In light of the 4th of July, a special and important clarification should be made about the popular American Folk song “This Land is Your Land”.

First, “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie is, without a doubt, one of the greatest songs of 20th century popular music. One of Bob Dylan’s chief musical influences, Guthrie brought a realism and sophistication to folk lyrics that had been all but absent from the art form.

Disappointingly, “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie is, without a doubt, one of the most criminally-misunderstood songs in the history of 20th century popular music.

What he considered depressing, vile commercialism made the aging Guthrie retch, and capitalism makes him roll in his grave. Guthrie originally wrote “This Land” in 1940 as a protest song. Disillusioned with the Great Depression and the seemingly apathetic response from the US government and the capitalist enterprises, Guthrie wrote the song as a protest to the powers that be.

Therefore, the song is a declaration, a bold reassurance that this land, from California to the New York Island, was made for you and me, not Herbert Hoover and J.P. Morgan. This land is my land. This land is your land. Not, this land is their land.

Furthermore, “This Land” is a bitter satire, a savage parody of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. Guthrie’s original title for “This Land” was “God Blessed America for You and Me”.  He thought Berlin’s song was an insult with a hokey, unrealistic; it poured salt on the wounds of a rapidly deteriorating country.

Why, Guthrie proposed, should we pay homage to a God that could let such an economic tidal wave occur? That let such a catastrophe continue? That refused to lend a hand and make the suffering stop? Such devotion, in light of such misery, perplexed Guthrie, and he answered in savage, brilliant fashion.

Yet, despite the clear indication of Guthrie’s intentions, the song still prospers as an anthem of American Patriotism. CDs abound with disgraceful renditions of the number, all with happy melodies and sing-song, gee-whiz harmonies (think Lee Greenwood in his ridiculous stars and stripes jacket). What these popular versions cleverly do, however, is remove the more incendiary passages of Guthrie’s original song.

Guthrie was a folk musician in the truest sense, and as such, he would frequently improvise his material on stage.  This resulted in dozens of different versions of his most popular songs. “This Land” is no exception, but based on original studio recordings and Guthrie’s own writing, a definitive version of “This Land” has been assembled.  The original song had six verses, two of which are bastard children of the popular, viciously mind-numbing popular versions.

And I can’t blame them. Here are those two verses:

In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple;

By the relief office, I’d seen my people.

As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,

Is this land made for you and me?

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;

Sign was painted, it said private property;

But on the back side it didn’t say nothing;

That side was made for you and me.

The context and tone is unmistakable. This is a protest song, one with anger and frustration on its mind and social change as its goal, and it’s a disgrace to Guthrie’s legacy and the passion of secular, patriotic dissent that it has become what it has—a meal ticket with red, white, and blue gravy.