Take it easy, but take it.

The line pairs two impulses that often conflict: ease and resolve. “Take it easy” counsels calm, patience, and an unforced manner; “but take it” insists on follow-through—claiming the opportunity, doing the work, or accepting the consequence. Read together, it suggests a pragmatic ethic: proceed without panic or strain, yet don’t let relaxation become avoidance. The aphorism fits Guthrie’s plainspoken, working-class idiom—encouraging steadiness rather than swagger—though without a verified primary context it’s best treated as a general maxim rather than a programmatic statement tied to a specific event or song.