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A hobo is a
migrant worker A migrant worker is a person who Human migration, migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have an intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant workers ...
in the United States. Hoboes,
tramp A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English '' ...
s, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works.


Etymology

The origin of the term is unknown. According to etymologist Anatoly Liberman, the only certain detail about its origin is the word was first noticed in
American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...
circa 1890. The term has also been dated to 1889 in the Western—probably Northwestern
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and to 1888. Liberman points out that many folk etymologies fail to answer the question: "Why did the word become widely known in California (just there) by the early Nineties (just then)?" Author Todd DePastino mentions possible derivations from " hoe-boy", meaning "farmhand", or a greeting "Ho, boy", but that he does not find these convincing. Bill Bryson suggests in '' Made in America'' (1998) that it might come from the
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
greeting, "Ho, beau!" or a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound". It could also come from the words "homeless boy" or "homeless Bohemian". H. L. Mencken, in his '' The American Language'' (4th ed., 1937), wrote:
Tramps and hobos are commonly lumped together, but in their own sight they are sharply differentiated. A ''hobo'' or ''bo'' is simply a migratory laborer; he may take some longish holidays, but soon or late he returns to work. A ''tramp'' never works if it can be avoided; he simply travels. Lower than either is the ''bum'', who neither works nor travels, save when impelled to motion by the police.


History

While there have been drifters in every society, the term became common only after the broad adoption of railroads provided free, though illegal, travel by hopping aboard train cars (so-called " freighthopping"). With the end of the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
in the 1860s, many discharged veterans returning home began to hop freight trains. Others looking for work on the
American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...
followed the railways west aboard freight trains in the late 19th century. In 1906, Professor Layal Shafee, after an exhaustive study, put the number of tramps in the United States at about 500,000 (about 0.6% of the US population at the time). His article "What Tramps Cost Nation" was published by ''The New York Telegraph'' in 1911, when he estimated the number had surged to 700,000. The number of hoboes increased greatly during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
era of the 1930s. With no work and no prospects at home, many decided to try their luck elsewhere by freight train. Hobo life was dangerous. Itinerant, poor, far from home and support, hoboes also faced the hostility of many train crews and the railroad police, nicknamed "bulls", who often dealt violently with trespassers. British poet W. H. Davies, author of '' The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp'', lost a foot when he fell under the wheels trying to jump aboard a train. It was easy to get trapped between cars, and one could freeze to death in cold weather. When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed. Around the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, railroads began to move from steam to diesel locomotives, making jumping freight trains more difficult due to higher speeds and less frequent stops. This, along with postwar prosperity, led to a decline in the number of hoboes. In the 1970s and 1980s hobo numbers were augmented by returning
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
veterans, many of whom were disillusioned with settled
society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...
. Overall, the national economic demand for a mobile surplus labor force has declined over time, leading to fewer hoboes.


Culture


Expressions used through the 1940s

Hoboes were noted for, among other things, the distinctive lingo that arose among them. Some examples follow: Many hobo terms have become part of common language, such as "big house", "glad rags", "main drag", and others.


