Song of the Week–This Land is Your Land

This seems an appropriate song this week. It’s funny because I just now sat down to make this post and hadn’t a clue what song to do (too many choices!) and for some reason it just came to me just this second that this would be a good song.

I really want my children to grow up hearing and singing American folk songs, and also patriotic songs…and an American patriotic folk song like this is perfect, I think!

Not only is it perfect because of our new president being inaugurated tomorrow (a history-making president which has caused such a surge of patriotism and hope in our country!) …but also today is Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday…when we remember another great man in our history that helped our country become a better place…something I know much of our country is hoping that President Obama will do as well.

Sooo…”This Land is Your Land” just seems all around perfect!!

Now, there are quite a few verses to this song, so I’m only going to teach my children the main part and the first verse, maybe the second. I don’t believe I knew more than that myself as a child.

So, here are the lyrics (choose as many or as few of the verses as you would like to use):

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND 
words and music by Woody Guthrie

Chorus:
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me
Chorus
I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me
Chorus
The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me
Chorus
As I was walkin'  -  I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side  .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!
Chorus
In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.
Chorus (2x)

And here we have Woody himself singing his wonderful song:
(not a great video, but you get to hear the original song.)

[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/XaI5IRuS2aE” width=”425″ height=”350″/]

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