Guthrie originally wrote very political oriented lyrics but weren’t officially recorded and were never released in the song itself.
For example, the less commonly heard fourth and sixth stanza goes along the lines of:
Fourth Stanza
“As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side ... it didn't say nothin'!
Now that side was made for you and me!
God blessed America for me.
Sixth Stanza:
One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple
By the Relief Office I saw my people--
As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if
God blessed America for me.”
The stanzas are in reference to the Great Depression and what Guthrie saw while he was in New York. He thought America would be more successful under a Communist Regime. These stanzas were evidently cut out since some thought they ruined the message of a patriotic song even though Guthrie originally wanted the song to be used to state his political opinions.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/feb23/guthrie-writes-land-your-land/
https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-this-land-is-your-land/lynne-margolis/
https://www.npr.org/2000/07/03/1076186/this-land-is-your-land
https://thislandisyourland-woodyguthrie.weebly.com/analysis.html
That's really interesting that this song has been sung by all ages from elementary schools to political protest parades in modern times. With this type of background on the making of the song and the radical like meaning, it amazes me that it's been taught in school. Recently, during President Trumps travel ban, protesters sang this song to the travelers that were detain at JFK and Philadelphia International Airport.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/2019/03/14/702792467/woody-guthrie-this-land-is-your-land-american-anthem
I love how you pointed out the irony of Guthrie's writing of the song and how the song was written to voice his political opinions and then modified for students because the government didn't like Guthrie's opinions. This is ironic as America is supposed to be known as the land of the free with freedom of expression and press, etc. After reading more about the song, I found that some speculate that the song was specifically a Marxist response to "God Bless America". Throughout his life, Guthrie was also associated to different Communist groups although he didn't appear to be a member of them. The owners of the radio station he worked in weren't comfortable with his Communist-sympathetic views which led him to leave the station. From his experience, it's clear to see the antagonization of Communism and its effects on freedom of thought and expression.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Guthrie
Now that I reread the fourth and sixth stanzas, I feel like Guthrie's lyrics are really prophetic! They show that although America claims to be for everyone, it often isn't. I noticed a stark similarity between the fourth stanza and Trump's policy to block the immigrants and impose travel bans on citizens of certain Muslim countries. The fourth stanza of the modified song reminded me of Trump's plan to build a wall barring illegal Mexican immigrants from entering the U.S.:
ReplyDeleteWas a high wall there that tried to stop me
A sign was painted said: Private Property,
But on the back side it didn't say nothing —
This land was made for you and me.
Much like our National Anthem, Guthrie's song was edited out of sociocultural consciousness to fit a patriotic narrative. However, I do believe that singers should strive to preserve the original lyrics, as they show the struggles and protests of the working class during the Depression.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-pledges-to-start-work-on-border-wall-within-months/2017/01/25/dddae6ee-e31e-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html