Why "This Land Is Your Land" is surprisingly subversive

10/04/2025 25 min

                    Why "This Land Is Your Land" is surprisingly subversive

Listen " Why "This Land Is Your Land" is surprisingly subversive "

Episode Synopsis


In part two of our conversation, Spook Handy unspools the story behind “This Land Is Your Land.” He talks about how Woody Guthrie had the idea for the song; how Pete Seeger helped him edit the song into the song you know today; and the important role that property rights played in the writing of the song. Spook played with Pete Seeger more than 50 times, and in our conversation, Spook talks about his interactions with the folk music legend. He talks about how Pete used old melodies to address current circumstances, thus making new songs sound familiar.