Hi,
John Steinbeck published The Grapes Of Wrath in 1939. In 1940 it was a motion picture starring Henry Fonda as Tom Joad. RCA Victor asked Woody Guthrie to write some songs about the Dust Bowl. His album "Dust Bowl Ballads" originally released on multiple 78 rpm records in 1941 was his most successful work and included his song, "Tom Joad" on two records. Following up on this came another album "Pastures Of Plenty". The title track, written from the point of view of a migrant worker, remains one of his most popular songs and was included in the Broadway adaptation of "The Grapes Of Wrath". This places Woody Guthrie along with John Steinbeck right in the center of American literature focusing on the dustbowl. This means that it is their work that brings the dustbowl and the farmers it affected to life for future generatons.
Arlo Guthrie - Woody's "Pastures of Plenty"
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Here's Woody Guthrie's version of "Pastures Of Plenty".
Woody Guthrie - Pastures of Plenty
My favorite verse goes like this.
I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes
I slept on the ground in the light of the moon
On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind
- Woody Guthrie - Pastures Of Plenty lyrics at woodyguthrie.org.
Here's the version from the Broadway play, "The Grapes Of Wrath".
Pastures of Plenty - Grapes of Wrath Version
Here's a version of "Tom Joad" sung by Raymond Crooke.
Raymond Crooke - Woody Guthrie's Tom Joad
I'm going to quote Raymond Crooke here with his concise description of the way the song "Tom Joad" came to be.
Woody wrote this seventeen-verse ballad, based on Steinbeck's great novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," specifically for his 1940 album, "Dust Bowl Ballads". He had never actually read the book but he considered John Ford's movie of it "the best cussed pitcher I ever seen." He wrote the song overnight at the home of Jerry Oberwager, where Pete Seeger was staying, as there was a typewriter (and a half gallon of wine) available. The tune used is the same melody as the Carter family's "John Hardy."
Here's a link to yesterday's music that changed the world diary, Bruce Springsteen - The Ghost Of Tom Joad.
Both Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen include Steinbeck's famous Tom Joad speech in their songs.
Whenever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Whenever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there... I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an'-I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build-why, I'll be there.
- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 28
This text remains the same in the movie with only a very few words changed and the meaning intact. (Wherever instead of whenever and people instead of folks) Henry Fonda also adds the word "too" at the end of the speech.
The script in the Broadway play also closely matches Steinbeck's text except "I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an'-I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready." is dropped. And instead of the "too" at the end a one word sentence is added, "See?".
According to the story above Woody Guthrie wrote "Tom Joad" from memory after seeing the movie and not having read the book. His text
Wherever little children are hungry and cry,
Wherever people ain't free.
Wherever men are fightin' for their rights,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma.
That's where I'm a-gonna be."
- Woody Guthrie - Tom Joad lyrics at woodyguthrie.org.
only mirrors Steinbeck's text in spirit and sometimes more in the spirit of the movie as seen by Woody Guthrie than to the spirit of the words Henry Fonda read. In the Steinbeck there is no mention of being free or fighting for rights. That's added.
Now the Springsteen text
Now Tom said "Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight 'gainst the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me Mom I'll be there
Wherever there's somebody fightin' for a place to stand
Or decent job or a helpin' hand
Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free
Look in their eyes Mom you'll see me."
- Ghost Of Tom Joad lyrics at brucespringsteen.net
Starts with a direct quote from the movie, Steinbeck's words except wherever instead of whenever, the second line is a paraphrase from Woody Guthrie's lyric substituting newborn baby for little children, and later in the verse he is "fightin' for a place to stand" and strugglin' to be free" capturing the spirit of Woody Guthrie's version of the story.
A bunch of the other stuff Springsteen just made up. After all he is telling a different story about a different era.
We have to assume that Springsteen read the book, saw the movie, and loved Guthrie's song. These were choices he made in his modernization of the story.
The truth of the matter is it's the same old story. All of the echoes caught by Guthrie and Springsteen in their versions are to be found somewhere in the novel, The Grapes Of Wrath. And, unfortunately, all these stories remain pertinent today.
I find it fascinating to watch this fictional character told and retold through time. Please fill me in on other works involving the legend of Tom Joad.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry