View source for This Land Is Your Land

{{Short description|Famous folk song by Woody Guthrie}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = This Land Is Your Land
| cover         = 
| alt           = 
| type          = 
| artist        = [[Woody Guthrie]]
| album         = 
| EP            = 
| written       = 
| published     = September 1, 1945
| released      = 
| format        = 
| recorded      = November 1944
| studio        = 
| venue         = 
| genre         = [[Folk music|Folk]]
| length        = 
| label         = 
| writer        = [[Woody Guthrie]]
| composer      = 
| lyricist      = 
| producer      = 
| prev_title    = 
| prev_year     = 
| title         = 
| next_title    = 
| next_year     = 
| misc          = {{Audio sample
 | type        = song
 | header      = Audio sample
 | file        = Woody Guthrie - This Land.ogg
 | description = "This Land Is Your Land", Woody Guthrie
}}
}}
[[Image:Woody Guthrie 2.jpg|right|thumb|261px|[[Woody Guthrie]] in March 1943]]
[[File:This Land Is Your Land.pdf|thumb|Sheet music]]
"'''This Land Is Your Land'''" is a song by [[American folk music|American folk]] singer [[Woody Guthrie]]. One of the [[United States]]' most famous [[Folk music|folk songs]], its lyrics were written in 1940 in critical response to [[Irving Berlin]]'s "[[God Bless America]]". Its [[melody]] is based on a [[Carter Family]] tune called "When the World's on Fire". When Guthrie was tired of hearing [[Kate Smith]] sing "God Bless America" on the radio in the late 1930s, he sarcastically called his song "God Blessed America for Me" before renaming it "This Land Is Your Land".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2000/07/03/1076186/this-land-is-your-land|title=The Story Of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land'|last=Spitzer|first=Nick|website=NPR.org|access-date=2016-03-14}}</ref>

In 1989, a 1947 release on the Asch record label was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#t|title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame &#124; Hall of Fame Artists &#124; GRAMMY.com|website=grammy.com}}</ref>

In 2002, "This Land Is Your Land" was one of 50 recordings chosen by the [[Library of Congress]] to be added to the [[National Recording Registry]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/registry/nrpb-2002reg.html |title=The National Recording Registry 2002|date=2002|website=The National Recording Preservation Board}}</ref> In 2021, it was listed at No. 229 on ''Rolling Stone''{{'s}} "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time," and in 2025, it was listed at No. 11 on its list of "The 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2021-09-15 |title=The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/ |access-date=2022-07-18 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-protest-songs-1235154848/ |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=27 January 2025 |access-date=29 January 2025}}</ref>

==Melody==
Guthrie's melody was very similar to the melody of "Oh, My Loving Brother", a [[Baptist]] gospel [[hymn]] that had been recorded by the [[Carter Family]] as "When the World's On Fire"<ref>{{YouTube|qxo-zayI6tE|The Carter Family – When The World's On Fire}}</ref> and had inspired their "Little Darlin', Pal of Mine."<ref>{{YouTube|R1qz3CW5GE4|The Carter Family – Little Darling Pal of Mine}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Cray|first=Ed |author-link= Ed Cray |title= Ramblin Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie |url=https://archive.org/details/ramblinman00edcr|url-access=registration|year=2004 |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |isbn=0-393-32736-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ramblinman00edcr/page/165 165]}}</ref> He used the same melody for the chorus and the verses.

Guthrie's song, however, had a different melodic structure from the hymn or the similar [[Carter Family]] melodies, and he used only the first half of those melodies in his song. The melodic structure of the presumed models can be described as "ABCD", a new melodic phrase for each of its four lines. Guthrie's structure, however, is "ABAC". As such, Guthrie's rendition repeats the beginning of the melody (the "A" section) for his third line; the melodic phrase for his fourth line ("This land was made for you and me") is found in neither the hymn nor the Carter Family melodies.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

==Lyrics==

===Original 1940 lyrics===
The original lyrics<ref name="Klein">Klein, Joe, ''Woody Guthrie: A Life'', Dell Publishing, 1980.</ref> were composed on February 23, 1940, in Guthrie's room at the Hanover House hotel at 43rd St. and 6th Ave. (101 West 43rd St.) in New York. The line "This land was made for you and me" does not appear in the original manuscript at the end of each verse, but is implied by Guthrie's writing of those words at the top of the page and by his subsequent singing of the line with those words.

According to [[Joe Klein]],<ref name="Klein"/> after Guthrie composed it, "he completely forgot about the song, and didn't do anything with it for another five years."

