This Land is Your Land

In 1940, American folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie penned what has become one of the most memorable and timeless American folk songs in the history of the craft. As legend has it, Guthrie wrote the song in response to the hugely popular Irving Berlin song, "God Bless America." He was so tired of hearing the song on the radio and the blatant jingoism it promoted. Guthrie had seen much of America by this time, had experienced the Dust Bowl exodus of the 1930s and the racism and classism that followed emigrant workers and the blue collar working boys around, as they searched for work during the Great Depression. With all of that in mind, Woody Guthrie wrote a new song of patriotism, with the refrain line, "God blessed America for me." The song includes rather poignant lyrics that were considered subversive in their time. These lyrics hinted at an idea of socialism and Lyrics to the song tackle the definition of liberty, individual rights and property ownership. Most recordings of this song omit these verses because of the controversy surrounding them; however, Today, Arlo Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen include all the verses as do many other artists.