There is one song, "This Land Is Your Land" is known by every school child all over the world. We know the author/composer. Originally, Woody said that his song can and should be changed, amended, added or ? Is it "Little Darling Pal of Mine" or the hymn
from whence the tune comes that connects it to a musical tradition? (See Mudcat's
background on this song.)

Is it a folk song?

At the time of it's inception, no one thought that much of it. It was just another
Woody song. It was taken up later as a wildfire.

Woody was in touch with his own cultural roots. He didn't write it to make money.

But it wasn't written yesterday.

There are variants of it. I've participated in changing some of the words.

One thing, it's not a manufactured song newly minted by some songwriter who thought
that his song was "special". It did go through some kind of folk process as did the song
"We Shall Overcome".

Frank Hamilton