Hobo signs and graffiti

Almost from the beginning of the existence of hoboes, as early as the 1870s, it was reported that they communicated with each other by way of a system of cryptic "hobo signs", which would be chalked in prominent or relevant places to clandestinely alert future hoboes about important local information. Many listings of these symbols have been made. A few symbols include: * A triangle with hands, signifying that the homeowner has a gun.Moon, Gypsy: "Done and Been", p. 198. Indiana University Press, 1996. * A horizontal zigzag signifying a barking dog.Moon, Gypsy: "Done and Been", p. 24. Indiana University Press, 1996. * A circle with two parallel arrows meaning "Get out fast," as hoboes are not welcome in the area. * A cat signifying that a kind lady lives here. Reports of hoboes using these symbols appeared in newspapers and popular books straight through the Depression, and continue to turn up in American popular culture; for example, John Hodgman's book '' The Areas of My Expertise'' features a section on hobo signs listing signs found in newspapers of the day as well as several whimsical ones invented by Hodgman, and the Free Art and Technology Lab released a QR Hobo Code, with a QR stenciler, in July 2011. Displays on hobo signs have been exhibited in the
Steamtown National Historic Site Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a List of railway museums, railroad museum and Heritage railway, heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and ...
at
Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...
, operated by the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
, and in the National Cryptologic Museum in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, and Webster's ''Third New International Dictionary'' supplies a listing of hobo signs under the entry for "hobo". Despite an apparently strong record of authentication, however, there is doubt as to whether hobo signs were ever actually in practical use by hoboes. They may simply have been invented early on by a writer or writers seeking to add to the folklore surrounding hoboes soon after they acquired the name, an invention perpetuated and embellished by others over the years, aided occasionally by amenable hoboes themselves. Several hoboes during the days that the signs were reportedly most in use asserted that they were in fact a "popular fancy" or "a fabrication". Nels Anderson, who both hoboed himself and studied hoboes extensively for a
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
master's thesis, wrote in 1932,
Another merit of the book odfrey Irwin's 1931 ''American Tramp and Underworld Slang''is that the author has not subscribed to the fiction that American tramps have a sign language, as so many professors are wont to believe.
Though newspapers in the early and peak days of hoboing (1870s through the Depression) printed photos and drawings of hoboes leaving these signs, these may have been staged in order to add color to the story. Nonetheless, it is certain that hoboes have used some graffiti to communicate, in the form of ' monikers' (sometimes 'monicas'). These generally consisted simply of a road name (moniker), a date, and the direction the hobo was heading then. This would be written in a prominent location where other hoboes would see it.
Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...
, in recounting his hobo days, wrote,
Water-tanks are tramp directories. Not all in idle wantonness do tramps carve their monicas, dates, and courses. Often and often have I met hoboes earnestly inquiring if I had seen anywhere such and such a "stiff" or his monica. And more than once I have been able to give the monica of recent date, the water-tank, and the direction in which he was then bound. And promptly the hobo to whom I gave the information lit out after his pal. I have met hoboes who, in trying to catch a pal, had pursued clear across the continent and back again, and were still going.
The use of monikers persists to this day, although since the rise of cell phones a moniker is more often used simply to "tag" a train car or location. Some moniker writers have tagged train cars extensively; one who tagged under the name Bozo Texino during the 1970s and ’80s estimated that in one year ("where I went overboard") he marked over 30,000 train cars.Daniel, Bill. ''Who Is Bozo Texino?'' (documentary). Self-published: billdaniel.net, 2005. However, not all moniker writers (or "boxcar artists") are hoboes; Bozo Texino in fact worked for the railroad, though others such as "A No. 1" and "Palm Tree Herby" rode trains as tramps or hoboes.


Ethical code

Hobo culture—though it has always had many points of contact with the mainstream American culture of its day—has also always been somewhat separate and distinct, with different cultural norms. Hobo culture's ethics have always been subject to disapproval from the mainstream culture; for example, hopping freight trains, an integral part of hobo life, has always been illegal in the U.S. Nonetheless, the ethics of hobo culture can be regarded as fairly coherent and internally consistent, at least to the extent that any culture's various individual people maintain the same ethical standards. That is to say, any attempt at an exhaustive enumeration of hobo ethics is bound to be foiled at least to some extent by the diversity of hoboes and their ideas of the world. This difficulty has not kept hoboes themselves from attempting the exercise. An ethical code was created by Tourist Union #63 (a hobo union created in the mid-1800s to dodge anti-vagrancy laws, which did not apply to union members) during its 1889 National Hobo Convention: # Decide your own life; don't let another person run or rule you. # When in town, always respect the local law and officials, and try to be a gentleman at all times. # Don't take advantage of someone who is in a vulnerable situation, locals or other hoboes. # Always try to find work, even if temporary, and always seek out jobs nobody wants. By doing so you not only help a business along, but ensure employment should you return to that town again. # When no employment is available, make your own work by using your added talents at crafts. # Do not allow yourself to become a stupid drunk and set a bad example for locals' treatment of other hoboes. # When jungling in town, respect handouts and do not wear them out; another hobo will be coming along who will need them as badly, if not worse than you. # Always respect nature; do not leave garbage where you are jungling. # If in a community jungle, always pitch in and help. # Try to stay clean, and boil up wherever possible. # When traveling, ride your train respectfully. Take no personal chances. Cause no problems with operating crew or host railroad. Act like an extra crew member. # Do not cause problems in a train yard; another hobo will be coming along who will need passage through that yard. # Do not allow other hoboes to molest children; expose all molesters to authorities – they are the worst garbage to infest any society. # Help all runaway children, and try to induce them to return home. # Help your fellow hoboes whenever and wherever needed; you may need their help someday. # If present at a hobo court and you have testimony, give it. Whether for or against the accused, your voice counts!


