Origins: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)

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Origins: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)

18 Mar 97 - 09:53 AM (#3212)
Subject: Pastures of Plenty music?
From: RS

I found the Woody Guthrie song Pastures of Plenty in the song database, but I only know an approximate tune. Can anyone help? - Thanks - RS

18 Mar 97 - 10:09 PM (#3227)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music?
From: Paul Jay

RS This is Woodie Guthrie's reworking of the traditional tune "Pretty Polly" It's on his recording "Bound for Glory" & "Original Recordings" & others; also on the Weavers recording "Traveling On" Dave Van Ronk's "Somebody Else" & others. I found a record in our local library of Woodie's as well as printed music in several books there.

19 Mar 97 - 11:15 PM (#3265)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music?
From: RS

To Paul Jay: Thanks for the info! Do you have the names of the books in which you found the printed music? - then if our local library doesn't have then, I could try an Interlibrary loan. - RS

19 Mar 97 - 11:26 PM (#3266)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music?
From: RS

To Paul Jay: Thanks for the info! Do you have the names of the books in which you found the printed music? - then if our local library doesn't have then, I could try an Interlibrary loan. - RS

20 Mar 97 - 02:29 AM (#3277)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music?
From: Joe Offer

Hi - "Pastures of Plenty" is in "the Collected Reprints from Sing Out! The Folk Song magazine, volumes 1-6, 1959-1964." (wish they could have come up with a shorter title). You can order it from Sing Out for $17.50, 1-888-sing-out. It's in the reprints from 1960. Maybe your library will have bound collections of the magazine. Hope that helps. -Joe-

24 Oct 98 - 04:02 PM (#43095)
Subject: RE:tab Needed:Pastures of Plenty
From: Alicia

Does anyone know where I can find tab to the Guthrie tune "Pastures of Plenty"? All I could find were really bad chords Alicia

Messages from multiple threads combined. this message and the messages below are from a new thread.
-Joe Offer-

24 Oct 98 - 04:38 PM (#43099)
Subject: RE: Lyrics Needed: Song about a Tinker
From: Big Mick

Alicia,

I have several sources for this. I will let you know titles, etc. in a bit. I am just passing through, but I will get out the info later today.

All the best,

Mick

24 Oct 98 - 06:21 PM (#43115)
Subject: RE: Lyrics Needed: Song about a Tinker
From: Big Mick

Alicia, The book I have is called "Woody Gutherie Songs" from TRO Ludlow music. It is edited by Judy Bell and Nora Gutherie. It is an excellent resource and I got it from Elderly Instruments. Go to WWW.elderly.com, push the books button, go to personality's and you will find two books on Gutherie. Both are in the $8.00 range.

All the best,

Mick

24 Oct 98 - 07:59 PM (#43127)
Subject: Chords Add: PASTURES OF PLENTY (Woody Guthrie)
From: Roger in Baltimore

Alicia,

I'm not sure how you switched topics. In the future, go to the Main Forum Page and click on Create a New Thread. Title it just like you did this one and you'll do fine. You are a bit lost under the Tinker heading. I am trying out the < pre > command here. Hope it works.

Am G Am G Am
It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands have hoed
C Em E
My poor feet have traveled a hot dusty road
Am G Am
Out of your Dust Bowl and Westward we rolled
C Em Am
And your deserts were hot and your mountains were cold

G Am G Am
I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes
C Em E
I slept on the ground in the light of the moon
Am G Am
On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
C Em Am
We come with the dust and we go-o-o with the wind

Enjoy the song.

Roger in Baltimore

24 Oct 98 - 08:02 PM (#43128)
Subject: RE: Lyrics Needed: Song about a Tinker
From: Roger in Baltimore

Well, I am getting close. Perhaps you can pick up the gist of the song from this posting.

Roger in Baltimore

01 Aug 06 - 06:18 PM (#1799257)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music? (Guthrie)
From: Joe Offer

Here's the tune, from Hal Leonard's Woody Guthrie Songbook. The songbook has this in the Key of G with one chord, G. You'll find a more complex chords arrangement above. The tune, of course, is a reworking ogf "Pretty Molly/Polly."

Click to play (joeweb)

02 Aug 06 - 01:03 AM (#1799522)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music? (Guthrie)
From: Mark Ross

Acturally I think Woody played the song in D, one chord all the way through, he capoed up two frets and played in C position.

