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dustbowldiva

dustbowldiva
Location
Yukon, Oklahoma, USA
Birthday
August 15
Bio
Free thinking 40-something, Psych BA, and "professional English major" turned RN. Long married and mother of 2 above average children, and 3 cats. Blog "pimping" friendly. ____________________________________ "'Course I never did care much for dictators none, myself, but then I think the whole country oughtta be run by electricity" Bright idea courtesy of Oklahoma's best man, Woody Guthrie.

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JANUARY 19, 2009 12:45PM

Woody's "lost" verse finally heard!

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Did anyone else notice that at the inaugural concert yesterday, Pete Seeger, his grandson, and Bruce Springsteen included ALL Woody Guthrie's verses for "This Land is Your Land", even this one: 

As I went walking, I saw a sign there,/   And on the sign there, It said "Private Property"/But on the other side, it didn't say nothing! /That side was made for you and me.

That verse and others have been almost universally omitted by those attempting to sanitize Guthrie's protest song and turn it into a patriotic anthem. But all verses were heard loud and clear yesterday. Pete Seeger was radiant up there on the stage as he prompted the audience. One of the most inspirational sights I've witnessed lately. Couldn't track down the video yet, or I would have embedded it here. This land belongs to you and me, comrades - YOU and ME!

Editing here -  want to add a link here to k1mjaye's excellent post about this same topic - 

http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=86795

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I noticed! (you and I must be crossing some wires...take a lookit at what I just blogged)
ghost writer
January 19, 2009 12:50 PM
Pete Seeger was actually running across the stage at one point! To see him up there on the stage with Springsteen is really quite a sight. A living national treasure.
icemilkcoffee
January 19, 2009 12:54 PM
k1mjaye - your post is fantastic - everyone needs to check it out! What's that they say about great minds - or was that revolutionary minds think alike?

Icemilkcoffee - (what a great name!) - yes that was quite a moment - I'm thrilled that Pete Seeger lived to participate in this event. Bless him!
dustbowldiva
January 19, 2009 01:11 PM
it does belong to us diva. or should i say madame tovarisch diva? how dare you be listening to let alone posting about such subversive anti-americans as that known wobbly woody guthrie or his acolytes comrades springsteen and seeger? "This guitar kills fascists" indeed! how dare you madame.
nanatehay
January 19, 2009 01:48 PM
pretty good rant huh? i practice them in front of the mirror so as to get the disapproving glower right.
nanatehay
January 19, 2009 02:09 PM
So Nanate - Wobbly Woody eh?! Better watch that glowering, and check your attitude mister, or it'll be off to the gulag with you!
dustbowldiva
January 19, 2009 03:24 PM
wobbly, commie, Democrat, they're all burning in hades diva. the gulag is too good for 'em.
nanatehay
January 19, 2009 04:13 PM
Aw, man...I am kicking myself all over the place today for missing this! Folkmuse even sent another reminder of the re-broadcast and I missed that one too because I was lost writing. If anyone hears of this being re-broadcast again, would you PLEASE message me about it? Thanks for posting the lost lyrics!
Lisa Kern
January 19, 2009 05:40 PM
Pete is living proof you don't have to get old and cynical -- just old.
Tom Cordle
January 19, 2009 05:55 PM
Nanate - if you don't stop causing trouble, I'll send the rebel folksinger alliance after you!

Absolutely, Jimmy - here's the last verse (also rarely heard) just for you:

"Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me."
dustbowldiva
January 19, 2009 08:40 PM
Lisa - it was wonderful - I have to think it will air again, and if I hear anything, I'll be sure to let you know. I have to thank Folkmuse for letting me know about the re-broadcast or I'd have missed it also.

Tom -couldn't agree more. Pete Seeger was absolutely beaming - don't know how anyone could watch him and not have at least a smidgen of hope.
dustbowldiva
January 19, 2009 08:49 PM
That was a real highlight for me. It was funny. The football playoff was going on and I was trying to flip back and forth. After a short time it dawned on me that I wasn't enjoying the football because the Gala was more important. Not many things can get my head out of a football playoff game. This event did and I am really glad for that.

Monte
Rev. Dr. Monte Canfield
January 20, 2009 04:20 PM
Yes, I noticed that too! In fact, I noticed all the lyrics, and they had a new resonance. So glad you pointed this out.
Faith Paulsen
January 21, 2009 12:05 PM
Another song that gets hijacked: "America the Beautiful." Its latter verses call for God to give us humility and restraint from the excess of our riches.
voicegal
January 21, 2009 12:11 PM
Monte - I'm glad too, that you got your head "out of the game" and into the concert. I stopped studying to tune into the rebroadcast thinking I would only watch a little bit, and was captivated from beginning to end. It was electric!

Faith - I agree that those lyrics are as powerful today as they ever
were. Thanks for stopping by!

Voicegal - humility?! restraint from our excesses?! Now those are some truly subversive ideas - we can't get people consuming properly with verses like those!
dustbowldiva
January 21, 2009 04:44 PM