As we leave the 1940s, it would be criminal to not mention Woody Guthrie and his classic “This Land Is Your Land.” This is one of those songs that we would sing in music class in elementary school. You can definitely hear how Guthrie influenced musicians like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. It also amazes me how many people do not realize the history of the song, or that it had some lyrics that were critical of the United States. The song is about the land belonging to the people, which makes sense since Guthrie was a pretty hardcore socialist (maybe Communist, those things are debated).
Fun fact that most people know…”I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys was written with some lyrics found on a scrap of paper found in Woody Guthrie’s archives. In fact, they released an acoustic album in 2022 with ten songs that include Guthrie’s unused lyrics. Apparently his daughter felt the band was perfect for getting some of her father’s old messages out there. Pretty cool.
