Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: singer-songwriter
Song Meaning of “The Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done (The Great Historical Bum)” by Woody Guthrie
The Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done tells the story of how mankind has shaped our world’s history through progress and struggle. Woody Guthrie creates a powerful mix of admiration and pity for those who have worked and sacrificed to give us the wealth of knowledge and resources we now have access to.
In the song, Guthrie paints a vivid picture of the repetition of man’s endeavors, from the creation of stone tools to the mastery of machines, as “the longest battle of all history”. He goes on to praise the countless generations of makers who relentlessly pushed forward, despite fatigue and hardship, to develop technology, infrastructure, and science.
Through these descriptions, Guthrie invites us to reflect upon the vast changes we’ve seen since the beginning of our ancestors’ journey. From the simplicities of a hunter-gatherer life to the dizzying complexity of the modern age, Guthrie recognizes the incredible endeavor that has taken us to our current level of knowledge and sophistication.
Guthrie also brings irony to the context of the song; the title and chorus draw attention to the idea of ‘the Great Historical Bum’ – a depiction which recognizes the cyclical nature of progress and the generations of grueling work that goes unseen.