Hobo Jungle
"The hobo works and wanders...the bum drinks and wanders" -- so goes the credo of the hobo who was determined to be seen as something more than a lazy individual carelessly wasting a life. Many hobo hymns strive to convey the dignity of the individual and the gravity of their circumstances. In "The Poor Tramp Has to Live," songwriter Ernest V. Stoneman tells the sad tale of an elderly hobo who, because of poor health and advanced age, is no longer fit for employment:"
"I am a poor old railroad man, once't a healthy section hand,
And old age is slowly creeping on the way;
Now hard times is coming on, and my last gold dollar is gone,
And this song is what I made to sing and play."
Serious social commentary was tempered by hobo songs extolling the freedom of the rails. George Reneau's "Wild and Reckless Hobos" captures the essence of what for some hobos was a grand adventure:
"My heart begin to roam around and I begin to sing,
If that freight train goes through this town, I'll catch it on a wing;
I pulled my cap down over my eyes and stepped up to the track,
I caught the stirrup of an empty car but never did look back."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/sfeature/chord.html
"I am a poor old railroad man, once't a healthy section hand,
And old age is slowly creeping on the way;
Now hard times is coming on, and my last gold dollar is gone,
And this song is what I made to sing and play."
Serious social commentary was tempered by hobo songs extolling the freedom of the rails. George Reneau's "Wild and Reckless Hobos" captures the essence of what for some hobos was a grand adventure:
"My heart begin to roam around and I begin to sing,
If that freight train goes through this town, I'll catch it on a wing;
I pulled my cap down over my eyes and stepped up to the track,
I caught the stirrup of an empty car but never did look back."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/sfeature/chord.html
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P&R Pete
Jon, good article.
I bought this video, 'Riding the Rails', and here's it's blurb-
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/film ... ption.html
Interesting film, and well-done, as are all by PBS.
_____________
Walked the kids to the next-door farm today, a Christmas tree farmer. Great operation- they give you a tree caddy on wheels, and a saw, and you go out in the fields and cut your own. They serve hot chocolate and cookies, have a fire going in an outdoor fireplace, and play Christmas music. Then we carry it home, (couple of hundred yards), set it up, and then the kids have at it with the decorations.
Gets the kids in the mood like nothing else.
They're popping and fizzing!!
I bought this video, 'Riding the Rails', and here's it's blurb-
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rails/film ... ption.html
Some left to escape poverty or troubled families, others because it seemed a great adventure. At the height of the Great Depression, more than 250,000 teenagers were living on the road in America. Many criss-crossed the country by hopping freight trains, although it was both dangerous and illegal.
"Riding the Rails" presents the poignant and little-known story of teen hobos during the 1930's, a time of desperation and bitter hardship. These young itinerant Americans were all searching for a better life; what they found was a mixture of freedom, camaraderie, misery, and loneliness.
"Riding the Rails" interweaves the evocative stories of ten men and women who left home in their youth. Producers Michael Uys and Lexy Lovell placed notices in national publications in search of individuals who rode the rails as teenagers. Three thousand people, now in their 70s and 80s, responded. Uys and Lovell selected a handful to tell their stories on camera.
"Some hadn't spoken of their experiences in sixty years. They poured their hearts out to us," says Uys. "They were just kids then and when they look back, it's with a blend of nostalgia and pain." "Riding the Rails" vividly combines the clear-eyed memories of witnesses with archival footage of teens riding atop speeding trains and newsreel interviews with lean-bodied kids full of bravado. The film features a rich soundtrack of American folk tunes of the time, including songs by Woody Guthrie, Elizabeth Cotten, Doc Watson, and Jimmie Rodgers.
Interesting film, and well-done, as are all by PBS.
_____________
Walked the kids to the next-door farm today, a Christmas tree farmer. Great operation- they give you a tree caddy on wheels, and a saw, and you go out in the fields and cut your own. They serve hot chocolate and cookies, have a fire going in an outdoor fireplace, and play Christmas music. Then we carry it home, (couple of hundred yards), set it up, and then the kids have at it with the decorations.
