Ah, the irony! Woody Guthrie’s classic song gets a much-needed makeover

AJ Strata looked at Obama’s approach to American land — i.e., “This land belongs to me, not you” — and decided to revamp Woody Guthrie’s famous “This land is your land” a bit.  I think he did a great job. More than that, though, he exposed a beautiful irony.

Woodie Guthrie was openly communist, although never officially a member of the Communist party.  Today, he is best remembered for “This land is your land.”  For decades, people have happily caroled the first two to four verses, which joyfully celebrate America’s great natural beauty.  Few know that the last three verses are a direct attack on private property.  Guthrie believed that the land should belong to the people:

This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.

As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.

I’ve roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.

As I went 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 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?

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.

Here’s the irony:  Thanks to a federal land-buying binge, vast tracks of America do belong to the people, just as Guthrie once hoped would open.  There’s even a President who is as close to being a communist as any American has ever been — and it’s that same president who is making it very clear that the people have no rights in or to the beautiful lands bought and maintained with their money.