Mark Ross

02 Aug 06 - 01:36 AM (#1799537)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music? (Guthrie)
From: Peter Kasin

There is a wonderful arrangement of it by the American Irish folk band Solas, on their live concert DVD/video. Karan Casey was still in the band and sings lead. Of course, get the original, Woody Guthrie's recording first, but what a moving performance of it by Casey.

Chanteyranger

02 Aug 06 - 05:15 AM (#1799621)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music? (Guthrie)
From: David C. Carter

I think Mark Ross has got it right.
It's in capoed D,playing a C shaped chord all through the song.
On the last couple of verses he gets a little extravagant and hits the G shaped A chord.

David

02 Aug 06 - 02:20 PM (#1799933)
Subject: Lyr Add: PASTURES OF PLENTY (Woody Guthrie)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

There are several slightly differing versions of lyrics. Ludlow Music obtained renewed copyright in 1960 and 1963; I have not seen these issues, and they may differ from each other. How close are they to the older sung versions of the 1940's?
Here is the one from "Woody Guthrie Folk Songs," 1963, Intro. Pete Seeger, p. 22 with music and chords. It differs in some lines from the one in the DT, and the one in "Sing Out!," also indicated as copyright Ludlow 1960, 1963.

Lacking is the verse about orchards of peaches and prunes.

Lyr. Add: PASTURES OF PLENTY
(Woody Guthrie, copyright Ludlow 1960, 1963)

It's a (Em)mighty hard road that my poor hands have hoed,
My (G)poor feet have travelled a hot dusty (B7)road,
(Em)Out of your dustbowl and westward we roll,
Through deserts so hot and your (A7)mountains so (Em)cold.

I've wandered all over your green growing land.
Wherever your crops are I've lent you my hand,
On the edge of your cities you'll see me and then,
I come with the dust and I'm gone with the wind.

California, Arizona, I've worked on your crops,
Then north up to Oregon to gather your hops,
Dig beets from your ground, I cut grapes from your vines,
To set on your tables that light sparklin' wine.

Green Pastures of plenty from dry desert ground,
From the Grand Coulee Dam where the water runs down,
Ev'ry State of this Union us migrants have been,
*We come with the dust and we're gone with the wind.

It's always we ramble that river and I,
All along your green valleys I'll work till I die,
I'll travel this road until death sets me free,
'Cause my Pastures of Plenty must always be free.

It's a mighty hard road that my poor hands have hoed,
My poor feet have travelled this hot dusty road,
On the edge of your cities you'll see me and then,
I come with the dust and I'm gone with the wind.

*We work in your fight & we'll fight til we win" is the last line of the 'Green Pastures' verse in "Sing Out!" Probably changed for Union labor, but has little application to the dust bowl migrants of the song.

02 Aug 06 - 02:45 PM (#1799946)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music? (Guthrie)
From: Big Mick

This is the version I have sung for a long while. My assumption has always been that it was the original. But the verse with the line about about peaches and prunes also sounds very much as though it were there originally. I think I will go to the Woody Gutherie Archives and find out. I will report back.

Mick

02 Aug 06 - 05:55 PM (#1800068)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music? (Guthrie)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Good idea, Big Mick.
I think most of us know the 1960's words, which may depart from those Guthrie wrote. He also may have varied them for different occasions and some of these could be preserved in the archives.

02 Aug 06 - 07:08 PM (#1800125)
Subject: RE: Pastures of Plenty music? (Guthrie)
From: Matt_R

I can't help but think of Tom Paxton's "Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues".

(see what I did there?)

31 Oct 12 - 11:18 AM (#3428870)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)
From: GUEST

Tom Paxton plays this tune on the Tribute album with capo 3rd fret, c major and a minor each line, over and over. He is such an amazing singer. I need to find more of his music...

12 Mar 18 - 08:41 AM (#3910634)
Subject: Lyr Add: PASTURES OF PLENTY (Woody Guthrie)
From: Jim Dixon

If you're a student of dialect, or if you are simply anal enough to want to know exactly what Woody sang, this should fit the bill. I have boldfaced the words that are different between my transcription and the lyrics posted by Q above.

