This land was made for you and me. Guthrie's original draft of the song contains six verses, two of which carry progressive political messages that add nuance to the song's overt patriotism.
These controversial verses are generally omitted from children's songbooks and the like, but they speak volumes about Guthrie's mindset when he put pen to paper 80 years ago.
He'd just landed in Manhattan after years of rambling across the country and meeting impoverished people affected by the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. So he set about writing a response.
Guthrie originally titled his rejoinder "God Blessed America"—emphasis on the past tense—but eventually changed his tone. Instead of doing a sarcastic parody, he wrote a song that pulls double-duty, celebrating America's natural splendor while criticizing the nation for falling short of its promise.
In the "lost" fourth verse, Guthrie decries the notion of private property, suggesting America is being carved up by the wealthy:. There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me. The sign was painted, said: 'Private Property.
This land was made for you and me. The sixth and final verse in the original manuscript references the poor folks Guthrie saw living on government assistance during the Great Depression:. One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple, By the relief office I saw my people; As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering if God blessed America for me? When Guthrie first recorded the song in , he included the verse about private property but left out the one about the relief office.
This was no rough draft, demanding heavy revision, yet it was not among the dozens of songs he recorded with Lomax in In fact, for the next four years he completely ignored it.
Only in April , in between stints in the merchant marine, did Guthrie revive This Land is Your Land during an epic recording binge for record executive Moe Asch. This Land Is Your Land was finally released on a compilation album for children in , albeit in neutered form. Two of the verses fall in and out of the song. One suggests that the US belongs to everybody, regardless of land ownership:.
Was a big high wall there that tried to stop me A sign was painted said: Private Property. One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple By the relief office I saw my people — As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering if [This land was made for you and me. Nobody living can ever stop me, As I go walking my freedom highway. Nobody living can make me turn back This land was made for you and me. While every iteration of the song celebrates inclusion and equality, the recording excludes the relief office verse and the version misses out both of the radical verses, as does the pamphlet.
But what exactly were those politics? For the party, this charismatic, authentic voice from the working-class heartlands was a godsend, because US communists were in a phase of reclaiming patriotism rather than rejecting it. The song represents something that the left often struggles to achieve: radical patriotism for the masses. Already popularised by school textbooks, This Land Is Your Land regained its political bite in the s through the folk revival and the civil rights movement.
It helped that Guthrie, no nightingale himself, had written a song that anyone could sing. Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger sang it , radical verses and all, at the inauguration of President Barack Obama in Bernie Sanders, who recorded his own bewildering reggae version in , made it a mainstay of both his runs for president.
Does it exclude anyone?
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