Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land"
Below you will see a scanned image of the version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" from the 1991 edition of the Silver Burdett & Ginn textbook, The World of Music. It includes only the refrain and the first three (of six) verses of the song as Guthrie sang it. Compare the two versions of the song and determine how shortening the song in this way affects its meaning.
It may be interesting to note that Woody Guthrie originally wrote This Land is Your Land as a socialist response to God Bless America.
To hear Woody sining click
here and scroll to the bottom.
from Silver Burdett & Ginn, The World of Music:
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
By Woody Guthrie
This land is your land, this land is my land,
From California to the New York Island,
From the redwood forest to the gulfstream 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.
This land is ...
I roamed and rambled, and I followed my footsteps,
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts,
All around me a voice was sounding,
This land was made for you and me.
This land is ...
When the sun come shining, then 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.
The original version:
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND By Woody Guthrie This land is your land, this land is my land, From California to the New York Island, From the redwood forest to the gulfstream 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. This land is ... I roamed and rambled, and I followed my footsteps, To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts, All around me a voice was sounding, This land was made for you and me. This land is ... When the sun come shining, then 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 ... In the squares of the city by the shadow of the steeple Near the relief office I saw my people And some were stumbling and some were wondering if This land was made for you and me. This land is ... As I went rumbling that dusty highway I saw a sign that said private property But on the other side it didn't say nothing This land was made for you and me. This land is ... 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.