Happy 4th of July!

This is my mom's 1st 4th of July as an American Citizen. She's been in the US for over 5 years and has decided that she really wants to vote. Congratulations mom!

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
Woody Guthrie, the composer of "This Land Is Your Land," was one of the most influential voices in the entire American folk music tradition. His personal and musical styles were deeply influenced by his childhood in rural Oklahoma during the Great Depression years, which led him to a hobo life-style, a powerful dislike of greed, and a deep appreciation for the diversity of America's everyday folk.
In February 1940, Guthrie wrote "This Land is Your Land" in reaction to Irving Berlin's song "God Bless America." Guthrie heard Berlin's song repeatedly while he traveled cross-country and became increasingly annoyed that it glossed over the lop-sided distribution of land and wealth that he was observing and had experienced as a child. Although Guthrie was no statistician his observations accurately reflected the fact that, even in the depths of the Depression, nearly 20 percent of the nation's wealth rested with one percent of its population.

Guthrie originally entitled his song "God Blessed America for Me," a line repeated at the end of each verse. By the time he first recorded the song with Cisco Houston, in April 1944, he changed the lines to "This land was made for you and me," which invokes the title by which his song has been known ever since -- "This Land Is Your Land." Amazingly Guthrie and Houston recorded over 160 songs during that prolific set of recording sessions. Since then "This Land Is Your Land" has been re-recorded by numerous vocal artists including: Bing Crosby, Judy Collins, Harry Belafonte, Fred Waring, Pete Seeger, and the Limeliters.
Sometime before April 1944 Guthrie removed the final verse he originally wrote for "This Land Is Your Land." In its place he eventually wrote an additional verse that appeared in his 1946 mimeographed pamphlet entitled Ten Songs for Two Bits.
Nobody living can ever stop meAs I go walking my Freedom HighwayNobody living can make me turn backThis land was made for you and me.
Library of Congress Music, Theater and Dance
this land is your land
More on Woodie Guthrie.

For those families who have the Village CDs....which one has "Grassy grass grass...."? That one actually has Woodie Guthrie's voice!

Have a star spangled day.
Yvette