Hobo Blues
n 2007 Lonesome River Band celebrates 25 years in Bluegrass as one of the m… Read Full Bio ↴n 2007 Lonesome River Band celebrates 25 years in Bluegrass as one of the most popular and influential acts on the bluegrass festival and concert circuit. They have not looked back since the release of their breakout CD, Carrying The Tradition, in 1991, which included current LRB band leader Sammy Shelor, as well as Dan Tyminski, Ronnie Bowman and Lonesome River Band founder, Tim Austin. They recorded a second project for Rebel Records, Old Country Town, before Tyminski accepted a gig with Alison Krauss & Union Station, and Austin decided to leave the road to focus on his recording studio, Doobie Shea. Like any band whose success has endured for 25 years, Lonesome River Band has seen some very talented musicians come and go. One readily thinks of acts like The Country Gentlemen, Seldom Scene, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, or JD Crowe & the New South as examples of successful bluegrass bands whose lineup has undergone a number of complete changes over the years, while still retaining the distinctive sound that brought them their success. As LRB continues to record and perform bluegrass music with both critical and commercial success, their name deserves mention in that list as well. During this last 15 years, Shelor has enjoyed performing in Lonesome River Band with such stellar musicians as Kenny Smith, Don Rigsby, Ron Stewart, Rickie Simpkins and Mike Hartgrove - each of whom has moved on to pursue other musical endeavors. With each personnel change, Shelor has looked for a new musician who could not only fill a spot that had been left vacant, but also bring in an artist with something to add of their own. When Shelor joined Lonesome River Band in 1990, he never envisioned himself leading the band only ten years later. Fresh off a six year stint with the popular Virginia Squires, Sammy came on board along with Ronnie Bowman. When founder Tim Austin left in 1995 to focus on his studio, Sammy and Ronnie Bowman took over band management, and when Ronnie left in 2000, Shelor found himself in charge, leading the band that had hired him fifteen years earlier. Through changes in vocalists and rhythm sections, the constant in the wildly popular LRB sound has been Shelor’s insistent, driving banjo style. His peers in the International Bluegrass Music Association have voted him Banjo Player of the Year on four separate occasions. Banjo pickers all over the world have studied Sam’s tab books and instructional DVD from AcuTab. Shelor got an early start with the banjo, when his grandfather fashioned him a banjo from an old pressure cooker lid when Sam was only four years old. His other grandfather then issued a challenge, promising to buy him a real banjo if the young Shelor would learn to play two songs. Sam met that mark in short order, and with the help of a family devoted both to him and to bluegrass music, he soon found himself entered in contests at fiddler’s conventions near his home in southwestern VA. By age ten, he was performing in local bands and became a full time professional musician when he graduated from high school, joining The Heights Of Grass at age 19. That band eventually morphed into The Virginia Squires, and brought Sammy into contact with banjo legend Sonny Osborne, who helped shape the young picker’s approach to working as a pro banjo player. Sonny also showed Sam the importance of using a quality instrument, and introduced him to the sound of the pre war flathead Gibson banjos that are now so highly prized by banjo players all over the world. Lonesome River Band consists of Mike Hartgrove on Fiddle, Brandon Rickman doing Lead Guitar and Vocals, Andy Ball playing Mandolin and Lead Vocals, Mike Anglin playing the Bass. These outstanding players bring a wealth of talent and energy to the quarter century year old Lonesome River Band.

Hobo Blues
The Lonesome River Band Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Got a hole in my pocket, I've done packed my ol' knapsack
I got a train to catch a mile on down the track
Well, I've been hangin' around this old town way too many days
I got to ramble on, I must be on my way

I got the Hobo Blues......
I gotta go, gotta go, God, I got the Hobo Blues
And when I hear that whistle blow, son
I gotta move, gotta move, God, I got the Hobo Blues

Well, some women try to hold me, but I keep on movin' on
Well, my hat don't hang nowhere for too long
Cause I'm caught up in the feeling of that same ol' great train song
I got the Hobo Blues deep down in my bones

When I die, won't you bury me in an old box car
With a coffee can and my old guitar




But make sure that I'm close enough to hear that passin' train
I got the freight train fever chuggin' through my veins

Overall Meaning

The Lonesome River Band's song Hobo Blues tells the story of a wanderlust man who always feels the need to move on from one town to the other. He expresses his restlessness by saying, "Got a hole in my pocket, I've done packed my ol' knapsack, I got a train to catch a mile on down the track." The lyrics suggest that he's had enough of staying in one place for too long and feels like he needs to keep moving. He's always searching for a new adventure and wants to explore new towns and meet new people. He refers to himself as a hobo, someone who lives on the road and could be seen as a social outcast. He recognizes that his hobo lifestyle gives him the blues, which is clearly evident in the chorus, "I got the Hobo Blues......I gotta go, gotta go, God, I got the Hobo Blues, And when I hear that whistle blow, son, I gotta move, gotta move, God, I got the Hobo Blues."


The man describes his struggle to settle down with women, "Well, some women try to hold me, but I keep on movin' on." He's always on the move, and he knows that his hat won't stay in one place for long. He's so caught up in the feeling of the train that he can't stay in any one place. It's evident in the lyrics, "I'm caught up in the feeling of that same ol' great train song, I got the Hobo Blues deep down in my bones." Even in death, he wants to be close to the train that gave him the spirit to travel. He says, "When I die, won't you bury me in an old box car, with a coffee can and my old guitar. But make sure that I'm close enough to hear that passin' train, I got the freight train fever chuggin' through my veins."


Line by Line Meaning

Got a hole in my pocket, I've done packed my ol' knapsack
My pocket has a hole in it and I have packed my old knapsack


I got a train to catch a mile on down the track
I have a train to catch that is about one mile away


Well, I've been hangin' around this old town way too many days
I have been staying in this town for too long


I got to ramble on, I must be on my way
I must go and move on


I got the Hobo Blues......
I am feeling sad and restless because I am a hobo


I gotta go, gotta go, God, I got the Hobo Blues
I have to go and I am feeling sad because I am a hobo


And when I hear that whistle blow, son
Whenever I hear the sound of the train whistle


I gotta move, gotta move, God, I got the Hobo Blues
I have to move and I am feeling sad because I am a hobo


Well, some women try to hold me, but I keep on movin' on
Some women try to hold me back, but I continue to move on


Well, my hat don't hang nowhere for too long
My hat doesn't stay in one place for too long


Cause I'm caught up in the feeling of that same ol' great train song
I am captivated by the feeling of the same old train song


I got the Hobo Blues deep down in my bones
I feel sad, restless, and homesick because I am a hobo


When I die, won't you bury me in an old box car
When I die, can you please bury me in an old box car?


With a coffee can and my old guitar
I want to be buried with a coffee can and my old guitar


But make sure that I'm close enough to hear that passin' train
Please make sure that I am buried close enough to hear the passing train


I got the freight train fever chuggin' through my veins
I feel addicted to the feeling of riding on the freight train




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILLY SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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