If you haven't gotten around to making your New Year's resolutions just yet, Woody Guthrie's 33 "New Years Rulin's" are a good place to start. Written on January 1, 1943, the folk singer's list touches on everything from finances "Save dough; Bank all extra money" to hygiene "Wash teeth if any; Take bath" to relationships "Love mama; Love papa; Love Pete" to self-actualization "Work more and better; Wake up and fight."

Add a line about limiting your smartphone usage in the new year, and it easily applies to 2017 because we could all use a reminder to "Love everybody" and, you know, change your socks.

Take a look at the list here, then see the handwritten document below, complete with Guthrie's original sketches.

More From Town & Country

Darren Walker and Ava DuVernay

Video Player is loading.

Play Video

CLICK TO UNMUTE

Previous VideoPlayNext Video

Unmute

Current Time 0:00

/

Duration -:-

Loaded: 0.00%

Stream Type LIVE

Seek to live, currently behind liveLIVE

Remaining Time -0:00

 

1x

Playback Rate

Chapters

• Chapters

Descriptions

• descriptions off, selected

Captions

• captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
• captions off, selected

Audio Track

Picture-in-PicturePlay in full-screen

The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported.

Refresh the page to resume playback.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

Text

ColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-Transparent

Background

ColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparent

Window

ColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaque

Font Size

50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%

Text Edge Style

NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadow

Font Family

Proportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall Caps

Reset restore all settings to the default valuesDone

Close Modal Dialog

End of dialog window.

Advertisement

Share

Replay "Darren Walker and Ava DuVernay on “The 24-Hour Philanthropy Cycle”"

Up Next

56:11

Robert F. Smith and Van Jones on “The Cost of a Conscience”

56:11

61:52

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey on “Extracurricular Activities”Default

61:52

44:52

Scooter Braun and Emma Gonzalez on “Activism Across the Generational Divide”

44:52

"New Years Rulin's"1. Work more and better

2. Work by a schedule

3. Wash teeth if any

4. Shave

5. Take bath

6. Eat good — fruit — vegetables — milk

7. Drink very scant if any

8. Write a song a day

9. Wear clean clothes — look good

10. Shine shoes

11. Change socks

12. Change bed clothes often

13. Read lots good books

14. Listen to radio a lot

15. Learn people better

16. Keep rancho clean

17. Don't get lonesome

18. Stay glad

19. Keep hoping machine running

20. Dream good

21. Bank all extra money

22. Save dough

23. Have company but don't waste time

24. Send Mary and kids money

25. Play and sing good

26. Dance better

27. Help win war — beat fascism

28. Love mama

29. Love papa

30. Love Pete

31. Love everybody

32. Make up your mind

33. Wake up and fight

Caroline Hallemann

Digital Director

As the digital director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers culture, entertainment, and a range of other subjects