Gonna Get Through This World

Album: Wonder Wheel (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Woody Guthrie wrote this song in 1945, but like many of the thousands of songs he composed, his version was never recorded. His lyrics survived and were documented by the Woody Guthrie Archives, and The Klezmatics put the words to music and recorded the song.
  • Guthrie's granddaughter Anna Canoni cites this as one of his lesser-known songs that deserves a listen. Says Anna: "Is it, I think, a mantra - it should be a mantra for everyone's life. The basic idea is, 'I'm gonna walk in this world, I'm gonna talk in this world, I'm gonna clean up this world, and then I'm gonna leave this world behind.' The idea of making an impact and then letting it go and leaving it behind. And it's not about physically who you were. It's about what you did. 'Gonna Get Through This World' is a gorgeous song." (Anna is a directore at the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives. Read more in her full interview. Learn much more at the official Woody Guthrie website.)

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.