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Share The Land Lyrics
Have you been around
Have you done your share of coming down
On different things that people do
Have you been aware
You got brothers and sisters who care
About what’s gonna happen to you
In a year from now...
Maybe I’ll be there to shake your hand
Maybe I’ll be there to share the land
That they’ll be giving away
When we all live together.
Did you pay your dues
Did you read the news
This morning when the paper landed in your yard
Do you know their names
Can you play their games
Without losing track
And coming down a bit too hard...
Shake your hand, share the land
Shake your hand, share the land
You know I’ll be standing by
To help you if you worry....
Have you done your share of coming down
On different things that people do
Have you been aware
You got brothers and sisters who care
About what’s gonna happen to you
In a year from now...
Maybe I’ll be there to share the land
That they’ll be giving away
When we all live together.
Did you read the news
This morning when the paper landed in your yard
Do you know their names
Can you play their games
Without losing track
And coming down a bit too hard...
Shake your hand, share the land
You know I’ll be standing by
To help you if you worry....
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The line
"You got brothers and sisters who care About what's gonna happen to you in a year from now"
always strikes me to be related to the one-year tours that American soldiers had to undertake in Vietnam... and the singer wanted to be there to shake their hands when they return to the world after being in Hell.
@kurtamus They never would have played another concert at that time, had that been the meaning. Respect went to the resistor, not the drafted.
@kurtamus They never would have played another concert at that time, had that been the meaning. Respect went to the resistor, not the drafted.
Randy Bachman from the Guess Who said that song was more of a goof on the hippie movement. Communal living, "tune in, turn on and drop out" mentality of the early 1970's was great in theory but doesn't necessarily make one a productive member of society. So when he is saying "maybe..." it probably means just that. In reality, no one was going to share their land or give it away. it was more of an ideal of the time. The hippies mostly became yuppies when they figured out that wanting a better quality life than "Peace, Love, Dope, Right On and Power to the People" was producing. So Burton Cummings realized that if all the things the 1960's flower children were wanting comes true... he might "drink the koolaid" and buy into the lifestyle. Until then - show me da money!
@drlingus -- At first I was skeptical about this one (my opinion has always been it's about the Vietnam War), but now I am agreeing. Especially when he starts to say THEY will be giving away all this land. First of all, who is "they?" The government? Yeah, right. It does sound very idealistic and fanciful, something some hippies thought they'd wind up getting for free after hitting the pipe a few times too many. Maybe this sort of thing happened in Canada? ... If it ever happened in America, these hippies would be getting the crappiest land...
@drlingus -- At first I was skeptical about this one (my opinion has always been it's about the Vietnam War), but now I am agreeing. Especially when he starts to say THEY will be giving away all this land. First of all, who is "they?" The government? Yeah, right. It does sound very idealistic and fanciful, something some hippies thought they'd wind up getting for free after hitting the pipe a few times too many. Maybe this sort of thing happened in Canada? ... If it ever happened in America, these hippies would be getting the crappiest land imaginable, where nothing could be grown without sufficient irrigation, or whatever. :)
Part of me still thinks "Vietnam War" though, especially the first stanza, in which he's saying something's gonna "happen to you" a year from now, presumably because the guy he's speaking about is American (rather than Canadian) and is about to turn 18 a year from now, and therefore could get drafted.
There's also "did you know their names?" ... a question which could be addressed toward somebody else who gets a newspaper with local Vietnam War casualties in its obituary section.
@drlingus
@drlingus
Nice try, but this is a rubbish take.
Nice try, but this is a rubbish take.
Randy Bachman isn't exactly an authoritative source on what the song is about since he wasn't even with the Guess Who at the time. It was written entirely by Burton Cummings. There's an episode of Cummings on Howard Stern back in 1994 and Cummings says it's literally about sharing land (communism). The songs was banned in portions of the southern US because it was considered pro-communism. It's a great song. Randy Bachman had absolutely zero to do with the song or its meaning.
Randy Bachman isn't exactly an authoritative source on what the song is about since he wasn't even with the Guess Who at the time. It was written entirely by Burton Cummings. There's an episode of Cummings on Howard Stern back in 1994 and Cummings says it's literally about sharing land (communism). The songs was banned in portions of the southern US because it was considered pro-communism. It's a great song. Randy Bachman had absolutely zero to do with the song or its meaning.
@drlingus It is amazing, and tragic that this song - which has always stood on its own, now needs explaining, and seems to be done so by everyone BUT those who lived the times. The song was about an ideal. It was never banned anywhere. The "Red Scare" occurred more than a decade before it was recorded. It had nothing to do with drugs, as Burton had no patience for stoners - though - in fairness, they did buy a lot of records. The song had NOTHING to do with the Vietnam war. It was idealistic, many of us did...
