“Happy Independence Day, everyone!” We came across this great recording of ‘This Land Is Your Land’ and wanted to share it with you.
‘This Land Is Your Land’ was written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 in critical response to Irving Berlin’s ‘God Bless America,’ which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. The song was first recorded by him in 1944; for more information see the This Land Is Your Land’ Wikipedia section.
The following video is a performance of the song with the images and voices of Woody and Arlo Guthrie, Holly Near, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Hoyt Axton, and others.
Enjoy!
Click on the image above to watch this classic performance of ‘This Land Is Your Land’ on YouTube
Lyrics to ‘This Land Is Your Land’
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The complete lyrics to ‘This Land Is Your Land’ follow:
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.
I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This land was made for you and me.
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;
Sign was painted, it said private property;
But on the back side it didn’t say nothing;
This land was made for you and me.
Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.
In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple;
By the relief office, I’d seen my people.
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,
Is this land made for you and me?
Note: The last three verses are not always included in the recordings of this song but we believe they are true to Woody Guthrie’s social activism and so have included them.
For more information on Woody Guthrie read the Woody Guthrie Wikipedia section.
