Dust Bowl Refugee

Recorded during his first major sessions for Victor Records, this song solidified Guthrie's reputation as the voice of the Okies. Unlike the driving rhythm of "Hard Travelin'," this is a slow, mournful ballad. The blues connection lies in its function and emotional delivery. Guthrie uses a repeating melodic structure to catalogue the misery and displacement of a marginalized people. It operates identically to a field holler or a Delta blues: stark, unadorned, and relying entirely on the weight of the lyrics and a solitary guitar.