PASTURES OF PLENTY
As recorded by Woody Guthrie on "The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1-4"*

1. It's a mighty hard road that my poor hand has hoed.
My poor feet has traveled a hot dusty road.
Out of your dust bowl and westward we rolled,
And your desert was hot and your mountains was cold.

2. I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes,
Slept on the ground in the light of your moon.
On the edge of your city, you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind.

3. California an' Arizona, I make all your crops,
Then it's north up to Oregon to gather your hops,
Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine,
To set on your table your light sparkling wine.

4. Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground,
From that Grand Coulee Dam where the water runs down.
Ever' state in this union us migrants have been.
[We'll] work in this fight and we'll fight till we win.

5. Well, it's always we rambled, that river and I.
All along your green valley I'll work till I die.
My land I'll defend with my life if it be,
'Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free.

[* There is some confusion out there. Wikipedia says the Asch recordings were made in 1944-45, and it doesn't list PASTURES OF PLENTY as one of them; in a separate article, it says P.o.P. was recorded in 1941. Yet P.o.P. is included on Disc 1 of the 4-CD set called "The Asch Recordings" published by Smithsonian Folkways in 1999. Anyway, the same recording, about 2:28 in length, appears on many other albums. There seem to be a couple of other recordings which I will document separately.]

12 Mar 18 - 09:42 AM (#3910644)
Subject: RE: Origins: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)
From: Steve Shaw

Woody famously said that if you play more than two chords you're showing off.

12 Mar 18 - 11:45 AM (#3910675)
Subject: Lyr Add: PASTURES OF PLENTY variant (Woody Guthrie
From: Jim Dixon

The sound quality on this recording is terrible; no doubt that's why it isn't heard more often. I don't know the history of this recording; perhaps it was a demo. It has only a spare monotonous accompaniment on guitar. It certainly sounds unpolished. Apparently it was written in 1941 when Guthrie was working for the Department of the Interior, writing songs for a documentary about the Columbia River and its new Grand Coulee Dam—but maybe the other, more familiar version (see above) was written then, too.

PASTURES OF PLENTY
As recorded by Woody Guthrie on "American Radical Patriot" (2013)

1. It's a mighty hard road that our poor hand has hoed,
And our poor feet has traveled a hot dusty road.
Out of the dust bowl and westward we rolled,
And your deserts are hot and your mountains as cold.

2. I picked up a rich clod of dirt in my hand.
I crumbled it back into strong fertile land.
The greatest desire in this world that I know
Is to work on my land where there's green things to grow.

3. I think of the dust and the days that are gone,
And the days that's to come on a farm of our own.
One turn of the wheel and the waters will flow
'Cross the green growing fields down a hot thirsty road.

4. Look down in the canyon and there you will see:
Grand Coulee showers her blessings on me:
Lights for the city, for fact'ry and mills,
Green pastures of plenty from dry barren hills.

5. It's always we've rambled, that river and I.
It's here on her banks I will work till I die.
My land I'll defend with my life if it be,
'Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free.

[Repeat verse 5. (He sings "if need be" on the repeat.)]

12 Mar 18 - 11:53 AM (#3910677)
Subject: RE: Origins: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)
From: GUEST,Jerry

As regards playing only two chords, didn’t Dylan use the Pretty Polly melody for The Ballad of Hollis Brown, and only used one chord throughout?

12 Mar 18 - 08:00 PM (#3910774)
Subject: RE: Origins: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)
From: GUEST,Lou Judson

PASTURES OF PLENTY
As recorded by Woody Guthrie on "The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1-4"*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH2DJvgNlMA

12 Mar 18 - 08:12 PM (#3910779)
Subject: RE: Origins: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)
From: Joe Offer

Thanks, Lou. On so many of Woody's songs, it seems he "got it just right" on the Asch Recordings collection.
It's interesting to hear the Bob Dylan recording. He did a pretty good job of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkvf7HcMiLo

-Joe-

13 Mar 18 - 08:05 AM (#3910848)
Subject: RE: Origins: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)
From: Mrrzy

I also have an excellent version by Country Joe MacDonald who did a Woody Guthrie album.

02 Aug 18 - 10:48 PM (#3941179)
Subject: RE: Origins: Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)
From: GUEST,Sandy Vandeventer

Are “Pretty Polly” and “Pastures of Plenty“ the same tune?