===1944 version lyrics===
In 1944, during [[World War II]], Guthrie prepared another version, which drops the two verses that are critical of the United States from the original: verse four, regarding private property, and verse six, regarding hunger.  In 1940, Guthrie was in the anti-war phase he entered after the 1939 [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]], during which he wrote songs praising the [[Soviet invasion of Poland]], attacking President Roosevelt's loans to Finland in defense against the Soviets, and ridiculing [[Lend-Lease]] aid to the United Kingdom. By 1944, after Germany had invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Guthrie returned to vigorous support for U.S. involvement in Europe and a more anti-nationalism stance.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kaufman |first1=Will |title=Woody Guthrie's 'Union War' |journal=Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies |date=2010 |volume=16 |issue=1/2 |pages=109–124 |jstor=43921756 }}</ref>

===Confirmation of two other verses===
{{quote box|After we built the [[Grand Coulee Dam|Coolee Dam]] we had to sell the people out there a lot of bonds to get the money to buy the copper wire and high lines and pay a whole big bunch of people at work and I don't know what all. We called them Public Utility Bonds, just about like a War Bond, same thing. (And a lot of politicians told the folks not to buy them but we sold them anyhow). The main idea about this song is, you think about these Eight words all the rest of your life and they'll come a bubbling up into Eighty Jillion all Union. Try it and see. THIS LAND IS MADE FOR YOU AND ME.|– Woody Guthrie, from ''[[s:en:10 of Woody Guthrie's Songs|10 Songs of Woody Guthrie]]'', 1945|width=40%}}

A March 1944 recording in the possession of the [[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian]], the earliest known recording of the song, has the "private property" verse included.  This version was recorded the same day as 75 other songs.  This was confirmed by several archivists for Smithsonian who were interviewed as part of the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]] program ''Save Our History&nbsp;– Save our Sounds''. The 1944 recording with this fourth verse can be found on ''Woody Guthrie: This Land is Your Land: The Asch Recordings Volume 1'', where it is track 14.

{{poemquote|There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;
Sign was painted, it said private property;
But on the back side it didn't say nothing;
This land was made for you and me.<ref>Woodie Guthrie can be heard singing that verse in a [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1076186 July 3, 2000, National Public Radio report by Nick Spitzer].</ref>}}

Woodyguthrie.org also has a variant.<ref name="woodyguthrie">{{Cite web|url=https://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/This_Land.htm|title="This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie|website=WoodyGuthrie.org}}</ref>

A 1945 pamphlet which omitted the last two verses has caused some question as to whether the original song did in fact contain the full text. The original manuscript confirms both of these verses.<ref>Original manuscript republished in Elizabeth Partridge, ''This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life & Songs of Woody Guthrie'' (New York: Viking, 2002), 85. {{ISBN|0-670-03535-1}}</ref>

As with other folk songs, it was sung with different words at various times, although the motives for this particular change of lyrics may involve the possible political interpretations of the verses. Recordings of Guthrie have him singing the verses with different words.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/music/audio/mp3/this_land.mp3 |title=MP3 of Woody Guthrie singing |access-date=May 2, 2012 |archive-date=September 6, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906125611/http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/music/audio/mp3/this_land.mp3 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.woodyguthrie.org/biography/biography9.htm |title=Woody Guthrie Biography |publisher=Woodyguthrie.org |access-date=May 2, 2012}}</ref>

The verses critical of America are not often performed in schools or official functions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blakemore |first=Erin |date=2017-06-15 |title=How "This Land Is Your Land" Went From Protest Song to Singalong |url=https://daily.jstor.org/how-this-land-is-your-land-went-from-protest-song-to-singalong/ |access-date=2025-08-24 |website=JSTOR Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> They can be best interpreted as a protest against the vast income inequalities that exist in the United States, and against the sufferings of millions during the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Mark Allan |date=2002 |title=Is This Song Your Song Anymore?: Revisioning Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1350126 |journal=American Music |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=249–276 |doi=10.2307/1350126 |issn=0734-4392|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The US, Guthrie insists, was made—and could still be made—for "you and me". This interpretation is consistent with such other Guthrie songs as "Pretty Boy Floyd"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Pretty_Boy_Floyd.htm|title=Pretty Boy Floyd|last=Guthrie|first=Woody|website=Woody Guthrie}}</ref> and Guthrie's lifelong struggle for social justice.

A rewritten Canadian version by Toronto-based folk group [[The Travellers (Canadian band)|The Travellers]] was the first popular hit version of "This Land Is Your Land", receiving much airplay in Canada (although nowhere else) as early as 1956.  [[Pete Seeger]], a friend of both Woody Guthrie and of The Travellers, encouraged the Toronto band to "do something" with the song, which had been recorded by his group [[The Weavers]] in an unreleased version—and Seeger felt it would ''never'' be released due to his being blacklisted.  The Travellers thought making the song about Canada would appeal to their audience, so made the appropriate changes to the chorus, namechecking several Canadian locations in place of American ones.  The private property and relief line verses were not included; it is possible The Travellers had never heard them prior to recording their version of the song.  The song was an immediate hit in Canada, and remains The Travellers best-known recording.  At the founding convention of the Canadian social democratic [[New Democratic Party of Canada|New Democratic Party]] in 1961, the Travellers' version of "This Land Is Your Land" was sung by the attending delegates.

The song was revived in America the 1960s, when several artists of the new folk movement, including [[Bob Dylan]], [[The Kingston Trio]], [[Trini Lopez]], [[Jay and the Americans]], and [[The New Christy Minstrels]] all recorded versions, inspired by its political message. [[Peter, Paul and Mary]] recorded the song in 1962 for their ''[[Moving (Peter, Paul and Mary album)|Moving]]'' album. [[The Seekers]] recorded the song for their 1965 album, ''[[A World of Our Own (album)|A World of Our Own]]''.

