﻿The Mysteries of a Hobo’s Life

(Air: The Girl I Left Behind Me.)

I took a job on an extra gang,
Way up in the mountain,
I paid my fee and the shark shipped me
And the ties I soon was counting.

The boss he put me driving spikes
And the sweat was enough to blind me,
He didn’t seem to like my pace,
So I left the job behind me.

II
I grabbed a hold of an old freight train
An around the country traveled,
The mysteries of a hobo’s life
To me was soon unraveled.

I traveled east and I travelled west
And the “shacks” could never find me,
Next morning I was miles away
From the job I left behind me.

III
I ran across a bunch of “stiffs”
Who were known as Industrial Workers,
They taught me how to be a man—
And how to fight the shirkers.

I kicked right in and joined the bunch
And now in the ranks you’ll find me,
Hurrah for the cause—To hell with the boss!
And the job I left behind me.