[Fiji Hill]

I prefer the gospel song whose melody Comrade Guthrie ripped off when he wrote "This Land":

The Fire Song--The Carter Family

[Tax-chick]

Never heard that, thanks for posting.

I still don’t think there’s anything Communist in the lyrics of “This Land is Your Land.”

[ifinnegan]

Amen, brother. When the World’s on Fire. A Pentecostal song arranged by AP Carter with Maybelle Carter on guitar.

Guthrie openly said he used Carter Family “chuch house licks” in his songs.

May belle Carter was the genius of guitar upon whose shouder’s Guthrie stood. AP Carter was a genius at arrangement and lyrics.

I like Guthrie’s music but after discovering the Carter Family came to a different understanding of it.

Guthrie was leftist and wrote worker’s polemic.

But interestingly, at that time American values were still so entrenched that any of hs songs were as much about Ameican individualism as the worker’s struggle.

He also sang songs about fighting for your land as long as there are bullets in your guns.