Woody Guthrie, Working Man
Woody Guthrie's Journey: A Musical Tale of Freedom and Hope
Lyrics
Woody's jumping on a train
Woody Guthrie is hopping onto a train.
In a boxcar in the rain
He's in a boxcar, enduring the rain.
Under one big sky
Amidst a vast sky, he finds himself.
Wipes the dust out of his eye
Clearing the dust from his eyes.
He's out here seeking truth
Engaged in a quest for truth.
His guitar's cutting loose
His guitar resonates with freedom.
A Dustbowl stray
A wanderer from the Dust Bowl.
On the ribbon of highway
Traversing the ribbon of highway.
Uh-o-o
Expressing a sense of uncertainty or surprise.
He's an Okie locomotive rider
Identified as an Okie locomotive rider.
Singing, thinking, freedom fighter
A singer, thinker, and advocate for freedom.
Sketching lyric pictures of this land
Depicting the landscape through lyrics.
He's a poet, picker, writer, painter
Characterizing Woody as a versatile artist.
Mystic, prophet entertainer
A mystical, prophetic entertainer.
Woody Guthrie, Working Man!
Celebrating Woody Guthrie as a working man.
Under California skies, Okies were broken
Referencing the struggles of Okies in California.
Or just getting by
Describing their hardships or survival.
In the orchards 'round their radio
Listening to a hopeful voice on the radio.
There's a voice there that's giving them hope
The voice provides hope to the Okies.
He wrote songs out on Coney Isle
Creating songs on Coney Isle.
That made his children and Pete Seeger smile
Bringing joy to his children and Pete Seeger.
Songs for workers, and the Grand Coulee Dam
Songs for workers and the Grand Coulee Dam.
For soldiers of war, and for old Uncle Sam
Addressing war soldiers and Uncle Sam.
He was born in the old Dust Bowl
Born in the Dust Bowl, a child-like cowboy.
A red dirt cowboy with a child-like soul
A red dirt cowboy with innocence.
From New York to the Rio Grande
From New York to the Rio Grande, he sings.
He kept on singing, all the way to California
Continues singing all the way to California.
"This land is your land"
Asserts the universal ownership of the land.
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