In the Squares of the City...

I was at an Anti-Flag show last weekend -- don't ask -- and was having myself a wonderful time releasing pent up aggression on tight pant-ed, long haired, skinny-ass punk kids when, during the encore, Tom Morello, the guitarist from Rage Against the Machine, came out to play with the band. He proceeded to lead them in punked-out version of "This Land is Your Land," by Woody Guthrie after a moderately long, informative explanation of the song.

Anti-Flag, who are known for their noisy songs infused with anti-nationalist, pro-globalization preoccupations, kicked off their latest tour with a show at Irving Plaza in New York City (which is about thirty seconds from my building). Tom Morello, who has maintained an extremely potent career as the guitarist for Audioslave and as a solo-act, the Nightwatchman, appeared for the encore, since he "happened to be in New York." I suspect he was attempting to stir up some publicity for Rage Against the Machine's reunion show at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (and subsequent tour), but, on the other hand, I doubt it'd be possible to create anymore publicity for the event. That is neither here nor there, as the subject of this particular discourse is the Woody Guthrie song itself.

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

I'd never bothered to investigate the song much beyond nothing it's authorship, and, therefore I was floored to hear from Morello that the song has dark side, which is often omitted in your average grade school rendition. I should've suspected as much, coming from Woody, but it never occurred to me to ever actually listen to a real recording of it.

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.

That sounds more like it. I am probably late to the game on this one, but the irony kills me. Imagine a class of preschoolers chanting the last verse in a end-of-the-year-type celebration. Oh man, I'm dying. I wish I had the desire to be a teacher. I'd take a year out of my life to make sure that happened.

Oh well.

Morello noted at sentiment he holds, hoping that the song "will someday be the national anthem," and I can't help but agree.

The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me