Woody Guthrie, the folk troubadour who famously declared “this machine kills fascists,” turned everyday struggles into anthems that still echo today—but his story is more complex and uncomfortable than the typical hero narrative. Tracing his life from the Dust Bowl to a hospital bed in New York reveals both the idealism and the flaws of a man who wrote more than 3,000 songs.
Born: July 14, 1912 · Died: October 3, 1967 · Cause of death: Huntington’s disease · Notable song: “This Land Is Your Land” · Influence: Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger
Quick snapshot
- Died of Huntington’s disease at age 55 (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition))
- Wrote “This Land Is Your Land” on February 23, 1940 (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive))
- Bob Dylan visited him in 1961 (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition))
- Exact words exchanged between Guthrie and Dylan
- Total number of songs Guthrie wrote (estimates vary)
- Whether Guthrie ever performed with Dylan
- 1912: Born in Okemah, Oklahoma (Morgan Library & Museum)
- 1940: Writes “This Land Is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie Center)
- 1954: Diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (Morgan Library & Museum)
- 1967: Dies at age 55 (Morgan Library & Museum)
- Continued re-examination of his political legacy
- New generations discover “Old Man Trump” in the streaming era
- Scholarship on Guthrie’s influence on modern protest music
Six key biographical facts, one pattern: Guthrie’s life was a chain of upheavals—from the Dust Bowl to New York City, from radio fame to a devastating illness. Here’s a compact look at the essentials.
| Full name | Woodrow Wilson Guthrie |
| Born | July 14, 1912, Okemah, Oklahoma |
| Died | October 3, 1967, New York City |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter, activist |
| Known for | Folk protest songs, “This Land Is Your Land” |
| Genres | Folk, protest music |
What caused Woody Guthrie’s death?
What were the symptoms of Huntington’s disease?
- Guthrie was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in 1954, a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition)).
- Symptoms included involuntary movements, cognitive decline, and emotional instability—often misdiagnosed in the 1950s as alcoholism or mental illness (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition)).
Guthrie’s mother, Nora, also suffered from Huntington’s disease. The hereditary pattern meant Guthrie’s children faced a one-in-two risk—a burden that haunted the family for decades.
How long was Woody Guthrie in the hospital?
- Guthrie spent much of his final decade in and out of hospitals, including Brooklyn State Hospital and Greystone Park Psychiatric Institute (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive)).
- He died on October 3, 1967, at Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens, New York, at age 55.
The implication: Huntington’s disease robbed Guthrie not only of his motor control but also of his ability to write and perform. His final years were a slow, painful decline that his music never directly described—but that makes his earlier vitality all the more striking.
Did Bob Dylan really visit Woody Guthrie in hospital?
What did Bob Dylan think of Woody Guthrie?
- Dylan called Guthrie “my last idol” and later said, “You could listen to his songs and actually learn how to live” (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition)).
- As a teenager, Dylan devoured Guthrie’s autobiography Bound for Glory and taught himself Guthrie’s guitar style (EBSCO Research Starters (academic database)).
What did Woody Guthrie say to Bob Dylan?
- The exact words are not recorded, but Guthrie reportedly told the young Dylan to “keep singing” and praised his original songs (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive)).
- Dylan performed Guthrie’s “Song to Woody” during that hospital visit—a gesture that deeply moved Guthrie’s wife Marjorie.
“Woody Guthrie was my last idol.”
— Bob Dylan, quoted in Morgan Library & Museum exhibition materials
Why this matters: The hospital visit in 1961 became a cornerstone of folk mythology. For Dylan, it was a passing of the torch; for Guthrie, a confirmation that his voice would outlast his body. The fact that we don’t have a transcript of their conversation only adds to the legend.
What song did Woody Guthrie write about Trump?
What was Woody Guthrie’s controversial song?
- In the 1950s, Guthrie wrote a song called “Old Man Trump” about his landlord—Fred Trump, father of Donald Trump (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive)).
- The lyrics accuse Trump of racial discrimination in housing: “Beach Haven ain’t my home / I just can’t pay this rent / My money’s gone / My work’s all done / And the old man Trump won’t give me a cent” (Woody Guthrie official biography).
- The song was rediscovered in the 2000s and went viral during the 2016 presidential campaign (BBC News (news outlet)).
“Old Man Trump” is not a one-off joke. It’s a serious protest against segregationist housing practices that Fred Trump was found guilty of by the U.S. Department of Justice. Guthrie’s personal experience as a tenant turned him into a witness against systemic racism.
The trade-off: The song’s 2010s revival made Guthrie a political touchstone again, but it also risked reducing his complex legacy to a single viral lyric. Guthrie would probably have wanted listeners to look deeper—into the housing crisis, into his other hundreds of songs—rather than stop at the headline.
How did Woody Guthrie influence Bob Dylan?
How did Dylan and Guthrie first meet?
- In January 1961, a 19-year-old Bob Dylan hitchhiked from Minnesota to New York City specifically to visit Guthrie at Greystone Park Hospital (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition)).
- Dylan had already read Guthrie’s Bound for Glory and learned dozens of his songs by ear.
What did Dylan learn from Guthrie?
- Guthrie’s direct, plainspoken style taught Dylan that a song could be both a story and a political act (EBSCO Research Starters (academic database)).
- Dylan’s early protest songs—like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’”—are direct descendants of Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” and “Pastures of Plenty.”
- Dylan once said, “Guthrie’s songs made me feel like I could do anything” (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition)).
