A clarification on 'This Land,' the PROTEST song

In light of today being the 4th of July, I feel that a special and important clarification should be made about the popular American Folk song "This Land is Your Land."

First, the obvious: "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie is, without a doubt, one of the greatest songs of 20th century popular music. A chief influence on the musical evolution of Bob Dylan, Guthrie brought a realism and sophistication to folk lyrics that had been all but absent from the art form.

Now the disappointing: "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie is, without a doubt, one of the most criminally misunderstood songs in the history of 20th century popular music.

It's a depressing, vile example of commercialism that must have Guthrie rolling in his tomb. "This Land." was originally written by Guthrie in 1940 as a protest song. Disillusioned with the Great Depression and the seemingly apathetic response from government and big business alike, Guthrie wrote the song as a protest of the powers that be. The song, therefore, is a declaration, a bold reassurance of the working-class Guthrie grew up in that this land, from California to the New York Island, was made for you and me, not Herbert Hoover and J.P. Morgan.

Additionally, "This Land." is a bitter satire, a savage parody of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." Guthrie's original title to "This Land." was "God Blessed America for You and Me," as he saw such a hokey, unrealistic declaration as the one provided in Berlin's song as an insult. Why, Guthrie proposes, should we pay homage to a God for help to a Depression he apparently led us into? or, that he refused to help us avoid?

Yet, despite the clear indication of Guthrie's intentions, the song still prospers as an anthem of American Patriotism. CDs abound with disgraceful renditions of the number, all with happy melodies and sing-song, gee-whiz harmonies. What these popular versions cleverly do, however, is remove the more incendiary passages of Guthrie's original song.

Guthrie was a folk musician in the truest sense, and as such, he would frequently improvise his material on stage, resulting in dozens of different versions of his most popular songs. "This Land." is no exception, but based on original studio recordings and Guthrie's own writing, a definitive version of "This Land." has been assembled, one of six verses, two of which are bastard children of the popular, gut-wrenching popular versions.

And I can't blame them. Here are those two verses:

In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple;

By the relief office, I'd seen my people.

As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,

Is this land made for you and me?

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;

Sign was painted, it said private property;

But on the back side it didn't say nothing;

That side was made for you and me.

The context and tone is unmistakable. This is a protest song, one with anger and frustration on its mind and social change as its goal. And it's a disgrace to Guthrie's legacy, really, that it has become what it has.