In March 1977, [[David Carradine]], who had personified Woody Guthrie in [[Hal Ashby]]'s 1976 biopic ''[[Bound for Glory (1976 film)|Bound for Glory]]'', appeared on [[Dinah Shore]]'s show, ''[[Dinah!]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://genius.com/David-carradine-this-land-is-your-land-1977-tv-version-lyrics |title=This Land is Your Land (1977 TV Version) |publication-date=2023 |publisher=Genius |access-date=March 16, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://hightimes.com/culture/high-times-greats-david-carradine/ |title=High Times Greats: David Carradine |date=December 8, 2020 |publication-date=December 8, 2020 |publisher=High Times |access-date=March 16, 2023 |quote=[Interview originally from September 2002] I remember they had a piece in ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine [March 21, 1977] when I did ''Bound For Glory''—”After 500 acid trips, David Carradine finally has his shit together!” Something like that. And it showed a picture of me with an eight-day growth of beard from the movie, and I thought that was kind of a dirty trick, because you got the impression that’s what I looked like all the time.<br />About a week later, I went on Dinah Shore’s talk show to sing "This Land Is Your Land." And she asked me if I had really taken 500 acid trips. And I said, "I don’t know where they get that stuff. I must have been high when I said it." }}</ref> On it, he performed a version of the song which included the two verses, with some variations:<ref>{{cite AV media |date=1977 |title=David Carradine Can't Sing [Song starts at min. 3:30] |medium=TV|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yARs2NglqsE |access-date=March 16, 2023 |publisher=YuppiePunk }}</ref>

{{poemquote|Well, one bright Sunday morning in the shadow of the steeple
By the relief line I saw my people
As they stood there whistlin' they stood there hungry
Don't they know that this land was made for you and me?

Well, as I was walking, I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing"
But on the other side it didn't say nothing
That side was made for you and me!}}

In the film, the song is performed in the closing credits by several singers, starting with Carradine and including Woody Guthrie. The verse about the "No Trespassing" sign appears there, but the two verses are not in the soundtrack album's version.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/5801109-Woody-Guthrie-Leonard-Rosenman-David-Carradine-Bound-For-Glory-Original-Motion-Picture-Score |title=Woody Guthrie, Leonard Rosenman, David Carradine – Bound For Glory - Original Motion Picture Score |year=1976 |publication-date=2023 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=March 16, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074235/soundtrack/?ref_=tt_ql_sm |title=Bound for Glory. Soundtracks |publication-date=2023 |publisher=IMDb |access-date=March 16, 2023 |quote=This Land Is Your Land<br />Written by Woody Guthrie<br />Performed by David Carradine and Woody Guthrie }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://genius.com/David-carradine-this-land-is-our-land-1976-album-version-lyrics |title=This Land Is Your Land (1976 Album Version) |publication-date=2023 |publisher=Genius |access-date=March 16, 2023 }}</ref>

[[Bruce Springsteen]] first began performing it live on the [[The River Tour|River Tour]] in 1980, and released one such performance of it on ''[[Live/1975–85]]'', in which he called it "about one of the most beautiful songs ever written".<ref>{{cite web |author=Dave |url=http://www.fretbase.com/fretbase/2008/07/play-woody-guth.html |title=Play Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land |publisher=Fretbase.com |date=July 21, 2008 |access-date=November 13, 2024 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001231225/http://www.fretbase.com/fretbase/2008/07/play-woody-guth.html |archive-date=October 1, 2008 }}</ref>

The song was performed by Springsteen and [[Pete Seeger]], accompanied by Seeger's grandson, [[Tao Rodríguez-Seeger]], at [[We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial]] on January 18, 2009. The song was restored to the original lyrics (including the 'There was a big high wall there' and 'Nobody living can ever stop me' verses) for this performance (as per Pete Seeger's request) with exceptions of the changes in the end of the 'Private Property' and 'Relief Office' verses; the former's final line was changed from "This land was made for you and me" to "That side was made for you and me," and the latter's third and fourth lines to "As they stood hungry, I stood there whistling, This land was made for you and me," from the original lyrics, "As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking, Is this land made for you and me?"<ref>''This Land Is Made For You And Me,'' in the inaugural concert at the [[Lincoln Memorial]], ''We Are One,'' original broadcast by [[HBO]], January 18, 2009.</ref>

Voice actress and children's entertainer [[Debi Derryberry]] recorded a version for her musical album ''What A Way To Play'' in 2006.

