Lonesome Hobo Blues

With a stuffed bandana, on a stick
He travels light so he can get lost quick
It's all he needs, and it's all he owns
Ain't got no family, ain't got no home
Been called a troll and a tramp, a beggar and a bum
A gypsy and a clown, but he's not a single one
He's a lonesome hobo, with a hole in his shoe
Just a lonesome hobo, and he's got the blues

With that bindle sack, he's on the fly
Probably live that way, until the day he dies
Call him what you want, he'll keep chuggin ahead
The only home he knows is that old ton of lead
He's a vagabond, a wayfaring soul
Only time he feels at home is when he's on a roll
He's a lonesome hobo, with so much to see and do
Just a lonesome hobo, and he's got the blues

Brown paper bag bottle, of liquid heat
And a cheap cigar stuck between his teeth
Got a gravelly voice, got scraggly hair
He's got a big beer belly but he just don't care
When he's high on spirits, keeps his profile low
Never cries when he's dry, hungry or cold
He's a lonesome hobo, never means to be rude
Just a lonesome hobo, and he's got the blues

Hasn't held a steady job, since he got back from the war
He's too proud to beg, so he's always too poor
He's bound to ramble, he was born to roam
He can tell funny stories 'till the cows come home
Sometimes he works, but most of the time he plays
Somehow he gets by without a penny to his name
He's a lonesome hobo, on his way to somewhere new
Just a lonesome hobo and he's got the blues

Once he had a woman, but she flew the coop
Now it's newspaper blankets and mulligan stew
Through rocky mountains and Midwest farms
Rollin' on the tracks until he's back in her arms
He gets cold 'cause he's old, but the soup bowl's free
Sleeps under stars, or when it rains a pine tree
He's a lonesome hobo, finding ways to make do
Just a lonesome hobo, and he's got the blues

With a sideways view, his destination's unknown
Trees fly by, but his bird has flown
On track, on schedule, goin' nowhere fast
As he crosses the ties, on the rails of his past
Had his share of hard luck, his share of handouts
He may be down, but never down and out
He's a lonesome hobo, who always pulls through
Just a lonesome hobo, and he's got the blues

Hops a train at night, jumps a ride all day
Across the great divide, prairies and plains
The box car gets him where he wants to go
And deep down inside he's got a heart of gold
Never believed in the devil, never believed in god
But he's too scared to steal, borrow, cheat or rob
He's a lonesome hobo, never graced a church pew
Just a lonesome hobo, and he's got the blues

He's had a ragged life, all ripped and torn
Been that way since the day he was born
He never stops unless it runs out of steam
The whistle wakes him up from crazy hobo dreams
He's been no stranger to trouble, or telling white lies
Someday he's gonna catch the westbound to die
He's a lonesome hobo, a little like me and you
Just a lonesome hobo, and he's got the blues