Songs for the Holiday - the 4th?

Subject: Songs for the Holiday - the 4th?
From: GUEST,Tom Square
Date: 02 Jul 00 - 07:01 PM

Friends,

I saw Billy Bragg at a free concert in Battery Park City performing Woody Guthrie Lyrics to his own music - great concert. Pete Seeger has also been performing alot down here lately with his grandson. WE're about to have big fireworks for the 4th. Does anyone have good independence day trads?

- Tom Square NYC Jluy 2, 2000

Subject: RE: Songs for the Holiday - the 4th?
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 03 Jul 00 - 04:33 AM

I was listening to an NPR special on Woody. They claim that Woody hated Kate Smith's "God Bless America." So he sat down one night in a hotel room and wrote what we now know of as This Land is Your Land. So put that at the top of your list. You might also want to sing John Prine's The Great Compromise to help keep our patriotism in perspective.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Songs for the Holiday - the 4th?
From: Sourdough
Date: 03 Jul 00 - 04:40 AM

Marjorie Guthrie told me the same thing, that Woody had hated Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" although she didn't mention anything in particular about Kate Smith's rendition. It sure doesn't sound anything like "God Bless America, does it?

His original ending for each verse was the ironical "God blessed America for me". Later, he realized that he had a better line in, "This land was made for you and me."

Sourdough

Subject: RE: Songs for the Holiday - the 4th?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 04 Jul 00 - 01:38 AM

How about the Weaver's rendition of "Wasn't That A Time"?