What is you take on this song?

[Gdjjr]

I haven't given it a great deal of thought, but, I do remember it didn't seem *right* to me when first I heard it. Since then (and no I don't remember how long ago that was) I have mixed feelings when the singer is described as a communist- even by today's writers, who have a different perspective on things than when I was younger. I do find the song compelling though- as it seems to speak to a forlorn time when things were quite a bit different than they are now, which brings other thought of *artistry* to mind- like the movie The Grapes of Wrath and Merle Haggard's, Mama's Hungry Eyes.

Anyway, to the song I'm talking about- This Land is Your Land- the movie Bound For Glory did give me a different perspective on Woodie Guthrie and his music.

“This Land Is Your Land”: The Story Behind America’s Best-Known Protest Song

It has been a staple of kindergarten classrooms for decades. But Woody Guthrie didn’t intend for the song to be a ringing endorsement of American exceptionalism—he wrote it for those who were getting left behind.

getpocket.com

 

[norwegen]

If Guthrie left out the leftwing verses in his recordings, then they're not part of the song, anyway. Editing involves a lot of deleting.

 

[Damaged Eagle]

People interpret things in a variety of ways. This Land Is Your Land is a fun little song and reading too much into it and being offended is just as wrong as taking offence because someone considers something a "micro-aggression" so people should be prohibited from saying it. Just as they talk about their rights as guaranteed by the the Constitution. Funny thing...

The Constitution never guaranteed that you didn't have the right to starve and therefore others were responsible to feed you.

You can take that as you will but show me in the Constitution where it says that specifically.

*****SMILE*****

 

[Mac-7]

My Mommas Hungry Eyes is my favorite Merle Haggard song

And yes it does imply a yearn for socialism or communism during the hopeless years of the Great Depression

But America proved there was a better way and so far we have avoided the marxist trap

 

[Rambunctious]

Guthrie moved and traveled with transient work camps with bosses that took advantage of their workers...that song and many other songs of his reflect that fact...I remember that one quote..."capitalism will not survive without compassion and ethics born of religion"....that was true then and is true now....but having government take total control ie communism will never work.....

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

I haven't given it a great deal of thought, but, I do remember it didn't seem *right* to me when first I heard it. Since then (and no I don't remember how long ago that was) I have mixed feelings when the singer is described as a communist- even by today's writers, who have a different perspective on things than when I was younger. I do find the song compelling though- as it seems to speak to a forlorn time when things were quite a bit different than they are now, which brings other thought of *artistry* to mind- like the movie The Grapes of Wrath and Merle Haggard's, Mama's Hungry Eyes.

Anyway, to the song I'm talking about- This Land is Your Land- the movie Bound For Glory did give me a different perspective on Woodie Guthrie and his music.

“This Land Is Your Land”: The Story Behind America’s Best-Known Protest Song

It has been a staple of kindergarten classrooms for decades. But Woody Guthrie didn’t intend for the song to be a ringing endorsement of American exceptionalism—he wrote it for those who were getting left behind.

getpocket.com

 

[Mac-7]

capitalism will not survive without compassion and ethics born of religion"....

Liberals want marxism to be America’s religion

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

Great song. I never permit politics to interfere with my appreciation of actual art.

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Good article.

I remember singing the song in elementary school, and later hearing it sung by folk singers in the sixties.

There were, as you say, plenty of versions of this song. Communists and radicals of one sort or another way back in the days of Woodie Guthrie were often the folks who led working class movements for decent wages and conditions, and sincerely fought Jim Crow. I knew a lot of them who later regretted their naïveté about Russia and Stalin and Marxist ideology, but remained true to their youthful idealism in other ways. Some were tragic figures, others I respected deeply.

I guess I feel about this song as “The Boss” did, which he articulates at the introduction to his own somewhat wistful & sad version of it here:



I also watched and listened to the famous Bessie Smith version of “God Bless America,” which you were good enough to include. That sure does take one back to another era. Not a colored person or “minority” visible anywhere! Sort of reminds me why the famous Negro author of that same generation, Ralph Ellison, entitled his famous book ... “Invisible Man.”

P.S. I wonder if the song “God Bless America” may be one reason US citizens got used to calling ourselves “Americans.”

Of course some of our fellow citizens today no longer even consider that Mexicans, Cubans, Chileans, Argentinians, and Brazilians are also “American.” Is their land ours too? Is our land becoming Wall Street’s? I mean of course your personal property is not mine, and mine is not yours. But “patriotism” is a complex thing, more than a question of property rights and law.

Today some openly argue that even American citizens who just vote differently than they do, who don’t happen to worship a Christian or some other particular “God” (Money?), are also not “real Americans.”

Woodie Guthrie, me and “the Boss” ... would not agree.

 

[Gdjjr]

Springsteen's version is much more poignant- I have to learn that, to go with this one



I did that for my family last week- I got choked up with the line- Cowboys are average people, they're Texicans, Mexicans, black men and jews-

 

[Gdjjr]

I know wikipedia isn't always truthful, or even always accurate, but, this is an interesting write up-

Woody Guthrie - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org