"Vigilante Man" is a song 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 ...

, recorded and released in 1940 as one of his ''

Dust Bowl Ballads ''Dust Bowl Ballads'' is an album by American folk singer Woody Guthrie. It was released by Victor Records, in 1940. All the songs on the album deal with the Dust Bowl and its effects on the country and its people. It is considered to be one of ...

''. The song is about the hired thugs ("

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

s") who would violently chase away migrants to California trying to escape the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) an ...

, a man-made ecological catastrophe in the American

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

during the 1930s. One verse refers to the murder of Preacher (Jim) Casy, a central figure in

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

s' 1939 novel ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

''. The tune was taken from "Sad and Lonesome Day", a song made popular by

The Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

, which itself borrows from "

See That My Grave Is Kept Clean "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" is a song recorded by American blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson in two slightly differing versions in October 1927 and February 1928, that became "one of his most famous compositions". Son House used the melo ...

" by

Blind Lemon Jefferson Lemon Henry "Blind Lemon" Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929)Some sources indicate Jefferson was born on October 26, 1894. was an American blues and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. He was one of the most popular blues sing ...

Recordings

The song has been recorded several times, including: * 1940Woody Guthrie, on the album ''Dust Bowl Ballads'' * 1972

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...

, on the album ''

Into the Purple Valley ''Into the Purple Valley'' is the second studio album by roots rock musician Ry Cooder, released in 1972. The album's front cover is listed at number 12 on ''Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Album Covers. It shows Cooder and his then wife, Susan Tite ...

'' * 1973

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

, on the album ''

Razamanaz ''Razamanaz'' is the third studio album by the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, released in May 1973. It was the band's first LP record to break the charts and was produced by Roger Glover of Deep Purple, who the band was on tour with at the t ...

'' * 1988

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

, on the album '' Folkways: A Vision Shared'' * 1990 Hindu Love Gods, on the album '' Hindu Love Gods'' * 1996

feedtime Feedtime (stylised as feedtime) is an Australian noise rock band from Sydney, New South Wales, that was initially formed as a duo in 1979 by Rick Johnson on guitar and vocals and Allen Larkin on bass guitar and vocals. They soon became a trio ...

, on the album '' Billy'' * 2002

Ray LaMontagne Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: ''Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', ''God Willin' & the Creek Don' ...

, on the album ''

One Lonesome Saddle ''One Lonesome Saddle'' is a self-released album by Ray LaMontagne. A small number of copies were given away and sold to various people before Ray Lamontagne instructed the album's producer Carl Franklin (no relation to film director and actor) t ...

'' * 2005 Joe Perry, on the album '' Joe Perry'' * 2006

Ralph McTell Ralph McTell (born Ralph May, 3 December 1944) is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s. McTell is best known for his song " Streets of London" (19 ...

, on the album '' Gates of Eden''

References

{{reflist 1940 songs Woody Guthrie songs Ry Cooder songs Nazareth (band) songs Bruce Springsteen songs Songs written by Woody Guthrie