Among the characteristics of "going native" that we mentioned in class, was the need to travel westward, to discover and explore the wild lands that America had to offer. Woody Guthrie's song "This Land is Your Land," although produced in 1944, echoes perfectly the sentiments of the World Fairs discussed in class on Tuesday. The original version is as follows:
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.
I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While All around me a voice was sounding
Saying this land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This land was made for you and me.
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
Not only does Guthrie romanticize discovery, nature and the sense of freedom it invokes, his lyrics clearly ignores "this land's" origins. Even after some research, I am still unclear who the "you" in this song refers too. I am assuming (although perhaps wrongly) that Native Americans are absent from Guthrie's intentions. If I am correct, this song exists to unify the country, completely disregarding the original owners of the land. If "you" is indeed referring to Natives, then Guthrie is even more at fault by omitting our violent history and asserting that the land is for everyone's taking.
An interesting parody of "This Land" is on jibjab.com about the 2004 election between Kerry and Bush. The video initially depicts the segregation between the two parties but eventually places them together in harmony as Bush and Kerry end the song swaying together and chanting "this land is our land." However, their collaboration begins only after a scene depicting a stereotypical Native who sadly proclaims "This land was my land" to an immediate called out response "And now it's our land!" while a backdrop of Wal-Marts and strip malls spring up behind him.
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.
I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While All around me a voice was sounding
Saying this land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This land was made for you and me.
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
Not only does Guthrie romanticize discovery, nature and the sense of freedom it invokes, his lyrics clearly ignores "this land's" origins. Even after some research, I am still unclear who the "you" in this song refers too. I am assuming (although perhaps wrongly) that Native Americans are absent from Guthrie's intentions. If I am correct, this song exists to unify the country, completely disregarding the original owners of the land. If "you" is indeed referring to Natives, then Guthrie is even more at fault by omitting our violent history and asserting that the land is for everyone's taking.
An interesting parody of "This Land" is on jibjab.com about the 2004 election between Kerry and Bush. The video initially depicts the segregation between the two parties but eventually places them together in harmony as Bush and Kerry end the song swaying together and chanting "this land is our land." However, their collaboration begins only after a scene depicting a stereotypical Native who sadly proclaims "This land was my land" to an immediate called out response "And now it's our land!" while a backdrop of Wal-Marts and strip malls spring up behind him.
1 comment:
This a good example, but you are mis-reading Guthrie's song. Guthrie identified as a populist, so the your land/my land is most likely referring to "the people" in a broad sense, as opposed to only those with the money and resources to own land. I don't know about Guthrie's specific thoughts or actions regarding Native Americans, so that might be a topic for more research. Also, as you suggest, the song lends itself to the myth of America, even if that wasn't Guthrie's intention.
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