Jesus Christ

Album: This Land Is Your Land: Asch Recordings Volume 1 (1961)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Woody Guthrie had a talent for taking historical events and turning them into thought-provoking songs. Here, he sings about how Jesus Christ stood up for the poor and downtrodden. Guthrie never had much money, stood up for the working man, and traveled the country spreading his message through his songs. While he was never associated with a specific religion, you can see why Guthrie felt an affinity with Jesus Christ. (Thanks to Anna Canoni at the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives. Read more in her full interview. Learn much more at the official Woody Guthrie website.)
  • Guthrie performed this at a 1949 concert in New Jersey that was recorded using wire, which is an obscure technique used in the '40s and '50s. These wire recordings were restored and released by the Woody Guthrie Archives as the album The Live Wire: Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949. This is the only known recording of Guthrie performing live.

Comments: 2

  • Ken from Philadelphia, PaThis song was used to great effect during the end credits of Michael Moore's documentary, "Capitalism, A Love Story".
  • Ken from Philadelphia, PaWhat a great song! So simple, so thought-provoking, and as meaningful in today's world as it was when it was written 70+ years ago. One doesn't need to do much parsing of the lyrics to see what Guthrie is saying: Jesus Christ's ministry (and, thus, by definition, Christianity) was all about helping and empowering the poorest of his people, and, when the rich and powerful realized this and, moreover, realized it was a threat to their own wealth, they saw to it that Jesus Christ was crucified. Given that we live in a time where the very richest among us exert enormous influence on our laws and lives, perhaps we would be smart to heed Guthrie's words before it is too late.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Harold Brown of War

Harold Brown of WarSongwriter Interviews

A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.