Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: folk
Song Meaning of “This Land Is Your Land” by Elizabeth Mitchell
This Land is Your Land is a timeless folk song of defiance and hope, one with a powerful message of unity in the face of adversity. Written by Woody Guthrie and performed by Elizabeth Mitchell, this song speaks of the vast beauty of the physical land of freedom and justice, and of the common goodwill amongst its people.
The song pays homage to our nation’s vast and untouched land, contrasting the unrestricted, unadulterated freedom of our land and its people with the trials of our history, and the struggles of its citizens throughout the years. The opening lines of the song, “This land is your land, this land is my land/ from California, to the New York Island;/ From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream water/ This land was made for you and me” remind us of our country’s truly remarkable physical beauty, and our great fortune to rest in its broad and boundless lands.
The song further expresses our nation’s indomitable spirit and resilience, despite the hardships and challenges we may face. “As I was walking, that ribbon of highway/ I saw above me, an endless skyway/ I saw below me, the golden valley/ This land was made for you and me” speaks of our ability to find light, and progress, even in the toughest of times.
This Land is Your Land is a timeless reminder of our nation’s spirit, of the nation’s great beauty, and of the collective responsibility we have to work together to keep fighting, progressing, and believing. It is a message of hope, of shared purpose, and of unity in the face of adversity.