Your Moment of Musical History of the Day
By Brad Porter | Related entries in NewsPete Seeger, now in his 80s, agrees to play “This Land is Your Land” at the inaugural concert. But only if he can play the original.
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.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’ve 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 came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said “No Trespassing.”
But on the other side it didn’t say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?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.
If this doesn’t move you, you don’t know enough about Pete Seeger, one of the Top Ten Most Important Musical Figures of the 20th Century, bar none, and for much of it he was blacklisted from television and under constant surveillance. Sure he’s a communist, but he’s a a great American. Music history, to say nothing of social activism and liberalism, owes him a profound debt.
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January 19th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
[...] also ranks among the Top 10 most valuable sports franchises in the world. Here’s the Top 10 Your Moment of Musical History of the Day – donklephant.com 01/19/2009 Pete Seeger, now in his 80s, agrees to play “This Land is Your [...]
January 19th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Old Pete did just fine under the blacklist. Best thing that ever happened to his career, actually.
Besides, not only was he a Communist. He was a Stalinist. Enough so that he apologized for it. There’s consequences to being an explicit supporter of one of the humankind’s most prolific mass murderers.
To his credit, at least he did apologize. For most red diaper babies of his era good intentions meant never having to say you’re sorry.