Another Dog In Outer Space Song

A few months ago Carrie wrote here about Goebbel Reeves’ “A Dog For Outer Space“, his ode to Laika, the dog who was launched into orbit aboard Sputnik 2 in 1957. It seems that Reeves’ hand-written lyrics don’t represent the only country song written about the canine cosmonaut, as we recently stumbled upon a song called “Sputnik Dog” in the Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs Picture Album, Hymn and Songbook (FL-417 in the SFC Song Folios Collection). Compared to Reeves’ tearjerker, the Flatt and Scruggs version of the Laika story (reproduced below) is a good deal more celebratory, though a little confused about the nature of  the dog’s journey and his prospects for a safe return:

This Land Is Your Land

Happy birthday to the United States of America, an institution that turns 234 years old this week. Let’s celebrate with some clips of America’s favorite patriotic folk song, “This Land Is Your Land”.
Here’s the first verse of Woody Guthrie’s original 1944 recording (a verse that would become the chorus in all future versions): Woody Guthrie
(clip from SFC CD-654, This Land Is Your Land: The Asch Recordings)
The “As I went walking that ribbon of highway” verse, as sung by Pete Seeger in 1958: PeteSeeger
(clip from SFC CD-2041, American Favorite Ballads)
The “I roamed and rambled” verse, by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in 1962: FlattandScruggs
(clip from SFC FC-4520, Folk Songs of Our Land)
The “When the sun comes shining” verse, sung by Lee Greenwood (the guy who gave us “God Bless the USA”): Lee Greenwood
(clip from SFC CD-3650, American Patriot)
And North Carolina native Mojo Nixon puts a punk rock spin on the frequently dropped “Private Property” verse: MojoNixon2
(clip from SFC CD-1355, Root Hog or Die)