Hobo Story Lyrics - Singles - Ray Lawrence Jr.

Key of C 

V1.) Down by the river bottom 

In the jungle by the track 

when a hobo jumps a freight train 

he aint never comin' back. 

Life there's tougher than a rail yard, 

twice as hard to catch a train, 

when you're heart is fond of ramblin' 

you gotta hit the rails again. 

V2.) When you ride inside a boxcar 

be careful how you run 

gotta make sure you don't wind up 

on the wrong side of a gun. 

Then one day some day maybe 

you'll leave the hobo's life 

settle in a city 

with a gal who'll be you wife. 

V3.) Sometimes when you ride the rails 

it gets hard to survive 

sometimes you'll meet old hobos 

that are still alive. 

The stories they tell are many 

you can learn a thing or two 

like I learned from my grand dad 

who was a hobo too. 

V4.) Grand dad rode the rails 

back in the good old days 

so when I was a young lad 

I learned some hobo ways. 

I learned about white lightning 

and elderberry wine 

and how to make that hobo stew that tasted mighty fine. 

V5.) So that's my hobo story 

just one of many tales 

that I learned from my grand dad 

who really rode the rails. 

Now grand dad's up in heaven 

prob'ly ridin' on a train 

if there's freight trains up in heaven 

he'll ride a boxcar once again.