In 2010, [[Peter Yarrow]] and [[Paul Stookey]], the surviving members of [[Peter, Paul and Mary]], requested that the [[National Organization for Marriage]], which was at the time against legalization of same-sex marriage, stop using their recording of "This Land is Your Land" at their rallies, stating in a letter that the organization's philosophy was "directly contrary to the advocacy position" held by the group.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prop8trialtracker.com/2010/08/27/peter-paul-and-marys-cease-and-desist-to-nom-stop-playing-this-land-is-your-land/#comment-59583 |title=Peter, Paul & Mary's cease-and-desist to NOM: Stop playing "This Land Is Your Land" |last=Perrin |first=Kathleen |date=August 27, 2010 |work=Prop 8 Trial Tracker |publisher=[[Courage Campaign]] |access-date=August 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830013804/http://prop8trialtracker.com/2010/08/27/peter-paul-and-marys-cease-and-desist-to-nom-stop-playing-this-land-is-your-land/#comment-59583 |archive-date=August 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 2019, [[Arlo Guthrie]] led a version of "This Land is Your Land" at the July 4 [[Boston Pops Orchestra|Boston Pops]] concert. Guthrie sang the 'no trespassing' verse but substituted the first line of the 'private property' verse ('There was a big high wall there, that tried to stop me / And on the wall it said "no trespassing"'), and [[Queen Latifah]] sang the 'freedom highway' verse. The 'Relief Office' verse was not included.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whdh.com/news/thousands-attend-boston-pops-fireworks-spectacular/|title=Thousands attend Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular|date=July 4, 2019|website=7 News WHDH Boston|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Susie DavidsonMassachusetts|title=Arlo Guthrie sings censored verses of "This Land is Your Land" -Queen Latifah, Boston Pops July 3|date=2019-07-03|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpjM3Da7gJc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/qpjM3Da7gJc |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=2019-07-05}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[Arlo Guthrie]] tells a story in concerts on occasion, of his mother returning from a dance tour of China, and reporting around the Guthrie family dinner table that at one point in the tour she was serenaded by Chinese children singing the song. Arlo says Woody was incredulous: "The Chinese? Singing 'This land is your land, this land is my land? From California to the New York island?{{'"}}<ref>"Woody Guthrie, Kingsborough-This Land Is Your Land," ''The Kingsborough Blog'', https://kingsboroughblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/11/woody-guthrie-kingsborough-this-land-is-your-land/, citing the 1997 book,''Woody, Cisco and Me: Seamen Three in the Merchant Marine'' by Jim Longhi.</ref>

On January 20, 2021, during the [[Inauguration of Joe Biden|presidential inauguration]] of [[Joe Biden]], [[Jennifer Lopez]] performed some verses of the song as part of a medley with ''[[America the Beautiful]]''. She excluded verses critical of the United States and interposed a Spanish-language translation of a portion of the [[Pledge of Allegiance]].<ref>{{cite news|
title=At Biden's Inaugural Events, the Music Was Earnestly Reassuring|date=21 Jan 2021|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/arts/music/inauguration-performances-jlo-gaga.html|work=New York Times|author=Jon Pareles}}</ref>

At the [[Memorial Day]] event at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on May 26, 2025, the song was performed by members of the U.S. Navy, with President [[Donald Trump]], Vice President [[JD Vance]], and Secretary of Defense [[Pete Hegseth]] in attendance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pool Reports of May 26, 2025 {{!}} The American Presidency Project |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/pool-reports-may-26-2025 |access-date=2025-08-24 |website=www.presidency.ucsb.edu}}</ref>

==Variations==
As is the case with many well-known songs, it has been the subject of an enormous number of variations and parodies. They include:

===Versions about other countries===
Many variants of the song have been recorded with lyrics adjusted to fit diverse countries, regions, languages, and ethnic groups. They include:
{{unordered list
| [[Canada|Canadian]]: The [[Music of Canada#Folk Music 2|Canadian folk music]] group [[The Travellers (Canadian band)|The Travellers]] popularized their version in 1955.<ref>{{cite web|title=NFB- The Travellers: This Land is Your Land|url=http://www.nfb.ca/thetravellers/|website=[[National Film Board of Canada]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020129105622/http://www.nfb.ca/thetravellers/|archive-date=January 29, 2002 }}</ref> Their modified chorus contains the lyrics,

