'Big Rock Candy Mountain'
Harry Mcclintock Lyrics


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One evening as the sun went down
And the jungle fire was burning,
Down the track came a hobo hiking,
And he said, "Boys, I'm not turning
I'm headed for a land that's far away
Besides the crystal fountains
So come with me, we'll go and see
The Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
There's a land that's fair and bright,
Where the handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out every night
Where the boxcars all are empty
And the sun shines every day
On the birds and the bees
And the cigarette trees
The lemonade springs
Where the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
All the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth
And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
The farmers' trees are full of fruit
And the barns are full of hay
Oh I'm bound to go
Where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall
The wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol
Come trickling down the rocks
The brakemen have to tip their hats
And the railroad bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew
And of whiskey, too
You can paddle all around 'em
In a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
The jails are made of tin
And you can walk right out again,
As soon as you are in
There ain't no short-handled shovels,
No axes, saws or picks,
I'ma goin' to stay
Where you sleep all day,
Where they hung the Turk
That invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains





I'll see you all this coming Fall
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" by Harry McClintock are a vivid description of a mythical utopia, a land where all the dreams of the homeless, the poor, and the hungry come true. In the first verse, the hobo protagonist invites his fellow wanderers to follow him to a place of abundance, "a land that's far away," where they can find crystal fountains and sunshine, and boxcars filled with food.


The second verse continues this idyllic depiction, describing a land where handouts grow on bushes, and lemonade springs bubble up from beneath the ground. The imagery becomes more surreal in the third verse, as the hobo tells of a world where the cops have wooden legs, bulldogs have rubber teeth, and alcohol flows freely from streams.


The fourth verse describes the absence of the hardships associated with life on the road: one never needs to change socks, there is no snow, no rain, and no wind. The final verse reveals the rebellion that lies at the heart of the hobo's longing for such a place, where jails are made of tin, and work is a thing of the past.


The song's narrative is one of escapism, a desire to escape from the harsh realities of life on the road and to find a Utopian paradise where life is perfect. In essence, it is the hobo's dream, a fantasy that he can retreat to when the world outside proves too harsh and unforgiving.


Line by Line Meaning

One evening as the sun went down
As the sun was setting one evening


And the jungle fire was burning,
As there was a wildfire burning nearby


Down the track came a hobo hiking,
A homeless person was seen walking towards them


And he said, "Boys, I'm not turning
He told them he wasn't going back


I'm headed for a land that's far away
He was going to leave to a distant place


Besides the crystal fountains
Where there were beautiful water fountains


So come with me, we'll go and see
He invited them to join him


The Big Rock Candy Mountains
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


There's a land that's fair and bright,
A beautiful and bright place


Where the handouts grow on bushes
Where basic necessities grow easily


And you sleep out every night
Sleep outside every night


Where the boxcars all are empty
All boxcars are empty


And the sun shines every day
The sun shines every day


On the birds and the bees
Birds and bees are seen abundantly


And the cigarette trees
And there are trees that have cigarettes hanging from them


The lemonade springs
Where there are springs that have lemonade flowing from them


Where the bluebird sings
Where the bluebird can be heard singing


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


All the cops have wooden legs
Wooden legs are common among cops


And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth
Rubber teeth are common among bulldogs


And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
Hens lay eggs that are already soft-boiled


The farmers' trees are full of fruit
Farmer's trees have fruits in abundance


And the barns are full of hay
Barns are filled with hay


Oh I'm bound to go
He was determined to leave


Where there ain't no snow
Where there's no snow


Where the rain don't fall
Where it never rains


The wind don't blow
Where there's no wind


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


You never change your socks
You won't have to change your socks


And the little streams of alcohol
And there are streams flowing with alcohol


Come trickling down the rocks
Trickling down the rocks


The brakemen have to tip their hats
The brakemen will tip their hats


And the railroad bulls are blind
Railroad bulls can't see


There's a lake of stew
A lake full of stew


And of whiskey, too
Also filled with whiskey


You can paddle all around 'em
You can navigate the lake by canoe


In a big canoe
In a large canoe


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


The jails are made of tin
The jails are made of tin


And you can walk right out again,
And you don't need to stay for long


As soon as you are in
As soon as you're in the jail


There ain't no short-handled shovels,
There are no short-shoveled handles


No axes, saws or picks,
No tools are found here


I'ma goin' to stay
He decided to stay


Where you sleep all day,
Where you can sleep all day


Where they hung the Turk
A reference to a political situation


That invented work
In reference to a political philosophy


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains


I'll see you all this coming Fall
He intends to meet them all again next fall


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
A place called the Big Rock Candy Mountains




