Other countries' version of "This land is your land...
jrw
They substitued: Bonne Vista = California
Vancouver Island = New York Island
Artic Circle = Redwood Forests
Great Lake Waters = Gulf Stream Waters
in the lyrics. I am sure there are many other nations' versions of this
song. Any responses?
Gene Wilburn
My understanding is that these words were changed by a Canadian group
called The Travellers (who may have pre-dated the Kingston Trio in
the 50's). These words have become so entrenched in Canada that just
last week I read an editorial that referred to that "great Canadian
folksong 'This Land is Your Land'" I sent in a polite letter to the
editor saying that Woody should get his due, but that he was probably
delighted with the Canadianization of his song.
Cheers, Gene
Barrie McCombs
: In article <wyatt.141...@chem.nrl.navy.mil>,
: Cheers, Gene
*****
First you steal "The Red River Valley" and now it's "This Land Is Your
Land". I have it on good authority from my third cousin that he once met
the real author of the song, Hamish "Pinetree" Guthrie, who was a
Canadian lumberjack. Your boy, Guthrie, won both the name and the song
in a poker game in Ottawa in 1924. Hamish's other most well known song
is "I'm a Lumberjack, and I'm OK" which he wrote after falling 30 feet
out of a pine tree, hence the nickname. Viva La Canadien Erroneus!
Garry Gillard
> : >song. Any responses?
The Australian version that I used to sing in 1962 had
From Carpentaria to the great Bight waters
From Rottnest Island to Sydney Harbour
Rottnest Island may be a bit too local. Everyone who lives in Perth
Western Australia knows it well, but for an international audience it needs
something more recognisable perhaps. I'm still working on it.
--
Garry Gillard
Humanities, Murdoch University, Western Australia 6150
Rod Vokey
>My understanding is that these words were changed by a Canadian group
>called The Travellers (who may have pre-dated the Kingston Trio in
>the 50's). These words have become so entrenched in Canada that just
>last week I read an editorial that referred to that "great Canadian
>folksong 'This Land is Your Land'" I sent in a polite letter to the
>editor saying that Woody should get his due, but that he was probably
>delighted with the Canadianization of his song.
In a similar vein, Oscar Brand wrote a song "Something to Sing About" which is
similar in flavour (if different in tune and words) to "This Land ..." but
with a Canadian flavour. When asked to make a US version, he declined and
since he was alive it was awkward for any one else to do it. I believe that
it was also recorded by The Travellers and I know that it was recorded by a
group called The Raftsmen in the late 50's or early 60's. If anyone is
interested, I can try to find all the words but my memory of the chorus was:
From the Vancouver Island
Through the Alberta highlands
'cross the praries, the lakes
To Ontario's towers (?)
From the sound of Mount Royals Chimes
Up to the Maritimes
Something to sing about
This land of ours.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
If perplexity is the beginning of knowledge, I'm destined to be a genius!
Rod Vokey, Pointe Claire, Quebec r...@InterLink.NET
Jay Kuchinsky
they sang "From the North Sea Waters..."
IanMaclure
"This land is your land"
"This land is my land"
"No, not Thailand"
"Its Baffin Island"
Etc, etc.
IBM
--
################ No Times Like The Maritimes, Eh! ######################
# IBM aka # Ian_M...@QMGATE.arc.nasa.gov (desk) #
# Ian B MacLure # maclure@(remulak/eos).arc.nasa.gov (currently) #
########## Opinions expressed here are mine, mine, mine. ###############