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The Songs of Woody Guthrie Trivia Quiz

How well do you remember the words of this great American songwriter of the Depression?

A multiple-choice quiz by agony. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
agony

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
116,527

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
728

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Complete the lyric. "California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see; _________ " Hint

the beaches are clean but the people are mean

but believe it or not you won't find it so hot

come on over

it's better than Oklahoma that's for sure

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. What song are these words from? "Wherever little children are hungry and cry, wherever people ain't free. Wherever men are fightin' for their rights, That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma. That's where I'm a-gonna be." Hint

Tom Joad

1913 Massacre

Jesse James

I Ain't Got No Home

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. "There once was a _________ , she never was afraid, of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid."

Answer: (Two Words)

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Complete the lyric. "Who are these friends, all scattered like dry leaves? ______ " Hint

they are Juan and Rosalita

gone like dust in the wind

just blowin' in the wind

the radio says "They are just deportees"

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. "Yes, as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; some will rob you with a six-gun _______ " Hint

and take all you have

they'll take your money and then...

and some with a fountain pen

but they aren't true men

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. "Cross the mountains to the sea , come the wife and kids and me. It's a hot old dusty highway _______ " Hint

all the way to the blue sea

for a dust bowl refugee

it's a dry old desert byway

no future for me

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. "Mermaid Avenue" came out in 1998. It is an album of songs written by Woody Guthrie, with music by ________ ? Hint

Pete Seeger

Bob Dylan

Billy Bragg

Bruce Springsteen

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. "They sighed and cried, hugged and kissed, instead of marriage they talked like this ________ " Hint

so long, it's been good to know you

I'm hittin' the road, Jack

let's run away, baby

this wind is blowin' me away

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. "Rainy night down in the engine house, sleepin' just as still as a mouse. Man come along and he chased us out in the rain. Was that _______ " Hint

your brother

the right thing to do

a vigilante man

what Jesus did

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. "When the sun come shining, then I was strolling, in wheat fields waving _________ " Hint

and storm clouds thunderin'

I roamed and rambled

to the endless skyway

and dust clouds rolling

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Complete the lyric. "California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see; _________ "

Answer: but believe it or not you won't find it so hot

"Do Re Mi" from 1937. "If you ain't got the do re mi, boys, you ain't got the do re mi, why you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee."

Answer: Tom Joad

This song was written for the album "Dust Bowl Ballads" (1940). Woody had not read the book "The Grapes of Wrath", but he had seen the movie, and he put the story into this song.

3. "There once was a _________ , she never was afraid, of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid."

Answer: union maid

"Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union, I'm sticking to the union, 'til the day I die." This song was written after Woody was criticized by Ina Wood, a Communist Party organizer in Oklahoma City, for having no songs about women in the labour movement.

4. Complete the lyric. "Who are these friends, all scattered like dry leaves? ______ "

Answer: the radio says "They are just deportees"

"Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)". Written in 1948 as a memorial to the victims of a plane wreck in Los Gatos Canyon, California. Martin Hoffman wrote the melody about ten years later.

5. "Yes, as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; some will rob you with a six-gun _______ "

Answer: and some with a fountain pen

"And as through your life you travel, Yes, as through your life you roam, You won't never see an outlaw drive a family from their home." "Pretty Boy Floyd" (1939).

6. "Cross the mountains to the sea , come the wife and kids and me. It's a hot old dusty highway _______ "

Answer: for a dust bowl refugee

"Dust Bowl Refugee" (1938). Woody used to introduce this song "You know, there are different kinds of refugees. There are people who are forced to take refuge under a railroad bridge because they ain't got noplace else to go, and there are those who take refuge in public office..." ("Woody Guthrie: A Life" by Joe Klein, 1981)

7. "Mermaid Avenue" came out in 1998. It is an album of songs written by Woody Guthrie, with music by ________ ?

Answer: Billy Bragg

"Mermaid Avenue", by Billy Bragg and Wilco, was produced by Nora Guthrie, Woody Guthrie's daughter. "Vol II" came out in 2000.

8. "They sighed and cried, hugged and kissed, instead of marriage they talked like this ________ "

Answer: so long, it's been good to know you

"... This dusty old dust is getting my home, and I got to be driftin' along". Written in 1935, at the height of the drought.

9. "Rainy night down in the engine house, sleepin' just as still as a mouse. Man come along and he chased us out in the rain. Was that _______ "

Answer: a vigilante man

As the 'dust bowl refugees' flocked to the cities and to California, they were met with increasing hostility by the townspeople. "Vigilante Man" 1938.

10. "When the sun come shining, then I was strolling, in wheat fields waving _________ "

Answer: and dust clouds rolling

You didn't think I'd leave this one out, did you? "This Land is Your Land" 1940. "One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple by the Relief Office I saw my people - as they stood hungry I stood there wondering if this land was made for you and me."

Source: Author agony

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Dalgleish before going online.
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