Conventions


General

There are numerous hobo conventions throughout the United States each year. The ephemeral ways of hobo conventions are mostly dependent on the resources of their hosts. Some conventions are part of railroad conventions or "railroad days"; others quasi-private affairs hosted by long-time hoboes; still others surreptitious affairs on private land, as in abandoned quarries along major rivers. Most non-mainstream conventions are held at current or historical railroad stops. The most notable is the National Hobo Convention held in
Britt, Iowa Britt is a city in Hancock County, Iowa, United States, and is the home of the National Hobo Convention and the Hobo Museum. The population was 2,044 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History A train depot was built at Britt in 187 ...
. The town first hosted the Convention in 1900, but there followed a hiatus of thirty-three years. Since 1934 the convention has been held annually in Britt, on the second weekend in August.


Notable persons


Notable hoboes

*
Jack Black Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
, author of '' You Can't Win'' (1926) * Maurice W. Graham, a.k.a. "Steam Train Maury" * Joe Hill * Leon Ray Livingston, a.k.a. "A No.1" * Harry McClintock * Utah Phillips * Robert Joseph Silveria Jr., a.k.a. "Sidetrack", serial killer with 34 victims. * T-Bone Slim * Bertha Thompson, a.k.a. "Boxcar Bertha", was widely believed to be a real person. ''Sister of the Road'' was penned by Ben Reitman and presented as an autobiography. * Jim Tully, an author who penned several pulp fiction books, 1928 through 1945. * Steven Gene Wold, a.k.a. " Seasick Steve"


Notable persons who have hoboed

* P.D.S., American Psychologist, Photographer, and Hobo Historian * Nels Anderson, American sociologist * Raúl Héctor Castro, Mexican American politician, diplomat and judge * Ralph Chaplin, author of labor anthem " Solidarity Forever" *
Yvon Chouinard Yvon Chouinard (born November 9, 1938) is an American rock climber, environmentalist, and businessman. His company, Patagonia, sells outdoor products, outerwear, and food. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by '' ...
*
Stompin' Tom Connors Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, Order of Canada, OC (February 9, 1936 – March 6, 2013) was a Canadian country music, country and folk music, folk singer-songwriter. Focusing his career exclusively on his native Canada, he is credited wi ...
, Canadian Singer, Songwriter * Ted Conover, sociologist who rode the rails researching his book ''Rolling Nowhere'' * W. H. Davies, Welsh poet who also lived as a tramp *
Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. One of the most iconic athl ...
* U Dhammaloka * Loren Eiseley * Woody Guthrie, American folk musician * James Eads How, wealthy community organizer * , German adventurer and novelist * Harry Kemp, American poet and prose writer *
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...
, American author *
Louis L'Amour Louis Dearborn L'Amour (; né LaMoore; March 22, 1908 – June 10, 1988) was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known West ...
*
Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...
, American author * Chris McCandless, American adventurer who sometimes referred to himself as "Alexander Supertramp" * Robert Mitchum * Frederick Niven, Canadian author * Bob Nolan, singer and songwriter. *
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
, British author * John Patric * Harry Partch * Al Purdy * Ben Reitman, anarchist and physician * Carl Sandburg * Emil Sitka * Philip Taft, labor historian * Mike Brodie, photographer. * Dave Van Ronk * Dale Wasserman