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: HARRY MCCLINTOCK, STERLING SHERWIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@BakedNConfused

One evening as the sun went down
And the jungle fire was burning
Down the track came a hobo hikin'
And he said, "Boys, I'm not turning
I'm headed for a land that's far away
Besides the crystal fountains
So come with me, we'll go and see
The Big Rock Candy Mountains."

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
There's a land that's fair and bright
Where the handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out every night
Where the boxcars all are empty
And the sun shines everyday
All the birds and the bees
And the cigarette trees
The lemonade springs
Where the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
All the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth
And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
The farmers' trees are full of fruit
And the barns are full of hay
Oh, I'm bound to go
Where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall
The wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol
Come trickling down the rocks
The brakemen have to tip their hats
And the railroad bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew
And of whiskey too
You can paddle all around them
In a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains


In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
The jails are made of tin
And you can walk right out again
As soon as you are in
There ain't no short-handled shovels
No axes, saws, or picks
I'ma goin' to stay
Where you sleep all day
Where they hung the Turk
That invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains


I'll see you all this coming fall
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains



@blakeedmondson9573

McClintock's original version of this song was very dark. It was a warning about "jocker" hobos who lured young boys to join them with the intention of making them their slaves.

The last verse originally was...

”The punk rolled up his big blue eyes
And said to the jocker, "Sandy,
I've hiked and hiked and wandered too,
But I ain't seen any candy.
I've hiked and hiked till my feet are sore
And I'll be damned if I hike any more
To be buggered sore like a hobo's whore
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains."

The song "The Appleknocker's Lament" was the inspiration for the song. It's even more dark and sadistic



All comments from YouTube:

@garyclevenger9516

I remember my Dad singing that song to me when I was a little boy, I'm 70 yrs old in January! 👍

@07Hawkeye

God bless you and your family. Great song.

@spudsbuchlaw

Happy 70th birthday!!

@tommybrady3821

Happy 70th birthday

@craigkeller

Happy Birthday 🎊!

@skingolem4456

That's awesome!
My Dad did the same thing. I'm 55.

4 More Replies...

@chellsbells4895

This song always makes me tear up. A man's dream is having his basic needs met. A dream that the barns are full of hay to sleep on. The box cars are empty so they can hitch a ride.
It's beautiful and sad.

@brasshouse9822

Brings a tear to my eye that there are men who think there needs need to be met by others. Makes me wonder which basic needs you think a man should be responsible for himself. The song isn’t sad because the man’s bitching about people not giving him shit. It’s sad because he doesn’t realize he can go get it himself.

@jamiereynolds959

​@@brasshouse9822dude it's just a song chill plus life was more hellish back in the 1920s

@jerrycny5519

​@@brasshouse9822I agree with your belief in self-reliance, but the song isn't about being dependent on welfare, food stamps, or any socialist policies. They simply did not exist when this song was written. It isn't advocating laziness or vagrancy. The song was written in 1895, largely based upon accounts and stories told to McClintock as a child in the post Civil War Reconstruction era. The song was released later, in 1928, a couple years before the Great Depression hit. The hobos McClintock sings of aren't bums panhandling for change on street corners. Hobos rode on trains because many Americans didn't own cars then. They were riding in boxcars to escape from the poverty, the cold, the war-torn South, and the Dust Bowl. They were literally looking for work, there was no government "system" to provide any assistance to them. Men lived on the road looking for work, looking for better opportunities, sometimes even with their families. Many had no choice but to leave, as there was no work to be had at home, they had little to no skills nor education, their crops wouldn't grow, and they and their families were hungry. Many sustained themselves doing migrant work and day labor. America was a much different place then. Many hard working men lost their jobs, and there was no other work to be had. The song isn't about someone "bitching" about not getting enough public assistance, it is about the hardships that faced the common man in that time, and a simple, idealistic and lighthearted take on what was the "American Dream" for many at the time; having one's basic needs met.

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