{{poemquote|This land is your land, This land is my land,
From [[Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador|Bonavista]], to [[Vancouver Island]]
From the [[Arctic Circle]] to the [[Great Lakes|Great Lake]] waters,
This land was made for you and me.
<ref>{{cite book |title=Bobby Orr and Me |author=Martin Avery |page =140|publisher=Martin Avery; Lulu.com |date=2008 |isbn=9780557036929 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lZTzAQAAQBAJ |access-date=February 18, 2017}}{{self-published source|date=May 2021}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}<ref>{{cite web |title=This Land is Your Land (Canadian Version) |author=Garden Gnome |publisher=Canadian Perspective |date=January 10, 2009 |url=http://gardengnomescanadianperspective.blogspot.com/2009/06/this-land-is-your-land-canadian-version.html |access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref>}}
| [[Sweden|Swedish]]: musician [[Mikael Wiehe]] has written a text in Swedish, {{lang|sv|Det här är ditt land}}.<ref>{{YouTube|gPJuPv6ljSM|Det här är ditt land}}</ref>
| [[United Kingdom|English]]:{{unordered list
|The [[United Kingdom|UK]] [[anarcho-punk]] band [[Zounds (band)|Zounds]] rewrote it for their 1981 debut LP, ''The Curse of Zounds'', releasing a remixed CD-single version as a fund-raising benefit in 2001.<ref>{{YouTube|xwB70cz8Xik|Zounds – This Land/Alone}}</ref> 
|[[Billy Bragg]] has used a version of the song with UK-specific lyrics in live performances. A version was included on the bonus tracks section of the 2006 re-release of his [[The Internationale (album)|''The Internationale'']] album.<ref>{{YouTube|SjJLDjjYXMM|Billy Bragg – This Land Is Your Land (UK Version)}}</ref>}}
| [[Welsh language|Welsh]]: A Welsh language version, {{lang|cy|Mae'n Wlad i Mi}},  was recorded by [[Welsh nationalism|nationalist]] [[folk music|folk singer]] [[Dafydd Iwan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Painting the world green: Dafydd Iwan and the Welsh protest ballad |author=E. Wyn James |publisher=[[Cardiff University]] Special Collections and Archives |date=2005 |url=http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/special-collections/subject-guides/welsh-ballads/dafydd-iwan|access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref>
| [[Cornish language|Cornish]]: A Cornish language version, {{lang|kw|An Tir yw Ow Bro}}, was recorded by the Cornish language activist and folk singer Brian Webb in 1985.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://cornishnationalmusicarchive.co.uk/content/brian-webb-brythennek/ | title=Brian Webb - Brythennek }}</ref>
| [[Germany|German]]: A version with German lyrics was released by Helmut, Sigrid and [[Knut Kiesewetter]] in 1965.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/de/Hartmut-Knut-Und-Sigrun-Kiesewetter-Songs-Und-Balladen/release/9279795|title=Hartmut, Knut und Sigrun Kiesewetter - Songs und Balladen|website=[[Discogs]] |date=1965 }}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|4pIzT3z_uXs|Hartmut, Knut und Sigrun Kiesewetter - Dies Land ist dein Land}}</ref>
| [[Ireland|Irish]]: An [[Irish rebel music|Irish rebel song]] version, often performed with Let the People Sing, has been recorded by many artists including the [[Wolfe Tones]] and [[Charlie and the Bhoys]].<ref>{{YouTube|Aq-WSIih1zI|Charlie & the Bhoys – Let the People Sing/This Land}}{{dead link|date=May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|y26XkOON9PM|Let the people sing}}{{dead link|date=May 2012}}</ref> This version is sung by supporters of [[Celtic Football Club]], an Irish / Scottish football club.
| [[Scotland|Scottish]]: Two Scottish versions exist, one by [[Woody Guthrie]] and another by [[The Waterboys]].
| International: [[Belgium|Belgian]] singing duo Hanny and Adri made a version in 1969 in [[Esperanto]], titled "{{lang|eo|italic=no|Jen Nia Mondo}}", literally "Behold Our World".<ref>{{YouTube|tiUmYzpVHfg|jomo jen jia mondo}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|FlfYArtrdpM|JoMo – Jen nia mondo (KEF-koncerto)}}</ref>
| [[Turkey|Turkish]]: Folk singer Nuri Sesigüzel covered the song with Turkish lyrics.<ref>{{YouTube|QNZhk31ptm4|Nuri Sesigüzel - This Land}}</ref>
| [[Australia]]n: Folk singer Shirley Jacobs (1927-2015) recorded a version on her 1975 vinyl album ''Songs of Love and Freedom''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shirley Jacobs 'Songs of Love and Freedom' LP 1975 |url=http://australianfolk.blogspot.com/2011/01/shirley-jacobs-songs-of-love-and.html |author=Paul the Stockman |publisher=Australian Folk Music and Australian Folk Singers and Musicians |date=January 29, 2011 |access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Night Train reaches the end of the line |author=Iain Gillespie and Debbie Jacobs |publisher=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=January 15, 2016 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/comment/obituaries/night-train-reaches-the-end-of-the-line-20160112-gm43xc.html |access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref>
| [[Mexican-American]]: For the title song of their {{lang|es|Esta Tierra Es Tuya}} album, the [[Sones de México Ensemble Chicago|Sones de México Ensemble]] ''[[Son mexicano|son]]'' group, based in [[Chicago]], translated the song into Spanish, with the "Sign was painted, it said private property" lyrics slightly modified to refer to the [[Mexico–United States border]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Mexican Folk in the Heart of Chicago |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16049758 |author=Renée Montaigne |author-link=Renée Montaigne |publisher=[[National Public Radio]]: [[Morning Edition]] |date=November 8, 2007 |access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Esta Tierra Es Tuya: Production Notes [enclosure with album CD] |author=Juan Díes |date=2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sones De Mexico's polite sonic insurrection |author=Aaron Cohen |publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=September 18, 2014 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-sones-de-mexico-juan-dies-chicago-music-20140918-story.html |access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A chat with Sones de México's Juan Diés [sic] |publisher=[[Connect Savannah]] |date=September 23, 2008 |url=http://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/a-chat-with-sones-de-mxicos-juan-dis/Content?oid=2160047 |access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref>
|[[Catalan language|Catalan]]: A Catalan version of this song, {{lang|ca|Aquesta és la nostra terra}}, was recorded by La Trinca in its 1969 album {{lang|ca|Tots som pops}}.<ref>Escamilla, David. Tot Trinca (1969-2010). Valls: Cossetània Edicions, 2010. ISBN 84-9791-669-1. p.38</ref> A second version in Catalan was recorded in 2012 by [http://www.coixinera.cat/ La Coixinera] with the title {{lang|ca|Mar i Muntanya}} ({{Translation|Sea and Mountain}}) included in the album Transformacions<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.coixinera.cat/?page_id=788|title=La Coixinera » Transformacions}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.coixinera.cat/|title=La Coixinera}}</ref>
|[[Guyana]]: The Guyanese version which is included in the list of national folk songs of Guyana contains the following lyrics:                                                                                {{poemquote|This land is my land; this land is your land,
From the [[Rupununi]], to the [[Courantyne River|Corentyne]].
From the green heart forest, to the Atlantic waters;
This land was made for you and me.<ref>{{Cite web|title=National and Patriotic Songs of Guyana|url=https://guyanagraphic.com/content/national-and-patriotic-songs-guyana|access-date=2021-01-21|website=Guyana Graphic|date=February 25, 2013 |language=en}}</ref>}}}}

