Hobo Convention Today's the National Hobo convention in Britt, Iowa. In case you get confused between Hobos, bums, and everything else, here's a little quip from Word for the Wise: "A Hobo likes to work and travel, a bum likes to travel but not work, and a tramp likes neither travel nor work."

Northbank Fred's site has a great series of newspaper clippings from his 1984 visit to the Hobo convention.

Apparently Hobo Conventions have been going on for some time. This Britt convention will be the 105th. Dr. Cliff Williams of Trinity College shares this Hobo convention song from 1900:

1

Back in the Spring of ’90,
As everybody knows,
Green Castle, Iowa, was swamped
By a gathering of ‘boes.

They came from north, south, east, and west,
Everywhere you could mention,
And the reason they were there was,
They held a big convention.

That sunny day, the twelfth of May,
They collected in a mob,
Hoboes from Chi’ and Kokomo
Clear down to Eagle Knob.

There was some ‘boes I never seen
They came from far and near;
They all laid in and tanked-up ten
Big wagonloads of beer.

I put my peepers on them all,
And recognized a few,
And now if I remember them,
Here’s their monikas for you:

There was Pete the Shive from Slapjack’s dive,
And Wino Bill from Cal,
Parson-faced Ed and Wingey Red
And a ’bo named Sugan Al.

There was Boogie Sam and Biff ‘n’ Bam,
And a little punk from Q.
Hikes and Spikes and Old Ring-tail Sykes
And a Philly ‘bo called Lou.

Back in the shade of the jungle’s glade
We slopped up on that beer.
Each ‘bo throwed his guts while the other mutts
Laid back and lent an ear.

The night was getting started
When someone heard a clatter,
And the clowns from the town came swarming down
And maybe we didn’t scatter.

Some flipped freights to other states,
And others stayed behind,
Some glommed the rod and hopped the tops
And others hit the blind.

Now here I am in Omaha,
A hungry, ring-tailed bum,
Tooting ringers for poke outs,
When what I want is slum.

Toot! Toot! There goes a highball now¾
The rattler’s under way;
They’re reefers for New Orleans, ma’am,
I’m off again—good day!

Another song, and a little more info, can be found here.  ¶   0 comments