I think alot of people know this folk song. May 3rd was Pete Seeger's 90th birthday, in 1953 he was in the folk group The Weavers and they had a number one hit with Woody Guthrie's song. Something very unusual happened, they were blacklisted as was the song! McCarthy thought that the song provoked freedoms and liberties he was none too happy with. Pete Seeger handed the song to the Canadian group who fashioned themselves after The Weavers called The Travellers, they Jerry Gray altered certain places to reflect Canadian landmarks and had a huge success with the song. thanks to Pete Seeger. A film from 2001 called The Travellers: This Land Is Your Land tells the story, I was listening to the radio yesterday and they had Jerry on talking about the story and what a great debt we Canadians owe to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. So it's a little belated Birthday wish, to a folk hero.
One of my favorite songs is "Which Side Are You On", a folk heros union song.
Hero.
A photo and story with lyrics to Which Side Are You On written by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger can be seen HERE.
How appropriate to use a song that was blacklisted in 1953 for the Presidential Inaugration of Barack Obama sung by Bruce Springsteen with Pete Seeger. This Land is Your Land is still a great folk song, one of many on a genre that is almost long forgotten. There are those of us who won't forget our roots.
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This log is your log,
This log is my log
When lightning struck it
It kicked the bucket
This log, it used to be a tree
Now it spreads love to you and me
Hey look it's heading out to sea
See what I mean?
Neat pictures too. Have a great week.
"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;
That side was made for you and me."
I'm not sure if that verse is carried on in the Canadian version.
Interestingly, Burl Ives is given credit for naming Seeger as a communist before the Committee. And it's worth noting that, in 1995, Seeger apologized for being blind to Stalin's failings and "for following the party line so slavishly, for not seeing that Stalin was a supremely cruel misleader." So, all's well that ends well...happy birthday, Pete!
I'm not keen on Springsteen as for many years he was a huge IRA supporter so he effectively supported terrorism for all those years.
.Hi Hooech, Oh gosh I had forgotten that episode, thanks for reminding me~.
Hi Woolsey, I agree, Eli Wallach spoke about that recently in an interview about how several actors careers were ruined, especially writers.
Hi IndianaMom, Yup, top picture is The Weavers, Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman and Ronnie Gilbert. The Travellers formed in 1953, Jerry Gray, Sid Dolgay, Jerry Goodis and Helen Gray. Another interesting thing about The Travellers is that in 1956 they were contestants on the Canadian television program called "Pick the Stars" which basically was an American Idol or Star Search program they came in second place after five weeks, they beat out Paul Anka and Rich Little who were also contestants on that show!
Hi Karl, Ah so you're a Youtuber now!
I know I get caught up in all the old stuff, my heart just belongs in the past I guess.Hi Jokipper, I never heard that verse! It sure was a time of finger pointing wasn't it. I adore Burl Ives as well and we all make mistakes. Just look at the work Pete has left for all to enjoy and how many still remember.
Hi AprilFox! Sorry for commenting so late, but as I said in IndianaMom's blog, I've been so
busy driving lately! Lots of extra work and I come home wacked out and crash like at 9pm!
(gotta get going at 5am!!)
I totally remember singing this in school all the time, but I never knew the background about
the song before! I always thought it was strictly a Canadian song, (...from the Bonivista
to Vancouver Island.)!
As for JOKIPPER'S question of the stansa reguarding the "sign said no trespassing"
it is in the Canadian version
Here are the Canadian lyrics!
That was THE perfect song for the inauguraton wasn't it? Perfect!
My personal favorite folk artist is Joan Baez.
How are thing with you lately? How is the weather in your neck of the woods? And in response to your comment on my blog...I took a listen to "Ben" upon your recommendation and I like it! It's a nice change of pace for him, most of the hit songs by him or the J5 that my generation hears these days are his most famous songs like "Thriller", "Billie Jean", "Beat it" and so on. It's nice to hear a soft song for a change! Hope all is well!
. There's another show called Royal Pains it's really good too, about a doctor and his brother and the mischief the older brother has to bail his younger brother out of while trying to run a practice. It has alot of funny, quirky, serious, dramatic, romantic things going for it. I forgot who, but someone suggested I watch it and boy am I glad I did! So I'm paying it forward. Again my deepest apologies for getting back to you so late. I just happened to go to movietome and saw that you had posted comments.
maritimer00