Read the excerpt from This Land Was Made for you and
ve
The author illustrates the connection between Guthrie's life
and his music by explaining that
Just after New Year's Day in 1940, Woody set off on one of
his unannounced road trips. He left his wife and three kids
in a shack in Texas and headed for New York City. It was a
long, cold trip in the dead of winter, and every time he
stopped in a diner he heard Irving Berlin's lush, sentimental
song. "God Bless America, on tie jukebox. It was exactly
the kind of song Woody couldn't stand, romanticizing
America, telling people not to worry, that God would take
care of everything
Guthrie was not motivated to write music about his
family or Texas.
the song "God Bless America" convinced Guthrie that
his family would be fine without him.
the message Guthrie heard in "God Bless America"
contrasted with what he was going through
Guthrie did not worry about things and did not write
songs about the concept of worry.
songs about the concent