# And the Sign Said By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-11-21 It is interesting to observe how radical things become appropriated and sanitized. This is observable when verses of songs are omitted which has been done in Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land. Throughout the United States, schoolchildren learn to sing about the beauty of our country “from California to the New York island” and “from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters.” Parents and citizens listen with heartfelt glee as we celebrate the majesty and inclusiveness of this great nation, self-satisfied in our collective knowledge that, “this land was made for you and me.” But is it so and was that the actual intent of the song? As far as verse one is concerned, one might think it is. By verse five the notion of private property is called into question when Woody sang, “as I went walking, I say a sign there, and on the sign, it said ‘No Trespassing.’ But on the other said it didn’t say nothing. That side was made for you and me.” Once private property has been called into question, Woody sang about economic injustice saying, “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?" Rather than being a bold, patriotic declaration, the song intends to critique and question. If such a song could be coopted is there anything that couldn’t be? I think this highlights some important points of consideration. First, anything, no matter how subversive the original intent, can be coopted by the market economy and political establishment. Second, many people will engage in activities based on a superficial understanding of what they think they know. Third, analysis provides insight and context to establish a more accurate, not necessarily a more welcomed, understanding. Hopefully through this analysis one will never listen to this song in the same way again. If one loved the song for its celebration of the majesty and inclusiveness of the United States, too bad. That isn’t the point of the song. If you want to celebrate the majesty and inclusiveness of the United States get to work and make it so. Until then, analysis is needed to inform of understanding of the situations we need to confront and overcome. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Radicals]] [[Subversive]] [[Subversive Art]] [[American]] [[Politics]] [[Economics]] [[Understanding]]