It's not a picture of Woody Guthrie.  It's not a picture that Woody shot, or was probably even aware of.  It's not a picture of a guitar player, a union organizer, or a Dust Bowl refugee.        

The picture on the cover is, to me, a landscape.  I think it's the landscape that Woody saw when he wrote lines like:         

This land I'll defend with my life if need be        
For my pastures of plenty must always be free 

Woody Guthrie saw this land--America--and it's people as inseparable, and he adored them both.  He exuded a patriotism that was completely different than the fear, guilt, or brand-name allegiance called patriotism today.  Woody loved America because he loved Americans.  He profoundly believed in the capacity of Americans to take care of one another, to think outside themselves, and to share the burdens of humanity.  In that sharing alone, Woody found a joy worth living for.  And worth fighting for.        

What a fantastic idea.        

When you get a chance, look at the picture on the cover and consider the word patriotism.  Consider whether you have ever believed that this land is something worth saving.  Consider whether you have ever looked at an American flag and thought it was anything more than just a piece of fabric.  Then, consider what that means.                 

Tonight, Woody Guthrie has something to say to you.  For the most part, you may be surprised to find out what that is.  To me, everything he has to say is in that picture.  In a single lyric, Woody will tear your flag down and give you a reason to pick it back up.  And smile proudly at what you have accomplished.  Maybe that's what it meant to Woody to be patriotic.  That to believe in an idea of country, or village, or borough, or home, one needs to examine it and salvage it everyday.        

Patriotism, then, is an act, not a T-shirt or a bumper sticker.  Woody didn't start with the writing of essays, letters, poems, cartoons, and songs.  That was the second step.  The first step was to travel to the migrant camps in California and the union halls in Seattle and listen, think, and feel what was going on.  Then he could write.  He transformed the people's expressions of hope and fear and love and gave them back in a way that they could remember and be remembered.  He gave the people identity.  He gave them dignity.        

This is what is means to act patriotic.  This is what it means to salvage a landscape of people who are struggling just to find the hope to go on.  Sometimes, Woody's act of patriotism was to organize, to radicalize, to mobilize his audience to create a better life.  Sometimes, Woody's act of patriotism was as simple as putting names where there were only labels:         

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita        
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria        
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane        
All they will call you will be... deportees         

Consider the people in the picture on the cover.  Some would say they are patriots just for posing with that flag.  I wonder instead: What did they do next?  Did that experience make them want to do something that was more than posing?  Did it make one of them sweep the sidewalk?  Did it make one of them join the school committee?  Did it make all of them commit more strongly to voting in their next election?        

Did they save the fabric or did they save the idea?        

Consider the people in the picture on the cover.  Which one looks most like you?         

Tonight, we won't make a play about Woody Guthrie.  He'll make a play about us.          See what you can salvage.  Tonight, tomorrow... the next day.