Steam Train Maury died last night His wife Wanda by his side Caught the Westbound out of here Hopped the high irons to the by and by They say he jumped ten thousand trains Rode a million miles for free Helped out at VA hospitals and penitentiaryâs Dandy Dave, Rusty Nails and Sweet Lady Sugar Cane Dead Eye Kate and the Baloney Kid raise their cups tonight in Steam Trainâs name Senators, congressmen, puppets on a string Among the windswept vagabonds Steam Train was the king The last of the hobo kings, the last of the hobo kings
Now bums just drink and wander round Tramps dream and wander too But a hobo was a pioneer who preferred to work for food He knew how his nationâs doing By the length of a side walk cigarette butt Born with an aching wanderlust Embedded in his gut Hounded, beaten, laughed at, broke Chased out of every town With a walking stick scepter And a shredded coffee can crown The last of the hobo king, the last of the hobo kings
The last free men are hoboes Steinbeck said, and he paid cash And the stories that he bought from them Helped write the Grapes of Wrath But boxcars have been sealed for years And trespassers do time And the railroad yards are razor wired And hoboingâs a crime So hereâs to you Steam Train Maury Hold that Westbound tight As you ride off into history The last hobo, the last ride The last of the hobo king, the last of the hobo kings
Compositor: Mary Veronica Gauthier (Mary Gauthier) ECAD: Obra #15339931