In mainstream culture


Books

* ''All the Strange Hours: The Excavation of a Life'', by Loren Eiseley, 1975. * ''American Travels of a Dutch Hobo 1923–1926'', by , 1984, . * ''A Period of Juvenile Prosperity'' (2013) by Mike Brodie, * '' The Areas of My Expertise'' by John Hodgman - Humor book which features a lengthy section on hoboes, including a list of 700 hobo names which spawned an online effort to illustrate the complete list. * '' The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp'', by W. H. Davies, 1908 * ''Bottom Dogs'', by Edward Dahlberg * ''Beggars of Life'', (1924), by Jim Tully * '' Evasion'' by Anonymous * ''From Coast to Coast with Jack London'' by "A-No.-1" ( Leon Ray Livingston) * '' Hobo'', by Eddy Joe Cotton, 2002. * ''The Hobo - The Sociology of the Homeless Man'', by Nels Anderson, 1923. * '' Ironweed'' by William Kennedy, 1983. A
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning novel, also adapted for a 1987 film (see below). * ''
The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a novel by American author and muckraking-journalist Upton Sinclair, known for his efforts to expose corruption in government and business in the early 20th century. In 1904, Sinclair spent seven weeks gathering information ...
'' by
Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American author, muckraker journalist, and political activist, and the 1934 California gubernatorial election, 1934 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
contains a section in which the main character, Jurgis Rudkus, abandons his family in Chicago and becomes a hobo for a while. * '' Lonesome Traveler'', by
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...
("The Vanishing American Hobo") * '' The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane'' by Kate DiCamillo * ''Muzzlers, Guzzlers, and Good Yeggs'' by Joe Coleman * ''
Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...
'', by
John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...
* '' On the Road'', by Jack Kerouac * ''One More Train to Ride: The Underground World of Modern American Hobos'' by Clifford Williams. * ''Ramblin' Boy: The Letters of Steve Hoyt'' edited and with commentary by Daniel Leen, ISBN 0-9632912-9-7, publisher Ecodesigns Northwest Publishers * ''Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression'' by Errol Lincoln Uys, (Routledge, 2003) * ''Riding Toward Everywhere'' by William T. Vollmann, 2008. * '' The Road'' (1907), by
Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...
* ''Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America's Hoboes'' by Ted Conover - Paperback: 304 pages, Publisher: Vintage (2001), * ''Sister of The Road: The Autobiography of
Boxcar Bertha ''Boxcar Bertha'' is a 1972 American Romance film, romantic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Roger Corman, from a screenplay by Joyce Hooper Corrington, Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington. Made on a low b ...
'' - (as told to) Dr. Ben Reitman * '' Stumptown Kid'', By Carol Gorman and Ron J. Finley * ''Tramping on Life'' (1922) and ''More Miles'' (1926), by Harry Kemp * ''Tramping with Tramps'' (1899) by Josiah Flynt * ''Waiting for Nothing'', Tom Kromer * ''Wild Honey'' (1927), by Frederick Niven * '' You Can't Win'', by
Jack Black Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
* '' Yankee Hobo in the Orient'', (1943), by John Patric * '' Down and Out in Paris and London'', by
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...


Comics

* '' Kings in Disguise'' (1988), by James Vance and Dan Burr * '' Laugh-Out-Loud Cats'',
webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...
by Adam Koford, featuring two anthropomorphic cats as hoboes. * The Avenger and master archer in
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
, Hawkeye, is aware of, and can read hobo code in
Matt Fraction Matt Fritchman (born December 1, 1975), better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of '' The Invincible Iron Man'', '' FF'', '' The Immortal Iron Fist'', '' Uncanny X-Men'', an ...
and David Aja's 2012 run on the character. * ''USA Comics'' #2 (1941) introduced Vagabond, a police officer named Pat Murphy who created an alter ego, Chauncey Throttlebottom III, a well-spoken hobo, to fight crime. * ''USA Comics'' #5 (1941) had a character, Butch Brogan, alias Fighting Hobo, that helps save a kidnapped puppy in "The Dog-Nappers". * The '' TaleSpin'' comic ''The Long Flight Home'' reveals Kit Cloudkicker was once a hobo prior to working for Don Karnage.


Documentaries

* ''Hobo'' (1992), a documentary by John T. Davis, following the life of a hobo on his travels through the United States. * '' American Experience'', " Riding the Rails" (1999), a PBS documentary by Lexy Lovell and Michael Uys, narrated by Richard Thomas, detailing the hoboes of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, with interviews of those who rode the rails during those years. * '' The American Hobo'' (2003), a documentary narrated by
Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perf ...
featuring interviews with Merle Haggard and James Michener. * '' The Human Experience'', (2008), a documentary by Charles Kinnane. The first experience follows Jeffrey and his brother Clifford to the streets of New York City where the boys live with the homeless for a week in one of the coldest winters on record. The boys look for hope and camaraderie among their homeless companions, learning how to survive on the streets.


