Big Rock Candy Mountain
Harry Mcclintock Lyrics
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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"
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