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THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND This land is your land This land is my land From California To the New York Island From the red wood forest To the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me
Woody Guthrie (1912-1967)
Woody Guthrie was born in Oklahoma, on July 14th, 1912. His father was a cowboy and his mother played the guitar and banjo. In 1931, Guthrie headed for Texas. He worked in a drugstore, where the owner had a guitar. He played the guitar every chance he got, trying to pick out songs his mother had taught him. It was during the Great Depression, and there wasn't much work. So in 1935, Guthrie traveled west, along with a group of other people looking for work, called "Okies." Sometimes Guthrie hopped a freight train, sometimes he hitchhiked, and sometimes he just walked. He didn't have any money and often went hungry, but along the way he discovered that he really liked traveling. As he traveled, he wrote songs about his experiences. Guthrie kept traveling until he reached California. In 1937, he appeared on several radio shows, performing his songs and commenting on issues such as the corruption of politicians. But he didn't like staying in one place too long. In 1939, he headed back east, all the way to New York City. In 1940, he wrote a song called This Land Is Your Land. The song describes the many sights of America and repeats the line, “this land was made for you and me.” While it sounds like a nice message about sharing, Guthrie wasn't trying to make a happy song. He was frustrated at how poor and helpless most of Americans were. On top of that, a few Americans had all the money and had no trouble finding jobs, houses, or food. It seemed very unfair. Guthrie is singing a message against the wealthy few who owned and controlled most of America. In Guthrie's eyes, all Americans were important and the country belonged to everyone
IF I HAD A HAMMER
If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, I'd hammer in the evening, All over this land, I'd hammer out danger, I'd hammer out a warning, I'd hammer out love between, My brothers and my sisters, All over this land.
Pete Seeger (1919-2014)
Pete Seeger was born in New York City on May 3rd, 1919. He came from a very musical family. His father was a composer and his aunt was a music historian. Many of his siblings went on to become musicians just like him. Seeger loved folk music and spent most of his life looking for new folk songs that he could share. He recorded hundreds of folk songs from around America and introduced them to teachers, children, and musicians. Seeger wanted to write songs that could change people's opinions and perhaps even solve some of the problems he saw around him. He wrote songs to help workers that weren't treated well. He wrote songs that protested racism and segregation. He also wrote songs against going to war. While his ideas sounded nice, his ideas were considered dangerous. At this time, anyone who was against the government and wanted to share their wealth was called a communist. Communists could be sued and were sometimes kicked out of the country. Seeger was brave and didn't care what the government might do. He spoke out about his ideas anyway. The way he spoke out was through song. In 1949, he did just that by writing a song called If I Had A Hammer. In the song, Seeger talks about different ways we can help all of our brothers and sisters. Seeger wants everyone to work together, share everyone's money and make sure everyone has a fair job.
BLOWIN' IN THE WIND
How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? How many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand How many times must the cannon balls fly Before they're forever banned? The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Bob Dylan (1941-present)
Robert Allen Zimmerman was born on May 24th, 1941. He grew up in Minnesota. He was so interested in music that he taught himself to play piano and guitar. In his youth, he changed his last name to Dylan, after the poet Dylan Thomas. Bob Dylan went to the University of Minnesota in 1959, where he began performing folk music. He was influenced by folk singers such as Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie. Dylan left school and hitchhiked to New York City to where many folk musicians lived. In 1961, Bob Dylan signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. Many of his songs have political lyrics, and he is a poet as much as he is a musician. Dylan was the leader of the protest-‐song era of the early 1960s. Bob Dylan wrote the song "Blowin' in the Wind" in 1962. The recording of this song by Peter, Paul, and Mary in 1963 made Dylan famous. The song asks many hard questions about how we should treat one another and how we should solve our problems. During the 1960s, America was at war in Vietnam. Many Americans were against this war and staged protests hoping to end the war. At the same time, African-‐Americans were treated unfairly. Leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out against racism in America and folk singers like Bob Dylan wrote songs hoping to encourage unity. Although the song, Blowin' In The Wind, was written in the 1960s, it is still popular today. Some of the questions he asks in the song are so important, we can apply them to things happening today.