In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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 water
This land was made for you and me
As I was walkin', that ribbon of highway
I saw above me, that endless skyway
I saw below me, that golden valley
I said this land was made for you and me
I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sand of her diamond desert
And all around me, a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me
Down in the city, in the shadow of the steeple
By the relief office, I saw my people
As they stood there hungry I stood there whistling:
This land was made for you and me
As I went walking, I saw a sign there
And on that sign it said "Private Property"
But on the other side it didn't say nothin'
That side was made for you and me !
Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking my freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back, cuz
This land was made for you and me
The sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
As the fog was lifting, a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me
From California to the New York Island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream water
This land was made for you and me
As I was walkin', that ribbon of highway
I saw above me, that endless skyway
I saw below me, that golden valley
I said this land was made for you and me
I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sand of her diamond desert
And all around me, a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me
Down in the city, in the shadow of the steeple
By the relief office, I saw my people
As they stood there hungry I stood there whistling:
This land was made for you and me
As I went walking, I saw a sign there
And on that sign it said "Private Property"
But on the other side it didn't say nothin'
That side was made for you and me !
Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking my freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back, cuz
This land was made for you and me
The sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
As the fog was lifting, a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me
Lyrics submitted by ralph mctell
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rlantelope, wat the hell are u talkin about, this was written in response to god bless america, its an anti god bless america, and its missin a bunch a verses
If I remember right it's actually a Communist Manifesto.
rlantelope has been drinking.
Indeed, its a communist anthem. I presume its written with "you" being a rich man, possibly making money from the poor, its pointing out how America is not just for the rich and fortunate, but also for the poor and un-lucky.
I know this song, but I dunno how.
Maybe from Friends : "this hand is your hand, this hand is my hand..."
it makes me sick that there is a 10.2% plus unemployment in america while alex rodriguez makes about 30 million a year. This is to the U.S government. Be trye patriots, tax heavily millionaires and help the hungry and homeless. Make peace talks. Not war.
@ThinkSolutions I humbly salute You, comrade! 🫡 Alex ought to donate some of the gelt.
It's pretty funny to me how me and everyone else I know has been taught this in school, despite its meaning. Ignorance is funny...
@Squeven so what’s the deep meaning, if it’s something more than Woody wrote the song as a response to G-d Bless Amerikkka?
"ignorance is funny" that's why rlantelope was born. and is still breathing today. we need to thin the herds, people.
woody guthrie's original version was titled "god blessed america for me"
Yeah, the posted version is messed up. Maybe he sang it that way a couple of times, but it's definitely not the standard way.
Freddy got most of it there. One verse that is usually left out goes:
On a bright sunny morning, in the shadow of the steeple By the relief office, I saw my people As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering if This land was made for you and me.
Kind of packs more of a punch than the "Yay America" version people tend to think this song is.
Also, Woody wrote the song because he was sick of hearing some lady )I don't remember her name) singing God Bless America on the radio. This song was originally titled "God Blessed America For Me." Those words can still be sung instead of "this land was made for you and me."
"I ain't a Communists necessarily, but I have been in the red all my life." -Woody Guthrie.
Kate Smith is the lady you're thinking of. Her version of "God Bless America" was very, very popular, and although Irving Berlin wrote it, people thought of it as "Kate Smith's song" back then. She was a staunch conservative and a racist. So you can see why Woody was annoyed by her and moved to write an answer song.