1
This Land is Your Land

• By Woody Guthrie

2

• 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   

Note As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway and
ribbon of highway are two separate
hyperlinks.
3

• 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  

4

• 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  

5

• 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!

6

• 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)  

7
Woody Guthrie
Note The title Woody Guthrie is a hyperlink.

• Born on July 14, 1912, Guthrie came into our
  world. His family faced many economic hardships
  when he was a young boy, so growing up was quite
  difficult for Guthrie. Little did he know that
  he would become a significant individual in
  history. At age 15, he became more independent
  and went to live in the world on his own. He had
  several unusual but interesting jobs, most of
  which involved music, such as playing the
  harmonica for audiences.
• Guthrie is one of the most renowned spokesmen who
  ever lived. He is famous for his music during
  the time period between World War I and World War
  II. As he roamed the world, he saw several poor
  people in poverty. This gave him the inspiration
  to write books and songs. He is most famous for
  the songs This Land is Your Land, Pastures of
  Plenty, and several others. (Woody Guthrie)

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8
This Land was Made for You and Me

• The significance of this line in the song is
  basically that Woody is trying to communicate
  that America is our land where we belong.
  Socialism inspired nationalism during the Cold
  War, inspiring Guthrie. He wrote This Land is
  Your Land after hearing the song God Bless
  America, which gave him inspiration. This line
  appears several times throughout the song, so it
  is an anaphora. An anaphora is the repetition of
  a line or word throughout a song or poem. This
  is also the theme of the song. (Spivey) (Ruehl)
  (Anaphora) (Nordquist)

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9
Rhyme Scheme

• This particular rhyme scheme shows up several
  times throughout This Land is Your Land. It
  usually starts with two lines that rhyme and then
  the other two or three lines dont rhyme. The
  rhyme scheme goes like this A, A, B, C. Having
  a rhyme scheme makes the song somewhat catchy and
  attracts the peoples attention. (Rhyme Schemes)

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10
Ribbon of Highway

• This phrase is known as a metaphor. A metaphor
  is stating that something is another thing,
  without using like or as. It is the exact
  opposite of a simile. Walking a ribbon of
  highway would mean walking along a thin road.
  This road went to California, where Woody
  traveled. It could also be referring to the US
  Highway 281. There are three ribbons.
  (Wilkinson),(Golden), (Livingston) (The
  U.S. Highway 281 Ribbon)

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11
Diamond Deserts

• When used in the first stanza, diamond deserts is
  a metaphor, but also an alliteration. An
  alliteration is when two words start with the
  same letter or the same sound. Diamond deserts
  is a perfect example because the letter D is
  used twice. It could be a metaphor as well
  because deserts arent really diamonds. The real
  meaning of diamond deserts is that the deserts
  were beautiful in California. Rich, red roses
  would be another good example. (Alliteration)

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12
Wheat Fields Waving

• Wheat fields waving captures the attention
  because it is both a metaphor and
  personification. Personification involves saying
  that an object is performing human-like actions.
  It is a metaphor because wheat cant wave, but it
  can blow. (Metaphors)

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13
California

• There are two important reasons why California is
  significant in this song. The first reason is
  that California is at the edge of the United
  States, and Guthrie is talking about where this
  land is his land and our land. California is one
  of the boundaries.
• The second reason why California is important is
  because of the Dust Bowl. As a result of the
  Dust Bowl in Oklahoma, several farmers and their
  families migrated to California in search of jobs
  and employment. Several people were in poverty
  in California, and Guthrie visited California
  during his travels around the United States.
  California also inspired Guthrie to write The
  Grapes of Wrath, because people in California
  would seek jobs involving fruit and gas
  industries. (Fanslow) (Spivey)

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14
New York Island

• The New York Island refers to Ellis Island, where
  immigration into the United States took place.
  An immigration station was opened, but it was
  burned down in an attempt to prevent immigration.
  This plan was a failure. It caused even more
  immigration into Boston, New Orleans, and several
  other ports. During World War I, the percentage
  of immigration decreased.
• During World War II in 1984, Ellis Island closed
  and shut down for good. Guthrie saw the New York
  Island as a poor area during the time when he
  wrote his songs. Ellis Island immigration was
  one of his inspirations during his travels.
• (Ellis Island History) (The History of
  Ellis Island)

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15
Redwood Forest

• The Redwood Forest is located in California, one
  of the impoverished sites where Woody traveled
  for inspiration. California is famous for
  redwoods. However, before World War II, floods
  occurred, damaging the North Coast. The poverty
  in this area today is still a high percentage.
  
• Californias Redwood Coast is an excellent place
  for vacations and fun activities. There are
  several hotels. It is known for absolutely
  gorgeous scenery and nature. Hiking is a popular
  activity in that area. There is also a Redwood
  National Park. (Borad, Thiele, and Gienger)
  (Californias Redwood Coast)

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16
Gulf Stream Waters

• The Gulf Stream refers to the stream of water
  that distributes fresh water. Guthrie is talking
  about one of the borders of the United States,
  our land. The Gulf Stream moves water quickly
  and efficiently. It only consists of the part
  that flows from the Caribbean Islands to the
  mid-Atlantic. It is only a segment many parts.
  It goes all around the world, including around
  Europe and Africa. Benjamin Franklin has a lot
  to do with the history of the Gulf Stream.
• (Wilkinson) (Hobbs)

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17
Dust Clouds

• The Dust Bowl This period occurred in the
  1930s when there was huge drought on lands and
  agriculture throughout the United States. The
  Dust Bowl occurred during the Great Depression,
  when everyone was going through difficult
  economical dilemmas.
• The phrase dust clouds rolling was something
  Guthrie picked up from his travels around the
  United States. When he saw the poverty stricken
  peoples, he came across the Dust Bowl as well.
  During the Dust Bowl, there were blizzards,
  storms, tornados, floods, and other extremes.
  The Dust Bowl had good results, though. Farmers
  learned better farming methods and processed them
  in future agriculture. The Dust Bowl taught them
  how to take extremely good care of their crops
  because of the harsh weather. (About the Dust
  Bowl) (Bonnifield)

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18
Relief Office

• When Woody mentions the relief office, he is
  talking about the soup bowl ads during the Great
  Depression. This was before President Roosevelt
  set up the New Deal and the Social Security Act.
  This relief office was for impoverished people,
  people whom Woody studied and supported. Woody
  would always feel the most sympathetic for them,
  so he included them in his songs. The Great
  Depression was a time of serious economic crisis.
  (Stevenson) (Nelson)

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19
Note

• The fact that Woody was referring to many
  impoverished places shows that we are fortunate
  to have a land as great as America. This is the
  main connection of each section of the lyrics.

20
Suggestions for Further Reading

• Read this page on This Land Is Your Land
  for further reading and information on the lyrics
  of This Land is Your Land. At the bottom,
  there are references for even more information.

21
Sources

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• About the Dust Bowl. Modern American Poetry.
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  /gt.

22
Sources Continued

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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
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