Now the first time I saw Woody
He was standing in our yard
In the spring time 1935
Was pouring down real hard
He said I'll pay for room and board
Maybe a month or two
My name's Widrow Guthrie
And I'm just rambling through
But call me Woody
My friends all do
If you call me Woody
I might sing a little song for you
Now it was just my mom and me
A big house all alone
My daddy had gone to fight a war
Just never made it home
But each night old Woody played his guitar
Make up songs to sing
And would sing that midnight special
We would make them rafters ling
And we'd get happy
But we understood
That times were hard
But for a while life was good
Now mama, she took the Woody
Said she like to sing in style
God, she looks so pretty
And Woody made her smile
Taught me how to cut some smoke
And sing and play guitar
How to say a prayer to heaven
And wish upon a star
Yea, I know Woody
Mama have been rambling in the night
I was only twelve years old
But I could see it in their eyes
Mama came to me
One hot July day
Said our Woody's leaving son
And she wiped the tear away
And Woody said these rambling thievers
Are mighty heavy load
Then he picked up his guitar and his sack
And rolled on down the road
Goodbye Woody
We know you feeling bad
Goodbye Woody
What a time we've had
Now many years come and gone
And I'm old but still alive
My old mind is wondering back
To the summer of thirty-five
Time had taken everything
But one thing I still own
I can still pick up my guitar
And sing a Woody Guthrie song
This land is your land
With do re mi
Let the midnight special
Shine his ever loving light on me
Hold on, it's been good to know you
Cause I'm going down the road
Feeling bad with it