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An original train-themed blues number telling in old-timey fashion the story of a character who rides them in search of a lost love, and despite hard times, doesn't give up the fight for self-preservation survival.
lyrics
"Lonesome Hobo Blues"
Music & Lyrics by Scott Cooley.
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
Hooky-as-hell guitar pop from this Brooklyn artist that explores the ways people we have known live in us beyond death. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 8, 2022
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