10/28/2022 0 Comments New lands justice lyricsAs I went walking I saw a sign thereĪnd on the sign it said “No Trespassing.” He meant it as a slap at Berlin’s hit number, making it clear that he didn’t think God was the solution to America’s problems.īy the time he debuted the song on his weekly radio show in 1944, Guthrie had revised the title to “This Land is Your Land.” He reworked the last line of each verse to a friendlier, “This land was made for you and me.” He also nixed the two most controversial verses, verses that accused the American system of business of greed and disregard for the needy. Guthrie originally titled the song “God Blessed America For Me”-words that also served as the last line of each verse. Guthrie died of Huntington’s disease in 1967, but not before inspiring a new generation of singer/songwriters including Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. And the songs that I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you." About his writing and singing he said: "I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built, I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work. Guthrie viewed folk music as a potent means of protest. He entertained sailors and troops with songs blasting fascism, the brutal, nationalistic system of government operated by Germany’s Adolf Hitler and Italy’s Benito Mussolini. During World War II, though, he served in the Merchant Marine and U.S. He was drawn toward the plight of American workers and embraced socialist beliefs. As he wandered, he became increasingly critical of the injustice he associated with American capitalism. The teenager began to travel the country, strumming his guitar and singing for coins. He and his brother were left to fend for themselves. His mom had a nervous breakdown and was committed to the state mental hospital. Guthrie’s sister died in a fire and his dad’s business collapsed. Tragedy and trouble began to mount after 1919. The Guthries were the first people in town to own a car. His dad was a successful real estate wheeler-dealer. #New lands justice lyrics full#Named for the soon-to-be-elected Democratic candidate for president, Guthrie remembered an early boyhood full of music, singing, and plenty of pocket money. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was born in the small town of Okemah, Oklahoma, on July 14, 1912. In the squares of the city, in the shadow of the steeple,Īs they stood there hungry, I stood there asking When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,Īnd the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,Īs the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:Īnd on the sign it said "No Trespassing."īut on the other side it didn't say nothing, To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps This is the story behind “This Land is Your Land.”īy Woody Guthrie This land is your land, this land is my landįrom the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters At the same time, he wanted to point out that a lot of Americans weren’t feeling blessed at all. In reaction to “God Bless America,” he worked up a simple song that tried to capture his love of the American landscape. In February 1940, Guthrie decided to fight music with music. Along the way, he chronicled their adventures, dreams, and sorrows in song. He shared the road with former farmers, laid-off factory workers, and migrants chasing hopes of work. Since his teens, he had hopped trains and hitchhiked back and forth across the country. Guthrie knew firsthand how tough life could be for poor folks. Guthrie felt that Irving Berlin’s song was too sappy, too blindly patriotic, and too cut off from the hard-knock life many Americans were facing as the Great Depression dragged into its 10th year. The year was 1939, and everywhere he wandered, “ God Bless America” was playing on the radio. Folk singer Woody Guthrie was sick of THAT song.
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