This land is your land, this land is my land

Watching this video of a nearly 90 year old Pete Seeger, with Bruce Springsteen and friends, singing Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" on the Mall in Washington, D.C. today, I was struck by the gravity of the moment.

First, there was the symbolism of Abraham Lincoln of Illinois, the President who freed the slaves, watching over a celebration in honor of the first African-American to be elected President, another man who is from Illinois.

And then there were the lyrics:

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND 
words and music by Woody Guthrie

Chorus:
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

Chorus

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

Chorus

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

Chorus

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!

Chorus

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.

Chorus (2x)

©1956 (renewed 1984), 1958 (renewed 1986) and 1970 TRO-Ludlow Music, Inc. (
BMI)

During the past eight years, we've been reminded over and over by the Bush Administration that America is a land of haves and have nots; that those of means matter and those of lesser fortune do not. While corporate gluttony ruled at the expense of everything else, ethics and legalities included, our economy has tanked. Where once the United States of America was at the global pinnacle of leadership in the world, that status has been eroded through foolhardy and reckless foreign policy decisions.

Indeed, that last verse of Woody Guthrie's song reflects on the current state of our nation. Some are grumbling and some are wondering if this land is still made for you and me.

Last November we started down the path of reclaiming our American legacy when we elected Barack Obama President. Now we have the opportunity to reshape our nation, to restore its promise to all Americans, not just those who can afford it.

But we can't rely on one man to do everything. We all have a responsibility to do our part. The Constitution begins, "We, the People" not "I, the President."

Yes, we have come a long way in the 233 years since the Declaration of Independence. But there is much work yet to do. So don't think of Tuesday as the day when Barack Obama can finally implement his agenda. Think of it as the day when we put the past behind us, and we all move forward into the future, together.

Woody Guthrie got it right. This land is your land. This land is my land. This land was made for you and me.