356 PART 3 | FROM WORLD WAR I THROUGH WORLD WAR II
songwriter: Woody Guthrie
date: 1940
performer: Woody Guthrie, vocal and guitar
genre: folk song
meter: triple
form: verse and chorustiming section comments
0:00 introduction 4 bars of Carter-style guitar, with a melody similar to the song’s chorus.
0:07 chorus The melody’s sing-song, nursery-rhyme quality acts as a foil for the verses to
come, signaling that a serious topic will be treated with humor.
0:25 interlude Immediately after the last word of the chorus Guthrie plays a hammer-on,
characteristic of the Carter style.
0:42 verse 1 Guthrie situates his song in Pampa, Texas, where he witnessed the Dust Bowl
drought. The implication is that the song is factual and autobiographical.
1:02 chorus
1:20 interlude
1:40 spoken episode Guthrie seems to be picking up the threads of a story already begun, a factual
story from his own life.
2:11 verse 2 The mildly anticlerical punch line suggests that the autobiographical nature of
the song should not be taken too seriously.
2:32 chorus
2:49 interlude A couple of hammer-ons enliven the bass-string melody.
3:01 verse 3 Guthrie moves smoothly from singing to speaking.
3:21 chorus Return to singing for the fi nal chorus.
note Recorded by Alan Lomax.Listen & Refl ect
- At least two features of Guthrie’s performance could be considered mistakes: (1) when accom-
panying his singing, he often muffs guitar notes instead of playing them cleanly and clearly,
and (2) although his tune implies regular four-bar phrases throughout, he sometimes pauses
for an extra bar or two before moving on to the next phrase, as if he weren’t sure of the next
words. Yet the second “mistake,” at least, was widely imitated by Guthrie’s admirers. What
positive musical effects might be attributed to his less-than-perfect performance technique?
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR- Relaxed, folksy vocal delivery with
regional accent - Carter-style guitar playing
- spoken interlude for storytelling
CD 3.1 Listening Guide 14.5 “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You”^ WOODY GUTHRIE
172028_14_332-360_r3_ko.indd 356 23/01/13 8:38 PM