(Newser)
– The third verse of the “Star-Spangled Banner” is not sung publicly often. But among the little-known words are: “No refuge could save the employee and the slave / From the terror of flight or the darkness of the grave.” Tulsa Athletic has decided that this is not the message it wants to send when fans gather for the semi-professional soccer team’s home games. Then the team will present the national anthem with “This Land Is Your Land” USA Today reports. “We have developed a culture of inclusion and acceptance at Tulsa Athletic,” said one co-owner, making the “Star-Spangled Banner” not fit well. The team settled on Oklahoma’s 1940 Woody Guthrie folk anthem as their new “song of patriotism.”
The statement says “This land is your land” expresses patriotism, but “in a much more inclusive way,” according to KJRH. “The song talks about this country being built and shared by every person of every race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation,” said Sonny Dalesandro. “It represents a future that Tulsa Athletic is committed to fighting for.” That was Guthrie’s goal, according to Mental Floss, although the song started as a sarcastic scream. He settled on a less advantageous version that appreciates the degree of his homeland while keeping the nation with the promise of working “for you and me,” not just for the wealthy and privileged. Guthrie’s lyrics can be found here. (A court decided to keep “This Land Is Your Land” in the public domain earlier this year.)
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