On the 75th Anniversary of the timeless folk song “This Land is your Land” by Woody Guthrie. Apart from reflecting the times in which it was written, its simplicity, accessibility, and catchy-ness all have allowed Americans to think more broadly of what “This Land” means as we continual forge an ever-changing national identity.

Taking pen to paper, I figured I would pay tribute to words that have captured millions. More on this further below, but first off, there are a few facts you should know:

• The song was in direct response to Irving Berlin’s jingoistic, “God Bless America,” and, in fact, was written as a response, entitled “God Blesssed America,”
• Two verses chastise private property rights and poverty, and,
• The song was popularized in large part by Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul, and Mary

With these facts in mind, I figured I would take the questioning spirit of this classic folk tune and craft some verses of my own:

This (Chicago)Land: and ode to the history of public housing in Chicago

Words: Woody Guthrie/Daniel Ronan  On the eve of the 75^th Anniversary of This Land, by Woodie Guthrie, 1940

February 22, 2015

 

This land is your land, this land is my land

From North, West, to the South Side;

From Dunning to Clearing, from deaf to hearing,

This land was made for you and me.

 

As I went ‘L’-ing down the Dan Ryan,

I saw beside me the projects of housing:

To the East I saw the Lake see:

This land was made for you and me.

 

I’ve sat and listened to the voices of housing,

I can’t begin to understand this living;

In the purgatory of history, I see milk and honey:

This land was made for you and me.

 

When they built Jane Addams, the buildings were humble,

With community, just like Trumbull,

Now the towers, reflect just power,

This land was made for you and me.

 

As I sought to thinking of ways forgiving,

I saw my people, flee from the steeples,

Oh how the money, can’t taste the honey,

This land was made for you and me.

When the towers came crashing, and people were crying,

They saw a vision interrupted by dying,

Pockets of poverty, so long a-lasting,

This land was made for you and me.

 

No bureaucracy can stop me, I challenge the market,

that supposedly bought me, and owns my pocket,

The future is ours to culture and nurture,

This land was made for you and me.

With that, I encourage you to take a turn at rewriting the verses. What social problem do you wish to see rectified? What parts of this country do you hold as beautiful? How can we make “This Land” a land for everyone?

For more information on the 75th Anniversary of “This Land is your Land,” be sure to check out this great article here.