Whose Land Is It Anyway?
In the squares of the city, in the shadow of a steeple.
By the relief office, I'd seen my people.
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,
Is this land made for you and me?
As I went walking, I saw a sign there,
And on the sign there, It said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side, it didn't say nothing!
That side was made for you and me.
These are the original last two verses of "This Land is Your Land", which American folk singer, Woody Guthrie, dropped from his famous song which he wrote after the 'Great Depression', and the Dust Bowl. They certainly make it much clearer what his views were.
His son, Arlo, carried on the tradition of writing and singing protest songs, in his own style, and, as far as I'm aware, he didn't have to drop anything from this song, from 1967, to get it published. It's long, but it remains a classic, in my opinion. It still makes me chuckle.
Arlo_Guthrie_-_Alice's_Restaurant_Massacree.mp3
Listen on Posterous
From the album Alice's Restaurant.