Fictional characters

Examples of characters based on hoboes include: *
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
's " Little Tramp" * Emmett Kelly's "Weary Willy" * Red Skelton's "Freddy the Freeloader" * "Bagdad, Hobo Detective," featured in the
pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the Pulp (paper), wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed, due to their ...
''Popular Detective'' (1937 & 1938)


Films

* '' The Circus'' (1928), directed by Charlie Chaplin. * '' Beggars of Life'' (1928), directed by William A. Wellman * '' City Lights'' (1931), directed by Charlie Chaplin. * '' Number Seventeen'' (1932), directed by
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
. * '' Wild Boys of the Road'' (1933), directed by William A. Wellman. * ''
City Limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary (real estate), boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. ...
'' (1934), directed by
William Nigh William Nigh, born Emil Kreuske (October 12, 1881 – November 27, 1955), was an American film Film director, director, screenwriter, writer, and actor. His film work sometimes lists him as either "Will Nigh" or "William Nye". Biography Nig ...
. * '' Modern Times'' (1936), directed by Charlie Chaplin. * '' Father Steps Out'' (1941), directed by
Jean Yarbrough Jean Yarbrough (August 22, 1900 – August 2, 1975) was an American film director. Biography Jean Yarbrough was born in Marianna, Arkansas on August 22, 1900. He attended the Sewanee: The University of the South, University of the South in ...
. * '' Sullivan's Travels'' (1941), directed by
Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He is credited as being the first screenwriter to find success as a director. Prior to Sturges, other ...
. * ''
Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...
'' (1943), biopic directed by Alfred Santell. * '' It Happened on Fifth Avenue'' (1947), directed by
Roy Del Ruth Roy Del Ruth (October 18, 1893 – April 27, 1961) was an American filmmaker. Early career Beginning his Hollywood career as a writer for Mack Sennett in 1915, Del Ruth later directed his first short film ''Hungry Lions'' (1919) for the pr ...
. * '' Joe Hill'' (1971), directed by Bo Widerberg * ''
Boxcar Bertha ''Boxcar Bertha'' is a 1972 American Romance film, romantic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Roger Corman, from a screenplay by Joyce Hooper Corrington, Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington. Made on a low b ...
'' (1972), directed by
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
and starring Barbara Hershey as a sexy hobo girl during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. * '' Emperor of the North Pole'' a.k.a. ''Emperor of the North'' (1973), directed by Robert Aldrich. Loosely based on
Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...
's '' The Road''. * '' Hard Times'' a.k.a. ''The Streetfighter'' (1975), directed by
Walter Hill Walter Hill (born January 10, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western (genre), Western genre. He has directed such films as ''The Driver'', ''The Warriors (film), The ...
(his directorial debut), and starring Charles Bronson (as a hobo turned
street fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
). * '' The Billion Dollar Hobo'' (1977), starring Tim Conway and Will Geer. * '' Pee-Wee's Big Adventure'' (1985), starring Pee-wee Herman, directed by
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...
. Pee-wee meets Hobo Jack when he hops a freight train on his way to the Alamo. * '' Vagabond'' (1985) (French title: ''Sans Toit Ni Loi''), directed by Agnès Varda, tells the story of a traveling woman's untimely death through flashbacks and interviews with the people who met her. * '' The Journey of Natty Gann'' (1985), starring Meredith Salenger as a young girl riding the rails to find her father. * '' Ironweed'' (1987), directed by Héctor Babenco and based on the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning
novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
by William Kennedy, who also wrote the screenplay. * '' Life Stinks'' (1991), directed by and starring
Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...
. * '' Tokyo Godfathers'' (2003), an
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
directed by Satoshi Kon. * '' Into the Wild'' (2007), directed by
Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
, based on Jon Krakauer's non-fiction book about Christopher McCandless. * '' Resurrecting the Champ'' (2007), starring Samuel L. Jackson and
Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. He began his career on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's drama series ''Cracker (American TV series), Cracker'' (1997–1998), after which he became known as a teen idol thro ...
, directed by Rod Lurie. * '' Kit Kittredge: An American Girl'' (2008). * '' Hobo with a Shotgun'' (2011), an exploitation film directed by Jason Eisener and written by John Davies, starring
Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor, with a career that spanned over 170 roles across nearly 50 years, beginning in 1969. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. H ...
as a vigilante hobo. * '' The Muppets'' (2011), the film features a character named Hobo Joe (played by Zach Galifianakis) and some Whatnot hoboes. They later appeared in the sequel '' Muppets Most Wanted'' (2014). * '' Man of Steel'' (2013) depicts
Clark Kent Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
living as a homeless itinerant worker before ultimately taking the mantle of
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
and finding work as a reporter at the ''
Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #9 (November 13, 1939) – Underworld Politics ...
''. * '' Nomadland'' (2020), directed by Chloé Zhao. * Many animated cartoons depict hoboes as main or secondary characters, hobo-related activities such as traveling by train, with a bindle, or in the company of hoboes. For example, Warner Brothers' '' Box Car Blues'' (1930) with Bosko, ''Hobo Gadget Band'' (1939),
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
's ''Henpecked Hoboes'' (1946) with George and Junior in their first appearance, ''Mouse Wreckers'' (1948), ''8 Ball Bunny'' (1950) with
Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...
, and '' The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town'' (1977).


