Re: This Land is Your Land

On Dec 8, 6:07 am, Jumbo <ch...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Dec 8, 7:36 am, QuinRob...@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:





I can remember a while back when there was a campaign to change the
national anthem because it was too hard to sing, for one reason, and
maybe because it glorified war. All that talk seems to have gone by
the wayside, hasn't it ? I thought at the time that ' This Land Is
Your Land' would make a great choice for a national anthem, the song
being such a heartfelt tribute to the American landscape and the
generosity and idealism that typifies what we think of as ' the
American spirit '. But capitalism has ruined all that to the point of
being as almost-irreversible as global warming. It saddens me to think
that this country is becoming less and less worthy of the tribute paid
to it in Woody Guthrie's song. ....On the other hand, looking at the
ending chorus lines, which blend some pessimism, and realism in, to
contrast the sweeping grandeur of the song, perhaps some things never
change, - talk about your workingman's blues, man, did he know it.
These lyrics are brilliant. Just look at the way he seamlessly blends
the earthy, the gritty, the beautiful, and the spiritual into one
seemingly simple, honest song, about the country that he lives in.

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND words and music by Woody Guthrie Chorus:
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 was walking a ribbon of
highway I saw above me an endless skyway I saw below me a golden
valley This land was made for you and me Chorus I've roamed and
rambled and I've followed my footsteps To the sparkling sands of her
diamond deserts And all around me a voice was sounding This land was
made for you and me Chorus The sun comes shining as I was
strolling The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling The
fog was lifting a voice come chanting This land was made for you and
me Chorus 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! Chorus In the
squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple Near the relief
office - I see my people And some are grumblin' and some are
wonderin' If this land's still made for you and me. Chorus (2x)

I think you're right. The lyrics are great, and the song works well as
a tribute to the US. But, and this is really only my opinion, the
problem might be that the time for 'national' anthems is past. I
accept that at sporting occasions and the like it's nice to play a
rousing tune that everyone knows, but why should one particular song
be fixed as 'the' song? Why not choose from a constantly changing pool
of songs?

With apologies for being presumptuous, as I'm not American, here's a
tentative list of possibles:

This Land Is Your Land
Rockin' in the Free World
Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
America song from West Side Story.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text
Changing the national anthem, as I mentioned in the post, is hardly an
issue anymore, the war, the Bush administration, and an impending
economic recession being major distractions from such traditions ( and
yes, you do mainly hear the national anthem at events to sort of
settle the crowd down before the game begins. National anthems seem to
have an emotional significance in the Olympics, I guess, like when
some athlete wins a gold medal. ) I don't think most people would
favor a 'national anthem song shuffle', though. I 'm OK with the
current national anthem because of its historical value. It wouldn't
hurt America to hold on to a few traditions now and again.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: This Land is Your Land
    ... I thought at the time that ' This Land Is ... Your Land' would make a great choice for a national anthem, the song ... Chorus As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there And that sign ...
    (rec.music.dylan)
  • Re: This Land is Your Land
    ... Your Land' would make a great choice for a national anthem, the song ... being such a heartfelt tribute to the American landscape and the ... Chorus As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there And that sign ...
    (rec.music.dylan)
  • Re: This Land is Your Land
    ... Your Land' would make a great choice for a national anthem, the song ... being such a heartfelt tribute to the American landscape and the ... why it surprised me to read the last two chorus' which are a little on ...
    (rec.music.dylan)
  • This Land is Your Land
    ... I thought at the time that ' This Land Is ... Your Land' would make a great choice for a national anthem, the song ... THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND words and music by Woody Guthrie Chorus: ...
    (rec.music.dylan)
  • Re: This Land is Your Land
    ... I thought at the time that ' This Land Is ... Your Land' would make a great choice for a national anthem, the song ... THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND words and music by Woody Guthrie Chorus: ...
    (rec.music.dylan)