THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

By Bruce Springsteen, Live at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA on September 30, 1985 (penultimate show of the "Born In The U.S.A." tour).

This is one of the most famous folk songs in the United States. Based on an existing melody, a Baptist gospel hymn, Woody Guthrie wrote its lyrics in 1940, as a reaction to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", for considering it "unrealistic and complacent". His response was originally called "God Blessed America for Me".

Guthrie varied the lyrics over time, sometimes including more overtly political verses in line with his sympathetic views of communism. One of these versions was as follows:

This land is your land, 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 me.

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

I roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
to the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts,
while all around me, a voice was sounding:
this land was made for you and me.

When the sun come shining, and I was strolling
and the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
a voice was chanting, as the fog was lifting,
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 squares of the city, in the shadow of a steeple;
by the relief office I'd 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.

This land is your land, 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 me.

In some versions of this song it's said "Private Property" instead of "No trespassing", both were in tune with Guthrie's communist ideas which, I think, were in contradiction with the lines "Nobody living can ever stop me, as I go walking that freedom highway". If he were living in Russia or China, for mentioned only two examples, probably he could not say that.

As an artistic creation, it can have different interpretations. Not being a Commie myself, I prefer to think that Guthrie refers to the people's right to move freely, not restricted either by physical or by ideological borders.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

To night, all around the world, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

Traditional Thanksgiving foods are specific to the day, and the meal often has something of a ritual or traditional quality. It is also a tradition to share our own food with those who cannot enjoy a meal like ours.

The traditional dishes of Thanksgiving dinner are made mainly from foods native to the New World. It includes turkey, stuffed and roasted (many Americans would say it is "incomplete" without cranberry sauce and gravy...) and many other foods alongside the main dish—so many that, because of their amount, the Thanksgiving meal is sometimes served midday or early afternoon to make time for all the eating, and preparation may begin at dawn or on days prior.

Other commonly served dishes include winter squash, yams, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, deviled eggs, green bean casserole, peas and carrots, home made bread rolls and corn bread, and a salad.

If you have survived to all this stuff, and have a sweet tooth, you can enjoy the various pies served as desserts: apple, mincemeat, sweet potato, pumpkin, chocolate cream and pecan pie.

An unnecessary advice: keep the scale out of your sight!