=== Other variations ===
{{Listen
| type        = music
| filename    = This Land Is Your Land - Singing Sergeants - United States Air Force Band.mp3
| title       = "This Land Is Your Land"
| description = Upbeat choral arrangement with concert band accompaniment, [[United States Air Force Band]] Singing Sergeants
| pos         = right
}}
The song has been recorded by many performers over the years, ranging from American Country legend [[Glen Campbell]], hardcore band Hated Youth,<ref>{{cite web|title=Discogs.com|url=https://www.discogs.com/master/791205-Hated-Youth-Roach-Motel-Hated-Youth-Roach-Motel|website=Discogs.com|access-date=July 7, 2022}}</ref> all the way to Turkish performer Nuri Sesigüzel to [[reggae]] group [[The Melodians]].

A few other notable recordings are by:
*[[Peter, Paul and Mary]] – for their album ''[[Moving (Peter, Paul and Mary album)|Moving]]'' (1963)
*[[Bing Crosby]] – for the album ''[[America, I Hear You Singing]]'' (1964)
*[[The Seekers]] – in the album ''[[A World of Our Own (album)|A World of Our Own]]'' (1965)
*[[Connie Francis]] – included in her album ''[[Connie Francis and The Kids Next Door]]'' (1966)
*[[Tennessee Ernie Ford]] – recorded for his album ''America the Beautiful'' (1970)<ref>{{cite web|title=Discogs.com|url=https://www.discogs.com/Tennessee-Ernie-Ford-America-The-Beautiful/master/690038|website=Discogs.com|year=1970 |access-date=May 21, 2017}}</ref>
* [[David Carradine]] - in the soundtrack album of ''[[Bound for Glory (1976 film)|Bound for Glory]]'', Woody Guthrie's biopic directed by [[Hal Ashby]] (1976)
* [[Greg & Steve]] - on their album, ''Holidays & Special Times'' (1989).
*[[Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings]] – in the album ''[[Naturally (Sharon Jones album)|Naturally]]'' (2005).
*[[Johnny Logan (singer)|Johnny Logan]] – on the album, ''[[Irishman in America]]'' (2008).
* [[Raffi (musician)|Raffi]] – on his album, ''Love Bug'' (2014).

A version called "This badge is your badge", about [[FC United of Manchester]], was written by fan Mickey O'Farrell, and is often sung by fans at the club's matches.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undertheboardwalk.net/pdfs/UTB19example.pdf|title=Under the boadwalk – FC United article|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402104129/http://www.undertheboardwalk.net/pdfs/UTB19example.pdf|archive-date=April 2, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===In film, television, internet, books, and advertising===
{{importance section|date=February 2022}}
The song has been sung by characters in many film and television productions, including ''[[Bob Roberts]]'' (1992), ''[[Stepmom (1998 film)|Stepmom]]'' (1998), ''[[Full House]]'', ''[[The Luck of the Irish (2001 film)|The Luck of the Irish]]'' (a [[Disney Channel]] original movie), ''[[Up in the Air (2009 film)|Up in the Air]]'' (2009), by [[Renée Zellweger]] in the 2010 film ''[[My Own Love Song]]'', and by [[Edward Norton]] in the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic [[A Complete Unknown]].