@drlingus It is amazing, and tragic that this song - which has always stood on its own, now needs explaining, and seems to be done so by everyone BUT those who lived the times. The song was about an ideal. It was never banned anywhere. The "Red Scare" occurred more than a decade before it was recorded. It had nothing to do with drugs, as Burton had no patience for stoners - though - in fairness, they did buy a lot of records. The song had NOTHING to do with the Vietnam war. It was idealistic, many of us did live in communes for a while, the one I lived in was comprised of professors, and their families, but everything seemed to wind down by mid 75. Trying to explain this period and the acceptance, growth, and lack of violence, and greed to subsequent generations is like teaching a snake to play baseball.
Have you been around Have you done your share o' comin' down On different things that people do Have you been aware You got brothers and sisters who care About what's gonna happen to you in a year from now
Maybe I'll be there to shake your hand Maybe I'll be there to share the land That they'll be givin' away When we all live together I'm talkin' 'bout together now
Maybe I'll be there to shake your hand Maybe I'll be there to share the land That they'll be givin' away When we all live together I'm talkin' 'bout together now
------ Lead Guitar ------
Did you pay your dues Did you read the news This mornin' when the paper landed in your yard Do you know their names Can you play their games Without losin' track and comin' down a bit too hard Oh!
Maybe I'll be there to shake your hand Maybe I'll be there to share the land That they'll be givin' away When we all live together I'm talkin' 'bout together now
Maybe I'll be there to shake your hand Maybe I'll be there to share the land That they'll be givin' away When we all live together I'm talkin' 'bout together now
------ Lead Guitar Solo ------
Mmm, maybe I'll be there to shake your hand Maybe I'll be there to share the land That they'll be givin' away When we all live together I'm talkin' 'bout together now
Maybe I'll be there to shake your hand Maybe I'll be there to share the land That they'll be givin' away When we all live together Together, together
(Shake your hand, share the land) You know I'll be standin' by to help you if you're worried (Shake your hand, share the land) No more sadness, no more sorrow, and no more bad times (Shake your hand, share the land) Every day comin' sunshine, every day everybody laughin' (Shake your hand, share the land) Walkin' together by the river, walkin' together and laughin' (Shake your hand, share the land) Everybody singin' together, everybody singin' and laughin' (Shake your hand, share the land) Good times, good times, everybody walkin' by the river now (Shake your hand, share the land) Walkin', singin', talkin', smilin', laughin', diggin' each other (Shake your hand, share the land) Everybody happy together, I'll be there, don't worry, if you're needin' me (Shake your hand, share the land) Call on me, call on me, call my name, I'll be runnin' to help you (Shake your hand, share the land) Everybody walkin' by the river now, everybody, everybody laughin' (Shake your hand, share the land) Everybody singin' and talkin', smilin', laughin', diggin' each other (Shake your hand, share the land)
yes a good song...and finally one with comments:D
Awesome chorus! I love this song!
I heard somewhere this song was about drugs (it is a psychedelic era song), but I can only see this in the last part of the song. Anybody know for sure?
@guess|who yes, for sure, and no - nothing in the world to do with drugs... though, many were often experienced while listening to the albums that the song was included on.
@guess|who yes, for sure, and no - nothing in the world to do with drugs... though, many were often experienced while listening to the albums that the song was included on.
My history teacher told us that this song was banned in America during the "red scare" because it promotes communism. Indeed, it does:
"Maybe I'll be there to share the land That they'll be givin' away When we all live together I'm talkin' 'bout together now..."
Giving away land when we all live together...hm...
In any case hooray for Canadian rock bands!!!!!
@Canadian_Bacon I don't recall the song ever being banned. I grew up in that era and I always just thought of it as a great hippy song.
@Canadian_Bacon I don't recall the song ever being banned. I grew up in that era and I always just thought of it as a great hippy song.
holy jesus the absolute best concert song! its so easy to get into the music, and everyone is into it! OH! so good!
Someone was studying with Jehovah's Witnesses. Probably Burton. He was lost and searching in those years. "Walkin' down by the river" is a clear reference to Revelations= 22:1,2.
obviously about commune lifestyle. the singer hopes that at some time in the future, everybody will live together - everybody will care about each other (what happens to you in a year from now) and give land away free, without possesion or private property: the hippie dream. he says MAYBE he'll be there because he isn't sure how long this transformation of society will take. great soulful song.
@AndreAndre For what it's worth, many of us saw capitalism as a dead end, the one that was sending us to fight a pointless action. Almost everyone had studied Marx to some degree - to be better informed than... well, today's fascist-leaning mobs. Few seem to realize that they live in a country where freedom of choice is supposed to mean something... one of those legitimate choices is the American Socialist Party, and another is the American Communist Party... those who would deny those rights to others (choosing their party affiliation) - are the very same people they are criticizing. This...
@AndreAndre For what it's worth, many of us saw capitalism as a dead end, the one that was sending us to fight a pointless action. Almost everyone had studied Marx to some degree - to be better informed than... well, today's fascist-leaning mobs. Few seem to realize that they live in a country where freedom of choice is supposed to mean something... one of those legitimate choices is the American Socialist Party, and another is the American Communist Party... those who would deny those rights to others (choosing their party affiliation) - are the very same people they are criticizing. This also explains why this song represents somewhat of an enigma to those same robots... I mean people.