Music


Artists

Musicians known for hobo songs include: Tim Barry, Baby Gramps, Railroad Earth, Harry McClintock, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Utah Phillips, Jimmie Rodgers, Seasick Steve, and Boxcar Willie.


Songs

Examples of hobo songs include: * "Ain’t Gonna Hobo No More" by
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
* "Be a Hobo" by Moondog * " The Big Rock Candy Mountains" by Harry McClintock, recorded by various artists including
Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...
,
Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
, Lisa Loeb, Baby Gramps, The Restarts and Harry Dean Stanton * "Driver Pull" by Tim Barry * " Hallelujah, I'm a Bum," recorded by Harry McClintock, Al Jolson, and others * "Hard Travelin'" by Woody Guthrie * "
Here Comes Your Man "Here Comes Your Man" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies (band), Pixies, written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis. Produced by Gil Norton, it was released as the second single from the group's second album ''Doolitt ...
" by the Pixies, about hoboes travelling on trains in California and dying because of earthquakes * " Here I Go Again" by
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...
, featuring the lyric, "Like a hobo I was born to walk alone," later changed to "like a drifter" * "Hobo" by The Hackensaw Boys * "Hobo Bill", " I Ain't Got No Home," and "Mysteries of a Hobo's Life," performed by Cisco Houston * "Hobo Bill's Last Ride" by Jimmy Rogers, also recorded by
Manfred Mann's Earth Band Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You (Bruce Springsteen song), For You", "Blinded by the Light" an ...
* "Hobo Blues" and "The Hobo" by John Lee Hooker * "Hobo Chang Ba" by Captain Beefheart * "Hobo Flats" by
Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signi ...
* "Hobo Flats" by
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
* "Hobo Jungle" by The Band * "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" by Whale (band) * "Hobo Kinda Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd * "Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train" by
Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
* "The Hobo" by Merle Haggard * "The Hobo Song" by John Prine, also covered by
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
* "The Hobo Song" by Jack Bonus, also recorded by Jerry Garcia's bluegrass group, Old & In the Way * "The Hobo Song" by Kevin Roth, from the Shining Time Station's
Christmas special Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared Christmas in literature, in literature and Christmas music, in music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth o ...
, Tis a Gift'' * " Hobo's Lullaby" (a.k.a. "Weary Hobo") by Goebel Reeves, recorded by various artists, including Woody Guthrie,
Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk music, folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing protest song, songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his fa ...
,
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
,
Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...
, The Kingston Trio, and Ramblin' Jack Eliot * "Hobo's Meditation" by Jimmie Rodgers, recorded by Linda Ronstadt on the album '' Trio'' * "Hobos on Parade" by Shannon Wright * "Homeless Brother" by Don McLean * "Hopscotch Willie" by Stephen Malkmus * " I Am a Lonesome Hobo", "Only a Hobo," and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Willie" by
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
* " I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am" by Merle Haggard * " Jack Straw" by Robert Hunter and Bob Weir * "
Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet ''Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet'' is a 1971 composition by Gavin Bryars based on a Tape loop, loop of an unknown homeless man singing a brief improvised stanza. Rich harmonies, comprising String instrument, string and Brass instrument, bras ...
" a recording by composer
Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, Musical historicism, historicism, Avant-garde music, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early lif ...
of a hobo singing on a London street * " King of the Road" by Roger Miller * "Kulkurin Valssi" (Hobo Waltz) by Arthur Kylander * "Lännen lokari" (Western Logger) by Hiski Salomaa * "Last of the Hobo Kings" by Mary Gauthier * " Like a Hobo" by Charlie Winston * "Mary Lane" by Fred Eaglesmith * "Morning Glory" by Tim Buckley, lyrics by Larry Beckett * "My Traveling Star" by
James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...
* "Never Tire of the Road" by Andy Irvine * "Orange Claw Hammer" by Captain Beefheart, which contains the lyric, "I'm on the bum where the hobos run, the air breaks with filthy chatter." * "Papa Hobo" and "Hobo's Blues" by
Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
* " Ramblin' Man" by Hank Williams Sr. * "Sergeant Small" by Andy Irvine * " Streets of London" by Ralph McTell * "Waiting for a Train" by Jimmie Rodgers * "Way Out There" by Bob Nolan, recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers * "Western Hobo" by The Carter Family