It has been parodied many times, including:
* A lyrically restored version of the song was featured in "Disneyland Showtime", a 1970 episode of ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|The Wonderful World of Disney]]'', performed by The Kids of the Kingdom with [[Jay Osmond|Jay]] and [[Donny Osmond]]. Here, the lyrics were changed to describe the many attractions and experiences at [[Disneyland]].
* In the ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'' episode "Too Many Cooks" (1994), [[Tim Taylor (character)|Tim]] refers to Al as "Al 'This Land Is' Borland".<ref>[http://www.hiarchive.co.uk/index.php?content=script&s=3&e=19 Too Many Cooks], Home Improvement Archive</ref>
* A 1999 [[The One in Vegas, Part Two|episode]] of ''[[Friends]]'' when [[Joey Tribbiani|Joey]] meets a man he believes to be his "hand-twin", resulting in the lyric "This hand is my hand."<ref>[http://www.tv.com/friends/the-one-in-vegas-2/episode/465/summary.html The One in Vegas (2)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080128061659/http://www.tv.com/friends/the-one-in-vegas-2/episode/465/summary.html |date=January 28, 2008 }}, Friends episode guide, TV.com</ref>
* The 1999 film ''[[Sonnenallee]]'' features a version performed by [[Alexander Hacke]], changing the geographical references in the first verse to match those of [[East Germany]], where the film takes place.
* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Lisa the Treehugger]]" (2000) with the words changed to "This log is my log, this log is your log" in reference to a runaway [[Sequoia sempervirens|giant redwood tree]].<ref>[http://www.snpp.com/episodes/CABF01 Lisa the Treehugger] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205001328/http://www.snpp.com/episodes/CABF01 |date=December 5, 2014 }}, The Simpsons Archive</ref>
* In 2016, [[Budweiser]] temporarily rebranded their flagship beer "America", and included the lyrics "...from the redwood forests, to the gulf stream waters, this land was made for you and me" on their labels.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Plaugic|first1=Lizzie|title=Budweiser has a new name, and that name is America|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/10/11648388/budweiser-renaming-beer-america|website=Theverge.com|date=May 10, 2016|access-date=10 August 2016}}</ref>
* Pop singer [[Lady Gaga]] sang a few phrases of the song at the beginning of the performance of her [[Super Bowl LI halftime show|halftime show]] of the [[Super Bowl LI|2017 Super Bowl]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/05/entertainment/lady-gaga-super-bowl-halftime-show-2017/index.html|title=Lady Gaga brings message of inclusion to Super Bowl halftime – oh, and drones|first=Chloe |last=Melas|date=February 6, 2017|publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/02/06/if-you-thought-lady-gagas-halftime-show-was-apolitical-consider-the-origin-of-this-land-is-your-land/|title=If you thought Lady Gaga's halftime show was apolitical, consider the origin of 'This Land is Your Land'|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>
* The [[FX (TV channel)#FX on Hulu|FX on Hulu]] series ''[[Mrs. America (miniseries)|Mrs. America]]'' (episode 8 "Houston") depicts a group of women singing the song with a guitar. Actress [[Sarah Paulson]]'s character (Alice McCray) joins in by singing one of the variant verses often omitted ("Nobody living can ever stop me, As I go walking that freedom highway; Nobody living can ever make me turn back, This land was made for you and me"). Another character points to McCray that the song was written by Guthrie, referred to as "a socialist" (a point relevant in the dialogue to state a contradiction between McCray's conservative views and her love for the song). This could be the reason to pick such an obscure verse, as this particular verse can only be linked to Guthrie and not to one of the many versions of the song by other artist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/05/mrs-america-episode-8-recap-houston.html|title=MRS. America Recap: Because I Got High|date=May 20, 2020}}</ref>

==Copyright controversy==
[[File:20040823 Jibjab Copyright Scans.pdf|alt=|thumb|This song book, which includes "This Land Is Your Land", was published by Guthrie in 1945.]]

A widely published quote of Guthrie's about copyright has been cited by some scholars to suggest that he was against copyright protection for his work:<ref>See, for example, Sunstein, Cass R. (2006) ''Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge'', 164 and Leadbetter, Charles (2009) ''We-Think: Mass Innovation, Not Mass Production'', 58.</ref>

<blockquote>This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright # 154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don't give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that's all we wanted to do.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/4101 |title=Woody Guthrie free culture |publisher=Creative Commons |date=April 5, 2004 |access-date=2012-12-18}}</ref></blockquote>

Kembrew McLeod suggested this quote was made by Guthrie in reference to "This Land is Your Land", but that claim is inaccurate.<ref>McLeod, Kembrew (2005) ''Freedom of Expression, Overzealous Copyright Bozos and Other Enemies of Creativity'', 26–27.</ref> The copyright registration number "#154085" referenced in the quote is for Guthrie's song "California!" (also known as "California! California!" or "California! The Land of the Sky!"). The quote was printed under the lyrics to "California!" in a songbook Guthrie made in 1937 – three years before the first draft of "This Land" was written.<ref>Woody & Lefty Lou's Favorite Collection [of] Old Time Hillbilly Songs Been Sung Fer Ages Still Goin Strong!!, c. 1937, Series 1, Box 4, Folder 37, Maxine Crissman "Woody and Lefty Lou" Radio Show Collection, Woody Guthrie Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma.</ref>

A number of different organizations claim copyright for the song.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Publisher_Contact.htm |title=Woody Guthrie Songs Publisher Contact |publisher=Woodyguthrie.org |access-date=2011-03-27 |archive-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519212537/https://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Publisher_Contact.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

According to the [[Carter Family]], the melody came from a tune that A.P. Carter had found and recorded with Sarah and Maybelle Carter prior to 1934 and was not original to Guthrie.<ref>The Carter Family: 1927–1934, April 30, 2002, Jsp Records; {{ASIN|B00005TPB7}}</ref>

In July 2004, the website [[JibJab]] hosted a parody of the song, with [[George W. Bush]] and [[John Kerry]] singing altered lyrics to comment on the [[US 2004 Presidential election|U.S. presidential election]] that November,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hopstudios.com/nep/column/jibjab_this_land_lyrics.html |title=The Complete Lyrics of JibJab's 'This Land' Parody / Travis' Column: Hot Off the Presses |publisher=Hopstudios.com |date=November 16, 2011 |access-date=May 2, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502004907/http://www.hopstudios.com/nep/column/jibjab_this_land_lyrics.html |archive-date=May 2, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=July 9, 2004|title=This Land &#124; Funny Video Animation by JibJab|url=http://sendables.jibjab.com/originals/this_land|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204201652/http://sendables.jibjab.com/originals/this_land|archive-date=2009-02-04|access-date=2011-03-27|website=[[JibJab]]|publisher=Sendables.jibjab.com}}</ref> resulting in [[The Richmond Organization]], a music publisher that owns the copyright to Guthrie's tune through its Ludlow Music unit, threatening legal action.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://money.cnn.com/2004/07/26/commentary/wastler/wastler/ | work=CNN | title=A Jibjab showdown | date=July 26, 2004 | access-date=May 25, 2010}}</ref>

