Folk obrero: Contra la ley (Woody Guthrie)

Hoy fue un día un poco Woody Guthrie. Guthrie fue un músico folk, poeta socialista y anti-capitalista (gran inspirador del ídolo Bob D.), que escribió algunas de las letras más memorables del folk combativo norteamericano. Acá van tres de ellas: Contra la ley; la más famosa de todas, "Esta tierra es tu tierra" (con link a uno de los pocos registros de su voz, cantándola); y la otra letra híper-famosa, "Si tuviera un martillo", que va en versión inglesa y castellana (trad. de V. Jara) y con link a Pete Seeger cantándola (Foto de W.G., y guitarra con mensaje)

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Against the Law

It´s aginst th´ law to walk, It´s aginst th´ law to talk
It´s against th´ law to loaf, It´s aginst th´ law to work
It´s aginst th´ law to read, It´s aginst th´ law to write
It´s aginst th´ law to be a black or brown or white.

Ever´thing’s aginst th´ law
I´m a low pay daddy singing th´ high price blues

It´s aginst th´ law to eat, It´s aginst th´ law to drink
It´s aginst th´ law to worry, It´s aginst th´ law to think
It´s aginst th´ law to marry or to try to settle down
It´s aginst th´ law to ramble like a bum from town to town

Ever´thing’s aginst th´ law
I´m a low pay daddy singing th´ high price blues

It´s aginst th´ law to come, It´s against th´ law to go
It´s against th´ law to ride, It´s against th´ law to roll
It´s aginst th´ law to hug, It´s against th´ law to kiss
It´s against th´ law to shoot, It´s against th´ law to miss

Ever´thing’s aginst th´ law
I´m a low pay daddy singing th´ high price blues

It´s aginst th´ law to gamble, It´s aginst th´ law to roam
It´s aginst th´ law to organize or try to build a home
It´s aginst th´ law to sing, It´s aginst th´ law to dance
It´s aginst th´ law to tell you th´ trouble on my hands

Ever’thing in Winston Salem is aginst th’ law
I’ma low pay daddy singin’ th’ high price blues.

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THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

(Link a Guthrie cantándola, acá)

(El tema representa la reacción de W.G. a la canción "God Bless America," que W.G. encontraba insoportablemente complaciente. El párrafo central del poema dice:

Mientras caminaba, encontré un cartel
Y en el cartel decía “propiedad privada”
Pero en el otro lado: ¡no decía nada!
Ese lado fue hecho para ti y para mí)


This land is your land


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 waters
This land was made for you and me

As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me

I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!


In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.

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EL MARTILLO (L. Hays/P. Seger/Trad: Victor Jara)

Oh hermano, oh hermano.
Si tuviera un martillo
golpearia en la mañana
golpearia en la noche
por todo el pais
Alerta el peligro
debemos unirnos para defender,
la paz.

Si tuviera una campana
tocaria en la mañana
golpearia en la noche
por todo el pais
Alerta el peligro
debemos unirnos para defender,
la paz.

Si tuviera una cancion
cantaria en la mañana
cantaria en la noche
por todo el pais
Alerta el peligro
debemos unirnos para defender,
la paz.

Ahora tengo un martillo
y tengo una campana
y tengo una cancion que cantar
por todo el pais.
Martillo de justicia
campana de libertad
y una cancion de paz.

(En Youtube, por Pete Seeger, acá)


If I Had A Hammer

* (Pete Seeger / Lee Hays)

If I had a hammer I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening all over this land
I'd hammer out danger, I'd hammer out warning
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a bell I'd ring it in the morning
I'd ring it in the evening all over this land
I'd ring our danger, I'd ring out warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a song I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening all over this land
I'd sing out danger, I'd sing out warning
I'd sing out love between my sisters and my brothers
All over this land

When I've got a hammer, and I've got a bell
And I've got a song to sing all over this land
It's a hammer of justice, it's a bell of freedom
It's a song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land