3 Underrated Folk Songs That Celebrate Rural America

There’s something about rural America that is so unique, so stunning, and so respectable. When someone outside the United States thinks of the country, they often think of the major cities, like New York City or Los Angeles. But the US is a large plot of land, and most of it is made up of truly stunning rural landscapes full of hard-working blue-collar people. And the following famous folk songs celebrate those one-of-a-kind rural places. Let’s take a look!

“This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie (1945)

This folk classic is easily the most all-encompassing ode to rural America out there. Woody Guthrie’s ode to the great American landscape celebrates all of its rural beauties, from the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream to the deserts of the Southwest to the wheat fields that once expanded across much of the Midwest. This anti-establishment classic remains one of Woody Guthrie’s most famous songs. It has been covered by hundreds of musicians in the years since it was first released.

“Garden Song” by David Mallett (1975)

This folk tune from 1975 could be seen as an ode to gardening and being in tune with nature. However, I always felt like it was written with the thought of rural America in mind. Lyrics like “Plant your rows straight and long / Temper them with prayer and song / Mother Earth will make you strong / If you give her love and care” bring to mind fields of corn, wheat, and greens that span hundreds of acres on either side of long stretches of highways. “Garden Song” by David Mallett offers grace and praise to America’s farmers. And those simple lyrics make it an excellent children’s song. Adults might remember John Denver’s 1979 version a little better, which is also an excellent song.

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver from ‘Poems, Prayers, & Promises’ (1971)

Speaking of John Denver… Well, this one was a shoo-in. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver is easily the most well-known ode to rural America among folk songs from the 1970s. It has stood the test of time beautifully, too. And while West Virginia has certainly claimed it as their theme song of sorts, the whole of this John Denver beauty sings the praises of the great American South in all of its natural beauty.

(Photo by John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

The post 3 Underrated Folk Songs That Celebrate Rural America appeared first on American Songwriter.