Gets the kids in the mood like nothing else.
They're popping and fizzing!!
Hung my Christmas lights this afternoon. Bought all fresh sets and the intense color really makes a difference. Hey, let's post our houses with holiday lights, okay? I'll get D to take a few shots. Stringing the bulbs kinda plunged me into the spirit. Anyone else reluctant to peak too early?
A hobo walks slowly toward the horizon . . .
And in his mind are only the purest thoughts, thoughts that bring a stray tear to the eye . . . If only these thoughts might have an image.
And the house
A hobo walks slowly toward the horizon . . .
And in his mind are only the purest thoughts, thoughts that bring a stray tear to the eye . . . If only these thoughts might have an image.
And the house
Pete, your excerpt from the book brings back vivid memories of the stories my dad told me of working on a farm and the B & O RR when he was a kid.
The Whistlers' got my dad from an orphanage when he was five years old; he said it was because they needed another mule to help run the 60 acre farm in the mountains at Rowlesburg, W.Va. At the age of 14, (1922) he was bucking ties on the RR for $0.50 a day. At the age of 17, he'd had enough of the Whistlers, said he walked down the mountain with his bag to the tracks, grabbed a westbound freight, and never looked back. He ended up in Mingo Jct. Ohio working in the steel mill. His job was to keep the fires going and keep steam up during the night in the switcher engines they used in the mill. From there, it was on to Cleveland, and eventually back to western Pa. at Uniontown. Found one of his brothers in 1954 in Baltimore. Found one of his sisters in 1997 from Charleston, W.Va. Never did find the other brother and sister, and neither did we. No records as the orphanage had burned to the ground in 1919. Dad passed on in 2000 at age 91. I wanted to make it a point to go down to Rowlesburg, and Terra Alta, and some of the other places he talked about, especially now since I am into trains and particularly the Mountain Sub Division of CSX. Gonna get there one of these days.
The Whistlers' got my dad from an orphanage when he was five years old; he said it was because they needed another mule to help run the 60 acre farm in the mountains at Rowlesburg, W.Va. At the age of 14, (1922) he was bucking ties on the RR for $0.50 a day. At the age of 17, he'd had enough of the Whistlers, said he walked down the mountain with his bag to the tracks, grabbed a westbound freight, and never looked back. He ended up in Mingo Jct. Ohio working in the steel mill. His job was to keep the fires going and keep steam up during the night in the switcher engines they used in the mill. From there, it was on to Cleveland, and eventually back to western Pa. at Uniontown. Found one of his brothers in 1954 in Baltimore. Found one of his sisters in 1997 from Charleston, W.Va. Never did find the other brother and sister, and neither did we. No records as the orphanage had burned to the ground in 1919. Dad passed on in 2000 at age 91. I wanted to make it a point to go down to Rowlesburg, and Terra Alta, and some of the other places he talked about, especially now since I am into trains and particularly the Mountain Sub Division of CSX. Gonna get there one of these days.
If you agree with the Progressives, it's freedom of speech. If you disagree, it's hate speech. There are no alternatives.
[quote="highrailjon"]I'm in the SPIRIT, Brother!!! I've even got an image of Hev guarding my house against the Grinch!!!! 
[
img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-10/848656/10dec06.jpg[/img][/
You need to pump more air into Hev's arms, you'll be safe then.
[
img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-10/848656/10dec06.jpg[/img][/
You need to pump more air into Hev's arms, you'll be safe then.
If you agree with the Progressives, it's freedom of speech. If you disagree, it's hate speech. There are no alternatives.
...............................Shit, they look like Dirty Pete's arms...........................
Ya better feed that snowman a few shoo-fly pies.............
That dude call ya Jon..............I didn't hear anything yet..........
hev..............
Last edited by hev52 on Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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