Stage

* ''King of the Hobos'' (2014), a one-man musical that premiered at Emerging Artists Theatre in New York City, is centered around the death of James Eads How, known during his lifetime as the "Millionaire Hobo".


Television

* '' Mad Men'' (season 1), episode 8, " The Hobo Code" (2007) * '' The Magic School Bus'' special, ''A Magic School Bus Halloween'', features Lily Tomlin's character "Archibald Dauntless" * '' The Littlest Hobo'': long-running Lassie-esque franchise about a roving dog that lives the hobo lifestyle * In ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' episode " The Old Man and the Key", Grampa explains hobo symbols to
Bart Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...
. In another episode, the Simpsons meet a hobo who tells them American folktales in exchange for a spongebath. * '' Shameless'' (Season 9), Episode 10 and 11. Frank Gallagher becomes part of a hobo competition, a competition looking for the best hobo in Chicago. * '' Reacher'' (Season 1), Episode 2. Reacher insists he is not a vagrant, but a hobo. * ''
Murdoch Mysteries ''Murdoch Mysteries'' is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the ''Detective Murdoch'' novels by Maureen Jennings and stars Yannick ...
'' (Season 16), Episode 17 "The Ballad of Gentleman Jones" (2023). Murdoch investigates a series of murders of hobos in 1910
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. Crabtree and Watts pose as hobos in an effort to find the killer.


See also

* Freight Train Riders of America, a gang of rogue freight train riders originally formed by Vietnam veterans * Gutter punk * Hobo nickel, an art form associated with hoboes * Hobo (typeface), designed by Morris Fuller Benton for
American Type Founders American Type Founders (ATF) Co. was a business trust created in 1892 by the merger of 23 type foundries, representing about 85 percent of all type manufactured in the United States at the time. De Vinne, Theodore Low, ''The Practice of Typogr ...
in 1910 * Kirby,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, the "hobo capital of Texas" * Swagman, roughly the equivalent in Australia * Wobbly lingo, the jargon of the
Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...
* Train surfing


References


Further reading

* Brady, Jonann (2005)
"Hobos Elect New King and Queen"
''ABC Good Morning America'', includes Todd "Ad Man" Waters' last ride as reigning Hobo King plus hobo slide show with Adman's photo's taken on the road. * Bannister, Matthew (2006)
"Maurice W Graham 'Steam Train', Grand Patriarch of America's Hobos who has died aged 89"
''Last Word''. BBC Radio. Matthew Bannister talks to fellow King of the Hobos "Ad Man" Waters and to obituary editor of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Bill McDonald. * Davis, Jason (2007)
"The Hobo"
''On The Road'' 30 minute special. KSTP television. Covers "Ad Man" Waters taking his daughter out on her first freight ride. * * Harper, Douglas (2006) 986br>"Waiting for a Train"
Excerpt from ''Good Company: A Tramp Life'' * Johnson, L. Anderson. "Riding the Rails for the Homeless." ''The New York Times''. July 12, 1983, p. B3, col 3. Story on "Ad Man" Waters the Penny Route. * Oats. "Around the Jungle Fire I, II & III". 1994, 1997, 2000. Interviews with several hoboes: How they got their start, and travels and travails. *

from the ''
Encyclopedia of Chicago ''The Encyclopedia of Chicago'' is a historical reference work covering Chicago and the entire Chicago metropolitan area published by the University of Chicago Press. Released in October 2004, the work is the result of a ten-year collaboration ...
''


External links

* * {{Homelessness Itinerant living 1890s neologisms Culture of the United States