"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody

STAGE ONE

IT WAS HARD AT FIRST, YOU TOOK IT SLOW

Guthrie started writing this song in 1940 when he hitchhiked his way from Los Angeles to New York City. Along the way, "God Bless America" was playing in jukeboxes across the country, which is where he got the idea to parody the song.

STAGE TWO

IT DID GET EASIER & EASIER

Guthrie’s original “copyright” on his song reads: This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright #154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin’ it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don’t give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that’s all we wanted to do.

STAGE THREE

I CAN SEE YOU AT THE PIANO SMILING THAT YOU GOT IT