Woody Guthrie's New Year Resolutions

For many, now is a time to pause and reflect about the events of the past year and start planning for the upcoming year, personally I never make New Year Resolutions. after all most of them  are pretty much the same…we simply want to get better/be our best.
I am  however, a great admirer of the legendary singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie  born in Oklahoma in 1912, who has claim to be the first singer-songwriter in the modern sense of writing to express his own personality and perspective.
Guthrie’s social conscience was born during the 1930s, when “Okies” from the arid dust bowl states trailed west to the supposed Eden of California. It was America’s internal migrant crisis, with despised and dispossessed families living haplessly in squalid camps, and Guthrie eagerly took up their cause.
On January 1, 1943, Woody drafted a delightful list of  " 33 New Year's Rulin's" he carried a notebook with him everywhere and he would write down everything that he found interesting.

The folk singers list is  a great mix of aspirations that range from  goals like"work more and better" and "wear clean clothes-look good" to the more philosophical in "keep hoping machine running" "dream good" and "wake up and fight." A feeling of joyful playfulness is evident throughout the list, though his goal to "help win war-beat fascism" is a stark sign of the times - at the end of 1941, the U S was dragged  into World War 11 by the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7. 

The list is a fascinating piece of social and cultural  history. that really gives an insight into what drove this  brilliant prolific singer and activist as he mixes the personal with the political, poetic in composition, passionate in composition.They are often shared and re-shared on the internet every year, perhaps because they capture Guthrie's hopeful and optimistic ideals.They still  resonate with the times we live today and can also serve as an inspiration at any time of the year when  pondering about what to do with our lives. 

 Take a look at the list here, then see the handwritten document below, complete with Guthrie's original sketches.

1. Work more and better

2. Work by a schedule

3. Wash teeth if any

4. Shave

5. Take bath

6. Eat good — fruit — vegetables — milk

7. Drink very scant if any

8. Write a song a day

9. Wear clean clothes — look good

10. Shine shoes

11. Change socks

12. Change bed cloths often

13. Read lots good books

14. Listen to radio a lot

15. Learn people better

16. Keep rancho clean

17. Dont get lonesome

18. Stay glad

19. Keep hoping machine running

20. Dream good

21. Bank all extra money

22. Save dough

23. Have company but dont waste time

24. Send Mary and kids money

25. Play and sing good

26. Dance better

27. Help win war — beat fascism

28. Love mama

29. Love papa

30. Love Pete

31. Love everybody

32. Make up your mind

33. Wake up and fight

.

You can learn more about Woody Guthrie’s life and music at woodyguthrie.org.

And here are links to two previous posts in relation to Woody.

 https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2017/07/happy-birthday-woody-guthrie-147-1912.html

https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-continung-relevance-of-woody.html 

It's a very worrying time for all at the moment, but nevertheless  I wish everyone the happiest year they can have, especially if you’re vulnerable, poor, oppressed and afraid or hopeless of what lies ahead

And while not  a Resolution maker myself I will try to follow a few of Woody's Read Lots of Good Books, Stay Glad,  Dream Good. Dance Better, Love Everybody, Keep Hoping Machine Running,Wake Up and Fight, while Beat fascism should be something we all should try to pursue every day of the year.,