Woody Guthrie song resurfaces in modern protest covers

musicApr 24, 20261079

Musicians and activists are reviving Woody Guthrie's protest songs, prominently performing and teaching 'Old Man Trump,' Guthrie's 1942 critique of landlord Fred Trump. The Missin' Cousins released a cover that combines 'I Ain't Got No Home' with 'Old Man Trump,' and ukulele teacher Eric Guerin posted a play-along that outlines Guthrie's fight with the Trumps. Guthrie wrote 'Old Man Trump' to call out Fred Trump's segregationist housing practices, and the song remained unpublished for decades before resurfacing in archives and new recordings. These fresh performances matter because they reconnect a midcentury anti-racist protest to contemporary activism and provide simple arrangements that make the song easy to learn and perform today.

Charles Jay

@chazjay425.bsky.social

Woody Guthrie also fought fascism by joining the US Merchant Marine serving on ships as a mess man and that were part of convoys threatened by torpedos. One trip carried munitions for D- Day. My grandfather also served in the Merchant Marine and survived a torpedo attack that sunk his ship.

6245d ago

Jay Fee21

Oh hi 🙂 my granda was the same, a merchant seaman in WWII, he was torpedoed twice and survived twice, he was in the pacific, Singapore I think

Neon Antifa Life 🎰🌴😎 🏁

@aliceknew.bsky.social

We can’t give up. This song is getting an update from the original in 1942 by Woody Guthrie. We need artist to help us protest as their livelihoods are stolen by AI. Each generation gets a round with fascism. This is ours. #pinks #unitedresistance #indivisible #wefightwewin So we fight, then win.

445d ago

Nancy

@plaintanjane.bsky.social

@therealbettemidler.bsky.social “You know l've been around a long time, but I have never lived through what we are living through now. The great Woody Guthrie wrote this song many years ago. I hope you'll sing it when you are marching. Because sometimes people, sometimes you just gotta SING OUT!”

445d ago

Gingerbird🦉

@gingerbird.bsky.social

I think Woody Guthrie would approve. Check out his song about old man Trump (dotard’s daddy)!

445d ago

Leviathan Wilde

@leviathanwilde.bsky.social

If you don’t know the Woodie Guthrie original do check it out! www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwcK...

345d ago

Anonymous Choice ☮️

@tcepser.bsky.social

His daddy helped promote racism in 1950s. Woody Guthrie found out first hand & wrote a song about it. Look in "Overview", even coined the term "Trump Tower l"! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man...

245d ago