The lineage of great American folk musicians is long and illustrious. Two individuals in that lineage include Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. The former was such an essential influence on Dylan that the latter wrote the now-famous song, “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie.”
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But the two never released a song together. Until now. Since Guthrie was born in 1912, nearly 30 years after Dylan, who was born in 1941, the two never collaborated. But thanks to ChatGPT, we can see a fictitious approximation of what a collab might look like.
“That Old Dusty Road”
(Verse 1 – Woody Guthrie)
Well, I roamed this land with dust in my eyes,
From California’s shores to the eastern skies,
With a guitar in my hand and a song in my heart,
I sang ’bout the people, each one played their part.
(Verse 2 – Bob Dylan)
I picked up your tunes on that old dusty road,
Your words painted pictures, your stories were gold,
I added my twist with a harmonica’s wail,
In the coffeehouse corners, we both set our sail.
(Chorus)
Woody and Bob, we’re just two troubadours,
Singin’ ’bout life and its struggles and wars,
From Guthrie’s old freight trains to Dylan’s wild times,
Our voices together, like old friends in rhyme.
(Verse 3 – Woody Guthrie)
I strummed my guitar with a message so clear,
“Bound for Glory” and the people to hear,
Through the Dust Bowl, I sang songs of despair,
But hope in my heart, we’d find a way to repair.
(Verse 4 – Bob Dylan)
I followed your footsteps, your folk songs so true,
From “Blowin’ in the Wind” to “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” too,
In Greenwich Village nights, we’d share our dreams,
With a world on the brink, we’d ignite the extremes.
(Chorus)
Woody and Bob, we’re just two troubadours,
Singin’ ’bout life and its struggles and wars,
From Guthrie’s old freight trains to Dylan’s wild times,
Our voices together, like old friends in rhyme.
(Bridge)
In the land of the free, and the home of the brave,
We sang of injustice, the souls that we’d save,
With a guitar and words, we’d ignite the spark,
To change the old world and leave our mark.
(Verse 5 – Woody Guthrie)
I passed on the torch as my days grew thin,
But your voice, young Bobby, it carried our sin,
In the folk clubs and festivals, you sang with a fire,
The torch of our music, it’ll never expire.
(Verse 6 – Bob Dylan)
Now the times, they keep changing, but some things remain,
The power of music to heal all our pain,
From Woody to Dylan, the journey’s been long,
But the spirit of folk, it’s forever strong.
(Chorus)
Woody and Bob, we’re just two troubadours,
Singin’ ’bout life and its struggles and wars,
From Guthrie’s old freight trains to Dylan’s wild times,
Our voices together, like old friends in rhyme.
(Outro)
So here’s to the troubadours, the songs that persist,
In the hearts of the people, where they truly exist,
From Woody to Dylan, and onward we go,
With our guitars and voices, we’ll keep the world’s flow.
Final Thoughts
Troubadours unite! It’s a curious thought to consider Guthrie and Dylan coming together in a song. Could Dylan even take it, could he handle being on a tune with his idol and musical mentor? While we’ll never know, this song gives us a sense of what the track may have been like. Together, they would have made many music fans feel like they’d died and gone to heaven.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
