Re: [Marxism] VIDEO: Seeger and Springsteen sing original Woody Guthrie at Obama concert

["Darrel Furlotte" <darrel.furlotte@xxxxxxxxx>]

Doesn't matter how you interpret the lyrics; as populist, working class, 
etc., "This land" wasn't "made", it was stolen forcefully and viciously from 
the indigenous peoples of America.  If, as a lot of people do, you interpret 
"this land" to mean "this country" or "America" (the state of), then you can 
say it was "made"; but then it becomes clearer how the song is a patriotic 
paean in a colonial/settler state. Regardless of what Guthrie's intentions 
might have been..

Darrel

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeffrey Thomas Piercy" <mqduck@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Darrel Furlotte" <darrel.furlotte@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Marxism] VIDEO: Seeger and Springsteen sing original Woody 
Guthrie at Obama concert


> No, no, the song's great. I can't remember what was in the video (and
> for some reason have this splitting headache), but I'm guessing I was
> more upset by the disservice done to that song by people who should know
> better.
>
> "This Land Is Your Land" was written as a socialist anthem, by IWW
> member and father of American folk music Woodie Guthrie. Guthrie was
> quite upset by the way it became a patriotic anthem and wrote new lyrics
> to try to counter that development, most notably including this verse:
>
> "In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
> Near the relief office - I see my people
> And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
> If this land's still made for you and me."
>
> In the newer, updateder version of the song, or so I've read, they
> changed the last two lines to (from memory):
>
> "As some are grumblin' I stood there whistlin'
> This land was made for you and me."
>
> It makes me want to cry.
>


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