"Jesus Christ" is a song written in 1940 by

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

. The song tells in eight verses what

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

preached in his time, especially about the rich and the poor, and that he was killed by different groups who rejected his preaching ("they laid Jesus Christ in his grave"). The ninth verse says that Jesus would have been killed by

modern capitalist society Modern capitalist society is a term used to describe a type of capitalist society in which a capitalist class of " new elites" and " old elites" concerned with maximizing their wealth secures a political system that serves and protects their inte ...

just as he was in his own time. The song was partially sung and played on the piano by the Guthrie character in the 1976 biographical film '' Bound For Glory'', set to the same tune as the folk ballad " Jesse James". "I wrote this song looking out of a rooming house window in New York City in the winter of Nineteen and Forty. I thought I had to put down on paper how I felt about the rich folks and the poor ones."Woody Guthrie, quoted by Millard Lampell, liner notes for '' Bound For Glory: The Songs and Story of Woody Guthrie'', FOLKWAYS FA 2481, 1956, p. 8.

Covers

The song was among others covered by Irish band U2, whose version appeared on the 1988 Guthrie tribute album '' Folkways: A Vision Shared''.

References

Woody Guthrie songs 1940 songs Songs about Jesus Songs written by Woody Guthrie {{1940s-song-stub

Covers

See also

References