Woodie Guthrie's New Years Resolution List, 1942

Business Insider ^ | Dec. 31, 1941 /Dec. 27, 2013 | Woody Guthrie

[Mrs. Don-o]

If you're having trouble nailing down your New Year's resolutions, here's a good place to start.

Seventy years ago, American folk legend Woody Guthrie scribbled in his journal a list of 33 tasks he would dedicate himself to in the coming year. According to WoodyGuthrie.org, he called them "Rulin's."

At age 31, he was in the prime of his life, with a wife and three kids, as well as a good deal of life experience, having survived the Dust Bowl to make it out to California.

As a result, it's a pretty unbeatable list. Check it out:

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1. Work more and better
2. Work by a schedule
3. Wash teeth if any
4. Shave
5. Take bath
6. Eat good — fruit — vegetables — milk
7. Drink very scant if any
8. Write a song a day
9. Wear clean clothes — look good
10. Shine shoes
11. Change socks
12. Change bed cloths often
13. Read lots good books
14. Listen to radio a lot
15. Learn people better
16. Keep rancho clean
17. Dont get lonesome
18. Stay glad
19. Keep hoping machine running
20. Dream good
21. Bank all extra money 22. Save dough
23. Have company but dont waste time
24. Send Mary and kids money
25. Play and sing good
26. Dance better
27. Help win war — beat fascism
28. Love mama
29. Love papa
30. Love Pete
31. Love everybody
32. Make up your mind
33. Wake up and fight

[Mrs. Don-o]

:oD

Happy New Year to you and yours!

[Mrs. Don-o]

Priceless! Reminds me a little of "Bring It With You When You Come"

Wahoo,

Happy New Year, Fiji Hill!

[Fiji Hill]

Thanks for alerting me to that one. Happy new year!

[dennisw]

I am with you.... Woody was from an era where communist Americans worked same as other Americans... Unlike comrade Obama and his useless bureaucrat minions who have never done a lick of real work (I suppose some have)

[driftless2]

Pete Seeger said that the Communist Party refused to let him join because Guthrie refused to give up his belief in God. Anyway, that’s what Seeger said.

[Tax-chick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIaRyaQw4N0

I was wrong: it was “The Slightly Fabulous Limelighters,” who also recorded the theme song for the John Wayne/Maureen O’Hara farce “McClintock!”.