THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

• Some have called "This Land Is Your Land" an alternative national anthem.

• It was written and first sung by Woody Guthrie (1912 – 67).

• Over time, it's been sung by everyone.• Here is the story of an American classic.

• The song was originally written in 1940, when Woody Guthrie first arrived in New York City from Oklahoma.

• Guthrie didn't record the song until 1944, and he changed the lyrics over the years, performing it many different ways.

• Woody's influence on singers and songwriters today is reflected in the work of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

• Many artists including Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash started performing it, trying to get Guthrie's message across.

• This gained renewed popularity after the 2001 terrorist attacks on America and many singers performed it in an effort to bring people together after the tragedy.

• Any examination of the Depression era in the United States would be incomplete without mention of Woodrow Guthrie. More than any other individual, he wrote the musical score for the 1930s.

• He witnessed the worst of the Depression and he became the “people’s troubadour”.

• Stylistically, his songs stress the importance of voices and what they have to say.

• The simplicity and imperfections of the style suggest that anyone can write and sing these songs, that they belong to everyone and anyone.

• To Woody songs were weapons to be used in a battle over the American consciousness, with real political ramifications.

• Woody's songs also united people in a very practical way in the fight against social injustices.

• Some of Woody's favorite audiences were union meetings, labor strikes, or rallies.

• John Steinbeck described Guthrie this way: "Woody is just Woody. He is just a voice and a guitar. He sings the songs of a people and I suspect that he is, in a way, that people. Harsh voice and nasal, there is nothing sweet about Woody, and there is nothing sweet about the songs he sings. But there is something more important for those who will listen. There is the will of the people to endure and fight against oppression. I think we call this the American spirit."

• Woody Guthrie's legacy lives on in his music. His songs and life are celebrated every year during numerous tribute festivals in the United States. Today's artists still cover his songs.

• Woody Guthrie's message that people can change the world for the better remains as relevant now as it was over half a century ago.