JibJab then sued to affirm their parody was [[fair use]], with the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF) acting for them. As part of their research on the case they found that the song had been first published by Woody Guthrie in 1945, although the copyright was not registered until 1956. This meant that when Ludlow applied to renew the copyright in 1984 they were 11 years too late as the song had been in the public domain since 1973 (28 years from first publication).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2004/08/song-belongs-you-and-me |title=This Song Belongs to You and Me |publisher=Electronic Frontier Foundation |date=August 24, 2004 |access-date=2011-03-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.eff.org/news/archives/2004_08.php#001838|title = Music Publisher Settles Copyright Skirmish Over Guthrie Classic|date = 2004-08-24|access-date = 2015-05-15|website = EFF: Press Room|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040826005100/http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2004_08.php#001838|archive-date = 2004-08-26|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,64704,00.html|title = JibJab Is Free for You and Me|date = 2004-08-24|access-date = 2015-05-15|website = Wired News|last = Dean|first = Katie|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040826233216/http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0%2C1412%2C64704%2C00.html|archive-date = August 26, 2004|url-status = dead|df = mdy-all}}</ref> The Richmond Organization settled with JibJab shortly thereafter, agreeing that JibJab were free to distribute their parody. In an interview on [[National Public Radio|NPR]], Arlo Guthrie said that he thought the parody was hilarious and he thought Woody would have loved it too.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/04/arlo_guthrie_on_this.html |title=Arlo Guthrie on 'This Land' parody |website=Boing Boing |date=August 4, 2004 |access-date=2011-03-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426132408/http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/04/arlo_guthrie_on_this.html |archive-date=April 26, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="npr-arlo">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3810407|title='This Land' Parody Riles Rights Holder|date=2004-08-02|access-date=2020-12-08|website=NPR}}</ref> Richmond still, however, claims copyright on other versions of the song, such as those appearing in the 1956 and later publications. Legally, such claims only apply to original elements of the song that were not in the [[public domain]] version.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2004/08/song-belongs-you-and-me |title=This Song Belongs to You and Me |publisher=Electronic Frontier Foundation |date=August 24, 2004 |access-date=2011-06-28}}</ref>

The Richmond Organization and Ludlow Music were sued in 2016 over their claims of copyright in a lawsuit led by Randall Newman. In a similar case, Newman previously successfully argued the song "[[Happy Birthday to You]]" was public domain.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Farivar|first1=Cyrus|title=Lawyers who yanked 'Happy Birthday' into public domain now sue over 'This Land'|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/lawyers-who-yanked-happy-birthday-into-public-domain-now-sue-over-this-land/|access-date=18 August 2016|website=Ars Technica|date=18 June 2016}}</ref> In February 2020, Judge [[P. Kevin Castel]] of the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Federal District Court in Manhattan]] dismissed the case because the plaintiffs had already paid the license fee, so there was no legal dispute to adjudicate.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sisario |first1=Ben |title='This Land Is Your Land' Is Still Private Property, Court Rules |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/arts/music/this-land-is-your-land-copyright.html |access-date=29 February 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=28 February 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of socialist songs]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q2309808|c=Category:This Land Is Your Land|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|wikt=no|display="This Land Is Your Land"}}
* [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.100010446/default.html Library of Congress download]
*{{IMSLP|This Land is Your Land (Guthrie, Woody)}}
* The [http://www.themomi.org/museum/Guthrie/index_800.html Bound for Glory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185910/http://www.themomi.org/museum/Guthrie/index_800.html |date=March 3, 2016 }} exhibit at the Museum of Musical Instruments includes images of Guthrie
* [http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/This_Land.htm lyrics as copyrighted in 1956]
* {{YouTube|aCf-fNygmKk|An example of an advertisement featuring the parody of 'This Land is Your Land'}}

{{Woody Guthrie|state=expanded}}
{{Peter, Paul and Mary}}
{{List of official United States national symbols}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1944 songs]]
[[Category:American folk songs]]
[[Category:American patriotic songs]]
[[Category:Answer songs]]
[[Category:Bob Dylan songs]]
[[Category:Bruce Springsteen songs]]
[[Category:Counting Crows songs]]
[[Category:Jay and the Americans songs]]
[[Category:Peter, Paul and Mary songs]]
[[Category:Glen Campbell songs]]
[[Category:American protest songs]]
[[Category:Songs about racism and xenophobia]]
[[Category:Songs about freedom]]
[[Category:Songs written by Woody Guthrie]]
[[Category:The Kingston Trio songs]]
[[Category:Trini Lopez songs]]
[[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]]
[[Category:Woody Guthrie songs]]
[[Category:Socialist songs]]
[[Category:Presidential campaign songs]]