“I hated a song that makes you feel like you are not worth anything. I hate a song that makes you think you are just born to lose. I am out to fight those songs.”
— Woody Guthrie, letter to a friend, quoted in Woody Guthrie Center archive
The pattern: Guthrie didn’t just inspire Dylan’s music; he gave Dylan a template for how to be an artist in the world. The student eventually surpassed the teacher, but Dylan himself always insisted: “Woody was the real thing.” For readers interested in this lineage, see our companion article Woody Guthrie: Death, Dylan’s Visit, and Trump Song.
What is the story behind Woody Guthrie’s ‘This Land Is Your Land’?
What inspired ‘This Land Is Your Land’?
- Guthrie wrote the song on February 23, 1940, in his New York City hotel room as a response to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” which Guthrie felt was too rosy and ignored poverty (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive)).
- The original verses included pointed lines about private property and hunger—“Was a big high wall there that tried to stop me / A sign was painted said ‘Private Property’”—that were often cut from school‑book versions.
Was ‘This Land Is Your Land’ a response to ‘God Bless America’?
- Yes. According to the Morgan Library & Museum, Guthrie was annoyed by Kate Smith’s constant radio play of “God Bless America” and wanted a song that told the truth about inequality (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition)).
- He originally titled his song “God Blessed America for Me” before changing it.
“This Land Is Your Land” is now taught in elementary schools as a patriotic singalong, but its original lyrics are a sharp critique of capitalism and land ownership. The sanitized version has become a national anthem for both conservatives and progressives—a fact Guthrie might have found darkly funny.
What this means: The song’s transformation from protest to platitude shows how easily a radical message can be smoothed into a comfort tune. Yet every time someone sings the forgotten verses, the original sting returns.
Timeline
- 1912 – Woody Guthrie born in Okemah, Oklahoma (Woody Guthrie official biography)
- 1940 – Arrives in New York City; writes “This Land Is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive))
- 1945 – Marries second wife Marjorie Mazia
- 1954 – Diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition))
- 1961 – Bob Dylan visits Guthrie in hospital (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition))
- 1967 – Dies at age 55 (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition))
- 2000s – Rediscovery of “Old Man Trump” song (BBC News (news outlet))
What we know—and what we don’t
Confirmed facts
- Woody Guthrie died of Huntington’s disease (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition))
- Bob Dylan visited Guthrie in hospital in 1961 (Morgan Library & Museum (museum exhibition))
- Guthrie wrote “Old Man Trump” about Fred Trump (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive))
- “This Land Is Your Land” was written in 1940 as a protest song (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive))
What remains unclear
- Exact words exchanged between Guthrie and Dylan during the 1961 visit
- Total number of songs Guthrie wrote (estimates range from 1,000 to 3,000+)
- Whether Guthrie ever performed with Dylan
- Whether Guthrie wrote any songs that were never recorded or published
The pattern: Guthrie’s legacy is built on both solid facts and enduring questions, reminding us that even the most documented lives retain an element of mystery.
Voices on Guthrie
“Woody would always make you feel welcome. He had a way of making everyone around him feel like they were part of something bigger.”
— Joan Baez, singer and activist
“I hate a song that makes you feel like you are not worth anything. I am out to fight those songs.”
— Woody Guthrie, letter to a friend
“You could listen to his songs and actually learn how to live.”
— Bob Dylan, quoted in Morgan Library & Museum exhibition materials
The implication: These voices show the personal impact of Guthrie’s work, from intimate encouragement to lasting artistic inspiration.
Still relevant—and still unsettled
Woody Guthrie gave America a mirror: sometimes flattering, sometimes cracked. For today’s protest singers, the question isn’t whether to be like Guthrie—it’s whether to be Guthrie in a world that has changed but hasn’t fixed the problems he sang about. For the listener, the challenge is to hear past the nostalgia and feel the original anger, humor, and hope that made “This Land Is Your Land” more than a schoolroom anthem. For anyone still curious, our profile on Eartha Kitt traces another artist who faced political blacklisting—a parallel legacy of speaking truth to power.
The article Woody Guthries death and influence details Woody Guthrie’s final years and his profound influence on Bob Dylan.
Frequently asked questions
What was Woody Guthrie’s full name?
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, named after the 28th U.S. president. (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive))
How many children did Woody Guthrie have?
He had eight children in total: four with his first wife Mary, three with his second wife Marjorie, and one from a brief relationship. (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive))
Did Woody Guthrie serve in the military?
He was rejected for military service during World War II and also turned down a commission by the Merchant Marine, where he served for a time but was discharged for being deemed “unfit.”
What instruments did Woody Guthrie play?
He primarily played guitar, but also performed on fiddle, harmonica, and mandolin. (EBSCO Research Starters (academic database))
Was ‘This Land Is Your Land’ ever censored?
Yes, many school textbooks omit the original verses about private property and hunger, presenting only the chorus and the most patriotic stanzas. (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive))
What is the Woody Guthrie Center?
It’s an archive and museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that houses Guthrie’s personal papers, recordings, and artwork. The center also runs educational programs on social justice and folk music. (Woody Guthrie Center (official archive))
How did Woody Guthrie influence Pete Seeger?
Seeger met Guthrie in 1940 and they performed together as part of the Almanac Singers. Seeger carried Guthrie’s protest-song tradition into the 1960s folk revival and credited Guthrie with teaching him that music could be a tool for social change. (EBSCO Research Starters (academic database))
Andrew Ellis leads fact-checking, source verification and corrections at Australia Focus.