As many folks know, Woody Gutherie worked for the Bonneville Power Dam folks (BPA) for about 6 months back about 1940. He was a song writer on contract. He wrote something like 33 songs (I'm sure I'll be corrected by experts). Included in this brief song writing binge was "This Land Is Your Land." Also, was this gem,

"The Talking Columbia Blues"

Down along the river just sittin on a rock
Looking at the boats at the Bonneville lock
The gate swings open, the boat sails in
Toots her whistle, she's gone again
spoken
Gasoline going up, wheat comming down

Filled up my hat brim, drunk a little taste
Thought about the river just going to waste
Thought about the dust, thought about the sand
Thought about the people, and thought about the land
spoken
folks running all over creation looking for some kind of little place

Fellers back East doin' a lot of talking
Some a balkin', some a squawkin'
But for all their figgures and all their books
Them fellers just didn't know their royal Chinooks
spoken
Salmon ...that's a mighty good river ...just needs another big string of them big power dams on it

Pulled out my pencil, scribbled this song
I figgured all them salmon couldn't be wrong
Them salmon fish is pretty shrewd
They got politicians and senators too
spoken
Just like the president ... they run every four years

You just watch this river tho
Pretty soon everybodys going be changing their tune
The big Grande Coulee and the Bonneville Dam
It'll run a thousand factories for Uncle Sam
spoken
Everything from fertilizers to sewing machines ... plastic bedrooms ... everythings 'gonna be plastic

Uncle Sam needs houses and stuff to eat
Uncle Sam needs wool and Uncle Sam needs wheat
Uncle Sam needs water and power dams
And Uncle Sam needs people and the people need land
spoken
"course I never did like dictators, but I think the whole country oughta be run by e l e c t r i c i t y

It VERY interesting to read this song now, and know that the present political fight on the Columbia River system is to REMOVE all those power dams to make it easier for the Salmon! CHEERS, Bob