Around the time of the second world war
A new kind of man came through the door
"I ain't looking for food
I'm looking for work
Not afraid to sweat - digging in the dirt
I ain't looking for a hand-out
But I'm willing to lend a hand to the man that pays me
Yes I am
Mr. Roosevelt - he understands I'm a hobo kinda man
I've been ridin' this train
I've been up all night
I'll be swinging that hoe before daylight
When the next box car comes along
I'll jump it and fight ya and call it my home
When the money runs out, so do I
I'll be ridin' these rails 'till times change and kill me
Yes I will
I never know where I am, hey - I'm a hobo kinda man
That's what I am
Those steel wheels-a-rollin'
Somewhere I feel me towing, I know
I can hear that whistle blowin'
Come tomorrow morning
I'll be gone
Yeah
Oh! I'm a hobo kinda man
I'm always leaving my wife and kids behind
Workin' somewhere on down the line
Every night I sleep in a different town
I never know, honey, where I'm bound
Livin' out of a suitcase
I changed from a train to a silver eagle
But I'm getting all I can
I'm a modern day hobo kinda man
These steel wheels-a-rollin'
Somewhere I feel me towing
I can hear that whistle blowin'
Come tomorrow morning
This old boy be gone
Yeah
I'm a hobo kinda man
That's what I am
I'm a hobo man
A movin' on down the line
A hobo man
Yeah, that's what I am