This Land is Your Land
by Woody Guthrie
This land is your land and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and meAs I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
Saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and meI roamed and rambled and I’ve followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
All around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and meWhen the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and meThis land is your land and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and meWhen the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice come a-chanting and the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
Meanings of This Land is Your Land
The poem by Woody Guthrie shows the patriotic feelings of a person. It shows the main ideas of patriotism with the motherland, expression of happiness, and love for freedom.
Meanings of Stanzas 1-2
This land is your land and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and meAs I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
Saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me
The speaker tells his interlocutors about America. He states that its land is the land of all of them from California to New York, from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream. He repeats that it is their land, meaning they have the sole right over it. The speaker then talks about his journey on the highway and his observation of the sky. He tells about the golden valley to conclude that all this land belongs to them. It means he has a claim over this land and also entertains the claims of others. These stanzas add to the main idea of patriotism.
Meanings of Stanza 3-4
I roamed and rambled and I’ve followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
All around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and meWhen the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
The speaker says that he has roamed and walked in every state. He has seen the diamond deserts and their sparkling sands when walking around. However, he has heard one voice that this land is made for you. He goes on to say the same thing in the fourth stanza. He states that when he was strolling under the open sky in the sunlight, the wheat fields seemed to wave at him. He also observed the clouds rolling. When the fog was lifting, he again heard the chat, he stated, of the land that belongs to them. This means that they have a strong experience of happiness for being on their own land. These stanzas further add to the sense of freedom and patriotism.
Meanings of Stanza 5-6
This land is your land and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and meWhen the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice come a-chanting and the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
The fifth stanza is the repetition first stanza, with the speaker saying that he has traveled from California to New York and from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream. And the voice has told him that this land belongs to him and all others around them. The next stanza also the repetition of the fourth stanza, stating that when he walked around in the sun under the sky, it seemed to him that the wheat fields were waving at him and the dust clouds were rolling above him. The voice was also chanting about him as the land owner and other people. These stanzas further stress the main theme of patriotism, a sense of happiness, and freedom.
Summary of This Land is Your Land
- Popularity of “This Land is Your Land”: Written by Woody Guthrie, a famous American writer and singer, “This Land is Your Land” is a famous American folk song. Guthrie composed this song in 1940 as a source of inspiration. The song reflects that America is a diverse land and that it belongs to everyone. It also celebrates the freedom he, as an American, feels. The song gains immense popularity because it deals with the phenomenon of unity, patriotism, and freedom.
- “This Land is Your Land” As a Representative of Happiness: This song is about the joy speaker feels being American. It begins when he says that the land of America is for everyone. He calls out the names of famous places such as California, New York, redwood forest, and Gulf Stream to show that these lands belong to him and other residents. Moreover, while walking on the highway of his land, he observes the endless sky, golden valley, wheat fields, and dust clouds. All these things add to the beauty of his land. The writer personifies natural objects in the poem to show when one shows love for his country, even nature responds to him happily.
- Major Themes in “This Land is Your Land”: Traveling, a sense of belonging, happiness, and freedom are the major themes of the song. This song is about the feelings of a patriot who loves his land and counts the bounties it offers to its people. The speaker claims that America belongs to him and the other people. He travels to different places in his country and feels a sense of freedom. He feels delighted while seeing nature’s beauty spread in his land. He sings praise for the mesmerizing beauty of his land that brings delight to his heart and makes him feel so special. In other words, the speaker tries to convey that one should love his country and be thankful for what it offers.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in This Land is Your Land
literary devices are useful tools. Writers add these devices to their simple texts to enhance their meanings. Woody Guthrie used some literary elements in the poem, whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “I roamed and rambled, and I’ve followed my footsteps” and the sound of /o/ in “From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in “From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters” and the sound of /s/ in “When the sun come shining, then I was strolling.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
When the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
- Epigraph: It is a device used in the form of a poem, quote, or sentence, usually placed in the beginning to suggest the poem’s overall theme. Woody used this device in the opening line where it is stated as; “This land is your land and this land is my land.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Woody used imagery in this poem, such as “From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters”, “I roamed and rambled and I’ve followed my footsteps” and “And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has used happiness as an extended metaphor to show how one feels happy and content in his country.
- Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet has personified fields and clouds in the poem’s fourth stanza, such as; “And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism uses symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal ones. The poem uses symbols such as; happiness, patriotism, traveling, and praise.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in This Land is Your Land
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetorical devices, symbolism, and impressive images.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
- Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse “This land was made for you and me” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
- Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called a refrain. The verse, “This land was made for you and me” is repeated with the same words. It has become a refrain as it has been repeated in all stanzas of the poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are six stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four lines.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful for anyone when expressing love for the country.
“When the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice come a-chanting and the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me.”
