This land is your land, this land is my land
From the 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 went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
And saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me
I roamed and rambled and I 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
When the sun comes shining, then I was strolling
In the wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
This land is your land and this land is my land
From the California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
When the sun comes shining, then I was strolling
In wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling
The voice come chanting as the fog was lifting
This
land was made for you and me
(Edited from Wikipedia)
"This Land Is Your Land" was written by
American folk singer Woody Guthrie in 1940, (as composed on February 23, 1940,
in Guthrie's room at the Hanover House hotel at 43rd St. and 6th Ave. (101 West
43rd St.) in New York City) based on an existing melody, a Carter Family tune
called "When the World's on Fire", in critical response to Irving
Berlin's "God Bless America." When Guthrie was tired of hearing Kate
Smith sing "God Bless America" on the radio in the late 1930s, he
sarcastically called his song "God Blessed America for Me" before
renaming it "This Land Is Your Land."
The original title was "God Blessed
America", but it was struck out and replaced by "This Land Was Made
For You & Me". It appears therefore that the original 1940 title was
"This Land".
This
land is your land, and this land is my land
From
the California to the Staten New York Island,
From
the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf stream waters,
God
blessed America for me.
[This
land was made for you and me.]
As
I went walking that ribbon of highway
And
saw above me that endless skyway,
And
saw below me the golden valley, I said:
God
blessed America for me.
[This
land was made for you and me.]
I
roamed and rambled and followed my footsteps
To
the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts,
And
all around me, a voice was sounding:
God
blessed America for me.
[This
land was made for you and me.]
Was
a high wall there that tried to stop me
A
sign was painted said: Private Property,
But
on the back side it didn't say nothing —
God
blessed America for me.
[This
land was made for you and me.]
When
the sun come shining, then I was strolling
In
wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling;
The
voice was chanting as the fog was lifting:
God
blessed America for me.
[This
land was made for you and me.]
One
bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple
By
the Relief Office I saw my people —
As
they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if
God
blessed America for me.
[This
land was made for you and me.]
According
to Joe Klein, after Guthrie composed it "he completely forgot about the
song, and didn't do anything with it for another five years." (Since there
is a March 1944 recording of the song, Klein should have said "four
years".)
Original
1944 lyrics
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 that ribbon of highway
I
saw above me that endless skyway
I
saw below me that golden valley
This
land was made for you and me.
I
roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To
the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While
all around me a voice was sounding
This
land was made for you and me.
When
the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And
the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A
voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This
land was made for you and me.
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.
In 2002, "This Land Is Your Land" was one of 50 recordings chosen
that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording
Registry.