Melody
Guthrie's melody was very similar to the melody of "Oh, My Loving Brother", a Baptist gospel hymn that had been recorded by the Carter Family as "When the World's On Fire" and had inspired their "Little Darlin', Pal of Mine." He used the same melody for the chorus and the verses.
Guthrie's song, however, had a different melodic structure from the hymn or the similar Carter family melodies, and he used only the first half of those melodies in his song. The melodic structure of the presumed model(s) can be described as "ABCD" -- a new melodic phrase for each of its four lines. Guthrie's structure, however, is "ABAC." In other words, Guthrie repeats the beginning of the melody (the "A" section) for his 3rd line, and for his 4th line ("This land was made for you and me" in the chorus), he uses a melody that is not found in the hymn or in either Carter family melody.
Read more about this topic: This Land Is Your Land
Famous quotes containing the word melody:
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