Woody Guthry - This land is your land
This song is awesome. It is so simple, yet so complex. Throughout the song Woody describes the beauty of America. He uses wonderful imagery to depict the landscapes and historic places. He says things like "I've roamed and rambled/ I've followed my footsteps/ to the sparkling sands of her shining deserts." I used to love this song when I was little, and I can remember singing along to it in daycare with the other little kids. Time passed without me hearing the whole thing, and once I was a good bit older, I heard a part of the song that I had Never heard before. Woody normally ends each chorus with the phrase "This land was made for you and me," but something different stood out about the last verse. I noticed for the first time that the final chorus almost contradicts the rest of the song. It goes "In the squares of the city/ In the shadow of the steeple/ Near the relief office/ I see my people/ and some are grumblin'/ and some are wonderin'/ If this land's still made for you and me."
Bob Dylan - The times are a-changin'
Anyone can tell that this song has obvious political undertones merely by reading the title. The unabashedly political warning as bellowed by Bob amidst twanging guitar chords and short outbursts of harmonica warns of turbulent political times and advises support of a progressive movement. "For the loser now will be later to win/ For the times they are a changin'" he warns. The message is simple: change with the times or become obsolete.
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