“This Is Your Land” Analysis by Mason Firestone
Woody Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter born on July 14, 1912, in Oklahoma. When Woody was 38 years old, he released the song “This Is Your Land” to symbolize his love for the American landscape. Guthrie also heard the song “God Bless America” by Irving Berlin and became annoyed after hearing it so many times because it does not portray history correctly in his eyes.
Guthrie was much different from most people in this time period, a large majority of the American population at this time was still racist, misogynistic, anti semitic, and overall did not have an open mind to anything different than themselves. Woody Guthrie however, was quite the opposite, Guthrie stood for diversity and equality for all, he even had a sticker on his guitar that says “this machine kills fascists.” Much like “God Bless America,” Guthrie makes sure to end every verse but two ends in “this land was made for you and me.” The only two verses that do not end in that, end in “this side was made for you and me,” and “is this land made for you and me?” Throughout this song, Guthrie Mentions many different places or landscapes that he
believes are beautiful and everyone should think of when they wonder if America is beautiful or not. In one verse, he mentions “As I went walking I saw a sign there And on the sign it said ‘No Trespassing’ But on the other side it didn’t say nothing” as to say that in other countries, the people have restrictions of what is their property or not, and in America, it is not a thing.
All in all, Woody Guthrie wanted to show American citizens that their country is much better than they think and better than other countries. He proved this to them in a different way than anyone had done before by standing for diversity and being on everyone’s side.
“This Land is Your Land” Song Analysis by Wyatt Santy
In February of 1940, a famous folk singer named Woody Guthrie wrote one of America’s most famous and controversial songs. This song was called “This Land is Your Land”, and while part of it details Guthrie’s love for America as a country and its people and natural beauty, he also details that some people don’t feel like America is truly “their land”. He takes his inspiration for this song from the 30’s in America, a time in which many Americans were out of work because of the Great Depression. This song is truly and American classic
Throughout this song, Guthrie talks about how he loves America’s natural beauty, but he never really talks about his love for the social system that America has set up. In fact, he even goes as far as to degrade it and say that it has failed his people. In the line, he sings “In the squares of the city, in the shadow of the steeple, by the relief office, I seen my people; as they stood there hungry, I stood there asking, is this land made for you and me?” He asks a question that many Americans at the time were asking themselves. While many people see America as the land of the free, the poor and disadvantaged in America see it’s social system as a failure. This song also had a very tricky way of gaining popularity. Much like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”, Guthrie made the songs first few lines very supportive of America as very happy sounding guitar strums sounded in the background. But the second set of lyrics talks about the unfairness and cruelty that America can have. Guthrie sings, instead of “This land is made for you and me”, he sings, “Is this land made for you and me?”
Woody Guthrie was an inspiration to many Americans across the country, and also a very influential singer. He inspired songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”, and singers like Bob Dylan. But his most important work was the fact that he could disguise a question many Americans were asking at the time with a upbeat tone that would reach many people’s ears for decades to come.
“This Land is Your Land” by Alex Morana
“This Land is Your Land” is a song written by Woody Guthrie and was published in 1945. This song is known by many as another national anthem and a very patriotic song, but some of the verses have some twisted meanings. In the first verse it talks about different parts of the United States including, “California” and “New York”. This shows that it is an American song. The song represents that everyone belongs in America and no one should be left out of our great country. In the second it talks about the endless possibilities of America, “golden valley”. Soon though, the song takes a turn in the 5th verse. It talks about how he went up to a “No Trespassing” sign and has a wall near it. This represents private property which is untakeable from anyone else. This represents how everyone in America has a right to own land and live on it. In the next verse it says, “they stood there hungry” and “is this land made for you and me”.
These are some negative aspects of the United States. During the great depression many were so poor they were unable to buy food so they had to stand in food lines in order to eat. This shows it was not easy to live and prosper in the U.S.A during and after World War II. This song is a masterpiece because it embodies what America is, unperfect. This greatly represents the United States because it shows how great it is, as well as why it is not a utopia. Then in the final verse it finalizes very patriotically and finishes with, “this land is made for you and me” showing that
America is made for everyone even with its issues. Woody Guthrie is truly a great writer and he shows how a song can have meaning and purpose even when it’s a song as simple as this.
Hoffmann Note:
Finally, because I am this age, enjoy the Jib Jab that took the world by storm 18 years ago (No, I don’t play it in class because students don’t know who this is).
