Big Rock Candy Mountain Lyrics - Burl Ives

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees 

The soda water fountain where the lemonade springs 

And the bluebird sings in that Big Rock Candy Mountain 

On a summer day 

In the month of May 

A burly bum came ahiking 

Down a shady lane 

Through the sugar cane 

He was looking for his liking 

As he strolled along 

He sang a song 

Of the land of milk and honey 

Where a bum can stay 

For many a day 

And he won't need any money 

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees 

The soda water fountain where the lemonade springs 

And the bluebird sings in that Big Rock Candy Mountain 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain 

The cops have wooden legs 

The bulldogs all have rubber teeth 

And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs 

The farmers' trees are full of fruit 

The barns are full of hay 

I want to go where there ain't no snow 

Where the sleet don't fall and the wind don't blow 

In that Big Rock Candy Mountain 

There's a lake of gin 

We can both jump in 

And the handouts grow on bushes 

In the new-mown hay 

We can sleep all day 

And the bars all have free lunches 

Where the mail train stops 

And there ain't no cops 

And the folks are tender-hearted 

Where you never change your socks 

And you never throw rocks 

And your hair is never parted 

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees 

The soda water fountain where the lemonade springs 

And the bluebird sings in that Big Rock Candy Mountain 

Oh, a farmer and his son, 

They were on the run 

To the hay field they were bounding 

Said the bum to the son, 

"Why don't you come 

To that big rock candy mountain?" 

So the very next day 

They hiked away, 

The mileposts they were counting 

But they never arrived 

At the lemonade tide 

On the big rock candy mountain 

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees 

The soda water fountain where the lemonade springs 

And the bluebird sings in that Big Rock Candy Mountain 

1. One evening as the sun went down 

And the jungle fires were burning, 

Down the track came a hobo hiking, 

He said, "Boys, I'm not turning 

I'm heading for a land that's far away 

Beside the crystal fountain 

I'll see you all this coming fall 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain 

Chorus: 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain, 

It's a land that's fair and bright, 

The handouts grow on bushes 

And you sleep out every night. 

The boxcars all are empty 

And the sun shines every day 

I'm bound to go 

Where there ain't no snow 

Where the sleet don't fall 

And the winds don't blow 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain. 

Chorus: 

3. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain 

You never change your socks 

And little streams of alkyhol 

Come trickling down the rocks 

O the shacks all have to tip their hats 

And the railway bulls are blind 

There's a lake of stew 

And ginger ale too 

And you can paddle 

All around it in a big canoe 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain 

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees 

The soda water fountain where the lemonade springs 

And the bluebird sings in that Big Rock Candy Mountain 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain 

The cops have wooden legs 

The bulldogs all have rubber teeth 

And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs 

The box-cars all are empty 

And the sun shines every day 

I'm bound to go 

Where there ain't no snow 

Where the sleet don't fall 

And the winds don't blow 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain. 

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees 

The soda water fountain where the lemonade springs 

And the bluebird sings in that Big Rock Candy Mountain 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain, 

The jails are made of tin. 

You can slip right out again, 

As soon as they put you in. 

There ain't no short-handled shovels, 

No axes, saws nor picks, 

I'm bound to stay 

Where you sleep all day, 

Where they hung the jerk 

That invented work 

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain. 

Chorus: