The Lyrical Great Depression

1. The Lyrical Great Depression By: Jewel Beddia Nicole Anouge Michelle Restrepo Valerie Geurke

2. The Ghost of Tom JoadBruce Springsteen Men walkin' 'long the railroad tracksGoin' someplace there's no goin' backHighway patrol choppers comin' up over the ridgeHot soup on a campfire under the bridgeShelter line stretchin' round the cornerWelcome to the new world orderFamilies sleepin' in their cars in the southwestNo home no job no peace no restThe highway is alive tonightBut nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goesI'm sittin' down here in the campfire lightSearchin' for the ghost of Tom Joad …

3. He pulls prayer book out of his sleeping bagPreacher lights up a butt and takes a dragWaitin' for when the last shall be first and the first shall be lastIn a cardboard box 'neath the underpassGot a one-way ticket to the promised landYou got a hole in your belly and gun in your handSleeping on a pillow of solid rockBathin' in the city aqueductThe highway is alive tonight but where it's headed everybody knows. I'm sittin' down here in the campfire lightWaitin' on the ghost of Tom JoadNow Tom said "Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guyWherever a hungry newborn baby criesWhere there's a fight 'gainst the blood and hatred in the airLook for me Mom I'll be thereWherever there's somebody fightin' for a place to standOr decent job or a helpin' handWherever somebody's strugglin' to be freeLook in their eyes Mom you'll see me.“ The highway is alive tonightBut nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goesI'm sittin' downhere in the campfire lightWith the ghost of old Tom Joad

4. The Meaning Behind the Lyrics This song refers to the main character in The Grapes of Wrath to show how life was during the Dust Bowl. “men walkin’ long the railroad tracks goin’ someplace there’s no goin’ back.” G This line in the song portrays how often people migrated, mainly farmers, in search of fertile land and jobs to survive.

5. The Meaning Behind the Lyrics “no home no job no peace no rest.” G This line shows how people suffering in the Dust Bowl lived in shanties and everything was taken away from them because of this natural disaster. Also, in the first line of the third stanza, the man pulls out a “prayer book” symbolizing his last bit of hope and faith he is holding on to.

6. The Meaning Behind the Lyrics The third stanza also states that the men live in a “cardboard box ‘neath the underpass.” and are“sleeping on a pillow of solid rock, bathin’ in the city aqueduct.” G These lines show the hardships in people’s lives during this time.

7. The Meaning Behind the Lyrics “Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guyWherever a hungry newborn baby criesWhere there's a fight 'gainst the blood and hatred in the airLook for me Mom I'll be thereWherever there's somebody fightin' for a place to standOr decent job or a helpin' handWherever somebody's strugglin' to be freeLook in their eyes Mom you'll see me.“ G These are excerpts from The Grapes of Wrath when Tom is actually speaking to his mother about the horrors he has seen during the 1930s.

9. Goin’ Down the Road Feeling BadWoody Guthrie I'm blowin' down this old dusty road,I'm a-blowin' down this old dusty road,I'm a-blowin' down this old dusty road, Lord, Lord,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this a-way. I'm a-goin' where the water taste like wine,I'm a-goin' where the water taste like wine,I'm a-goin' where the water taste like wine, Lord,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way. I'm a-goin' where the dust storms never blow,I'm a-goin' where them dust storms never blow,I'm a-goin' where them dust storms never blow, blow, blow,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way. They say I'm a dust bowl refugee,Yes, they say I'm a dust bowl refugee,They say I'm a dust bowl refugee, Lord, Lord,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way. …

10. I'm a-lookin' for a job at honest pay,I'm a-lookin' for a job at honest pay,I'm a-lookin' for a job at honest pay, Lord, Lord,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way. My children need three square meals a day,Now, my children need three square meals a day,My children need three square meals a day, Lord,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way. It takes a ten-dollar shoe to fit my feet,It takes a ten-dollar shoe to fit my feet,It takes a ten-dollar shoe to fit my feet, Lord, Lord,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way. Your a-two-dollar shoe hurts my feet,Your two-dollar shoe hurts my feet,Yes, your two-dollar shoe hurts my feet, Lord, Lord,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way. I'm a-goin' down this old dusty road,I'm blowin' down this old dusty road,I'm a-blowin' down this old dusty road, Lord, Lord,An' I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.

11. The Meaning Behind the Lyrics “I’m blowin’ down this old dusty road, an’ I ain’t gonna be treated this a-way.” G This line in the song epitomizes the 1930s, which was a time of great depressions and hardships. “I’m a-goin’ where the water tastes like wine, Lord.” G Here, Woody Guthrie is saying how something as simple as water would be considered a luxurious drink in this moment in time during the Dust Bowl.

12. The Meaning Behind the Lyrics “I ain’t a-gonna be treated this way.” G This repetitive line tells all: the man’s way of living is very depressing and unbearable, which is not surprising, considering the man in this song is a victim of the Great Depression.

13. The Meaning Behind the Lyrics “lookin’ for a job at honest pay.” “My children need 3 square meals a day/ It takes a 10-dollar shoe to fit my feet/ your two-dollar shoe hurts my feet.” G This excerpt states that during this time period it was almost impossible for a farmer to make a living for himself, let alone for his family.