This Land

Woody Guthrie wrote 'This Land Is Your Land' 75 years ago today. This song evokes something from my Oklahoma roots and has an affective pull on my heart. It encapsulates my views of pluralism-- critical, skeptical, and justice-oriented. Often, just the first few verses are played and it seems like a folksy patriotic tune. But the heart of the song comes in the later verses, one of which is rarely included:

"As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing"
But on the other side it didn't say nothing
That side was made for you and me

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people
By the relief office I seen my people
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking that freedom highway
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me"



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