Digital Tradition Mirror

Mysteries of a Hobo's Life

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Mysteries of a Hobo's Life
(T-Bone Slim (Valentine Huhta)

I took a job on an extra gang,
Way up in the mountain,
I paid my fee and the shark shipped me
And the ties I soon was counting.

The boss he put me driving spikes
And the sweat was enough to blind me,
He didn't seem to like my pace,
So I left the job behind me.

I grabbed a hold of an old freight train
And around the country traveled,
The mysteries of a hobo's life
To me were soon unraveled.

I traveled east and I traveled west
And the "shacks" could never find me,
Next morning I was miles away
From the job I left behind me.

I ran across a bunch of stiffs
Who were known as Industrial Workers.
They taught me how to be a man
And how to fight the shirkers.

I kicked right in and joined the bunch
And now in the ranks you'll find me,
Hurrah for the cause - To hell with the boss!
And the job I left behind me.

From IWW Songbook (17th Edition, 1920)
RG

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!