Here we will explore American folk music, the music of the people.
Good Night, Irene is an example of a traditional folk song. That means the song is so old that no one really knows who wrote it. Huddie Ledbetter, the singer and guitarist known as Lead Belly, first recorded Good Night, Irene in 1933. Since then more than a hundred other versions (版本) have been recorded. Good Night, Irene was a huge success for The Weavers in 1950.
Folk songs sometimes tell stories about real events. An example is the story of a young man whose last name was spelled D-U-L-A but pronounced “Dooley”. The story was retold in poems and songs — including the popular song, Tom Dooley, recorded in 1958 by the Kingston Trio.
Folk singer and songwriter Amy Speace says the history of American folk music can be imagined as a tree with many branches. At the center, she says, is Woody Guthrie. Woody Guthrie wrote almost 3,000 songs. But he only recorded about 300 of them. His granddaughter Anna Canoni says that was partly because he did not have enough money to record more. He made only one record with a major record company.
Yet for all his influence, millions of Americans today remember him for just one song, which children learned in school. The song, This Land Is Your Land, seems like the perfect expression of pride in country. What many people do not know is that it was meant sarcastically (讽刺地), as just the opposite. This meaning is made clear later in the song, and since then most children have never learned it in school.
Some people probably think a folk singer out of date from the 1960s. But these days, with music production software, digital video, and social networks all easily available, folk artists really can bring the world together.
【小题1】Who wrote Good Night, Irene?
| A．Dooley. | B．Amy Speace. |
| C．Huddie Ledbetter. | D．Someone unknown. |
【小题2】What can we learn about Woody Guthrie from Paragraph 4?
| A．He earned a lot by writing folk music. |
| B．He played an important role in folk music. |
| C．He recorded as many as 3,000 songs in his life. |
| D．He recorded his songs with several companies. |
【小题3】Why is This Land Is Your Land not learned in school now?
| A．It shows the perfect expression of pride in country. |
| B．Its real meaning has been known by people. |
| C．It’s unhealthy and isn’t fit for children. |
| D．The government stops it from being learned. |
【小题4】What is the author’s attitude towards folk artists?
| A．He supports them. | B．He doubts them. |
| C．He argues against them. | D．He doesn’t care about them. |
