I'm not sure I like this. It's great that HBO will be broadcasting it for non-subscribers, but what about us non-cable-havers? It's available on the Internet, but the viewer is about 4 inches wide. I guess non-cable-havers and non-broadband users are going to be completely SOL.

The Pete Seeger-led "This Land is Your Land" is the most wonderful thing I have ever seen on live TV. Keep in mind that this is the man who was once brought before HUAC and blacklisted across America. Now he's playing in honor of an inauguration and its unbelievable.

Makes me feel all patriotic.

OK, I'm crying. What more do you want?

If you don't have Betty Lavette's "Scene of the Crime" album, get it immediately. It doesn't have "Change" on it, but you should have Sam's already. But she's got a cover of George Jones' "Choices" that's supremely killer. This woman is the real deal.

http://www.amazon.com/Scene-Crime-Bettye-LaVette/dp/B000UGG3D2

A Change is Gonna Come is one of the greatest songs ever, and that was an absolutely lovely performance.

But when Pete cued people to start the first "radical" verse, I started sobbing.

Finally! I've been screaming to everyone within my peer group that "change gonna come" by Sam cook should have been played at the DNC convention and campaign events.

THough someone pointed out that Sam got killed pretty much for being black so that it might not have been %100 on for targeted messege.

I'm not a Mellencamp fan but when I walked past the living room and saw him performing the song he asked McPOW to stop playing at his rallies I stopped to watch.

We used to sing "This Land..." in grade school. Made me all teary. And Seeger looked like he could fling a dozen ReThugs into the Tidal Basin and not break a sweat. At least I hope he punched out the sound man. Grrr.

"At least I hope (Pete Seeger) punched out the sound man. Grrr."

I think he stopped doing that shortly after Dylan went electric at Newport.

CPI Falls 0.7 Percent in December, Up 0.1 Percent for Year, Dean Baker of Beat the Press puts this deflation has accumulated into a 27% rise in real wages, an astounding redistribution of wealth to Obama supporters, all done on Bush's watch with Pelosi's help.

Is Obama planning on restoring the economy to its former glory of some one year ago? That is what his supporters say, so you have a group of supporters who seem to want to return a 27% wage increase back to the rich guys, and call it progressivism!

That was beautiful. I had the same reaction as Emily R. about seeing Pete Seeger performing at an inauguration event. Who would have ever believed it? Seeger singing "This Land is Your Land," that's some remarkable symbolism.

This grinch's heart grew three sizes today. It was a wonderful event and I couldn't get the smile off of my face when Pete Seeger was singing. It was true joy.

I was thrilled to see Bettye Lavette up there after years of struggling in obscurity. All of her music is good, but "I've got my own hell to raise" is something special.

Hey, real Americans are back!

Who'd-a-thunk, 40-45 yrs ago... when they taught us Seeger's "This land is your land" in a commie Polish highschool... that it would come in so handy today? I still remembered the tune and the words :) Thanks, Steve, for posting the clip.

In the squares of the city,
by the shadow of a steeple,
By the relief office,
I saw my people.
As they stood there hungry,
I stood there whispering,
This land made for you and me.

A great high wall there,
tried to stop me,
A great big sign there,
said private property.
But on the other side,
it didn't say nothing;
That side was made for you and me.

Nobody living
can ever stop me,
As I go walking
that freedom highway;
Nobody living
can make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.

I wonder if Dick Cheney's domestic surveillance agency heard that?

Just in case anyone is confused, "This Land Is Your Land" was written (the lyrics, anyway) by Woody Guthrie.

Very cool R&B version of "This Land" by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings on the "Naturally" album, incidentally. Too bad they weren't invited to today's festivities.

Here's the Sharon Jones Youtube of "This Land Is Your Land."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFHJUg3G-ow

Bah! No streaming for those of us outside the U.S.

Hurumphf.

Great show full of real feelings -- not just a photo op. I'm really looking forward to four years of competent people doing their jobs competently.

I loved that Obama seemed genuinely amused by Jamie Fox's impression.

But there were a couple of songs that just weren't good choices. Someone was listening to the chorus and not paying attention to the verses. John Mellecamp's Pink Houses is actuallly a pretty negative song:

There's a young man in a t-shirt
Listenin' to a rockin' rollin' station
He's got greasy hair, greasy smile
He says, "Lord this must be my destination."
'Cause they told me when I was younger
"Boy you're gonna be president."
But just like everything else those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went

And Garth Brooks eviscerated American Pie . Why was the only person who got to do three songs, anyway?

Pete!

The suppressed lyrics of This Land given back to the people. By Seegers & Springsteen on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. That's some change I can believe in, [expletives deleted]s.

I really don't want to get my hopes up. Long road, steep climb. But it is hella encouraging that these guys are - that this guy is - ready to use this moment to set Woody's words straight.

Oh, nearly forgot:

Tom Hanks did a wonderful job on the Lincoln Portrait by Coplan. I began to think he even looked a little like Lincoln (Tall, skinny and dark haired) and then a random fact popped into my head -- he's distantly related to Nancy Hanks, who was the mother of Abraham Lincoln.

Now that's clever thinking on the parts of the producers...

Bon Jovi?

Thanks Steve! Pete, Bruce, Garth, Betty and Jon have made my morning wonderful, filled with tears of joy.

Umm, upthread, Sam Cooke was shot for being a wayward hubby. But, great including his music.

Before anyone forgets Pete Seeger, do wish he would reprise his "Old Time Religion", where he sings of being a "Zarathustra boosta" and "a fluid Druid".

Hooray for Pete Seeger, a true American Patriot!

This Land is Your Land should be our National Anthem!