“This Land Is Your Land” (2)

“This Land Is Your Land” is one of the United States’ most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 on an existing Baptist gospel hymn that had already inspired the Carter Family
Some have called “This Land Is Your Land” an alternative national anthem. Others say it’s a Marxist response to “God Bless America“, which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent.

As with other folk songs, it was sung with different words at various times and Guthrie varied the lyrics including more overtly political verses. Obviously, these radical lines, which can be best interpreted as a protest against the vast inequalities existing in the United States and all over the world, are not often performed in schools or official functions.

The song was revived in the 1960s, then by Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s.