Hard Travelin'
Woody Guthrie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been havin' some hard travelin', I thought you knowed
I've been havin' some hard travelin', way down the road
I've been havin' some hard travelin', hard ramblin', hard gamblin'
Been havin' some hard travelin', Lord

I've been ridin' them fast rattlers, I thought you knowed
I've been ridin' them flat wheelers, way down the road
I've been ridin' them blind passengers, dead-enders, kickin' up cinders

I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord

I've been hittin' some hard-rock minin', I thought you knowed
I've been leanin' on a pressure drill, way down the road
Hammer flyin', air hole suckin', six foot of mud and I shore been a muckin'
And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', Lord

I've been hittin' some hard harvestin', I thought you knowed
North Dakota to Kansas City, way down the road
Cuttin' that wheat, stackin' that hay and I'm tryin' make 'bout a dollar a day
And I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord

I've been working that Pittsburgh steel, I thought you knowed
I've been dumpin' that red-hot slag, way down the road
I've been blasting, I've been a firin', I've been pourin' red-hot iron
And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', Lord

I've been layin' in a hard-rock jail, I thought you knowed
I've been laying out 90 days, way down the road

Damned old judge, he said to me, "It's 90 days for vagrancy"
I've been hittin' some hard travelin', Lord

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Woody Guthrie's song "Hard Travelin'" paint a picture of the hard, gritty life of a migrant worker during the Great Depression. It's a song about travel, but not the romanticized version of travel that we often see in popular culture. It's about the type of travel that is forced upon people who are trying to survive in a harsh, unforgiving world.

The song starts with the singer talking about how he's been "havin' some hard travelin'" and how he's been doing it "way down the road." He then goes on to describe the various modes of transportation he's used on his travels: from "fast rattlers" to "flat wheelers", and even "blind passengers." He's been "hard ramblin'" and "hard gamblin'", doing whatever it takes to get by.

The second verse talks about the hard physical labor the singer has endured, from "hard-rock minin'" to "harvestin'", and even "workin' that Pittsburgh steel." The work is tough and dangerous, as evidenced by the lyrics "six foot of mud" and "pourin' red-hot iron." The final verse talks about the consequences of the hard life of a migrant worker: the singer has spent time in jail for "vagrancy."

Line by Line Meaning

I've been havin' some hard travelin', I thought you knowed
I've been experiencing difficult journeys and I assumed you were already aware of it.

I've been havin' some hard travelin', way down the road
I've been enduring challenging travels for a long time now.

I've been havin' some hard travelin', hard ramblin', hard gamblin'
My travels have been characterized by rough wandering and risky behavior.

Been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I've been facing hard travels and asking for divine help.

I've been ridin' them fast rattlers, I thought you knowed
I've been riding fast trains and assumed you knew about it.

I've been ridin' them flat wheelers, way down the road
I've also been riding poorly maintained trains for a while.

I've been ridin' them blind passengers, dead-enders, kickin' up cinders
I've been with passengers with nowhere to go or goals, causing trouble and scattering ashes.

I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I am still facing difficult travels and still seeking divine support.

I've been hittin' some hard-rock minin', I thought you knowed
I've been mining rocks and assumed you were already informed.

I've been leanin' on a pressure drill, way down the road
I've been using intense pressure to drill, and it's been going on for a while.

Hammer flyin', air hole suckin', six foot of mud and I shore been muckin'
I've been working hard, hammering and drilling in a muddy six feet hole.

And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', Lord
Despite my mining work, my travels remain troublesome and I still need divine help.

I've been hittin' some hard harvestin', I thought you knowed
I've been doing difficult farm work and presumed you already knew it.

North Dakota to Kansas City, way down the road
I've been farming from North Dakota to Kansas City for a while.

Cuttin' that wheat, stackin' that hay and I'm tryin' make 'bout a dollar a day
I'm working hard to harvest wheat and hay, trying to earn at least a dollar a day.

And I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
Despite my hard work, my travels remain challenging and I continue seeking divine help.

I've been working that Pittsburgh steel, I thought you knowed
I've been working in Pittsburgh's steel industry and assumed you were already aware.

I've been dumpin' that red-hot slag, way down the road
I've been continuously dumping hot waste from steel production for a while.

I've been blasting, I've been a firin', I've been pourin' red-hot iron
I've been involved in intense and dangerous work of blasting, firing and pouring hot molten steel.

And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', Lord
Despite my industrial work, my travels are still not easy, and I'm still seeking divine support.

I've been layin' in a hard-rock jail, I thought you knowed
I've been in jail for hard-rock mining and presumed you already knew that.

I've been laying out 90 days, way down the road
I've been serving a 90-day sentence for some time now.

Damned old judge, he said to me, "It's 90 days for vagrancy"
The judge sentenced me for vagrancy and gave me 90 days in jail.

I've been hittin' some hard travelin', Lord
Even after jail time, my travels are still hard and I'm still asking for divine help.

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: WOODY GUTHRIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@Part1617

3y↑6

Lyrics :
I've been havin' some hard travelin', I thought you knowed
I've been havin' some hard travelin', way down the road
I've been havin' some hard travelin', hard ramblin', hard gamblin'
I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord

I've been ridin' them fast rattlers, I thought you knowed
I've been ridin' them flat wheelers, way down the road
I've been ridin' them blind passengers, dead-enders, kickin' up cinders
I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord

I've been hittin' some hard-rock minin', I thought you knowed
I've been leanin' on a pressure drill, way down the road
Hammer flyin', air-hose suckin', six foot of mud and I shore been a muckin'
And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord

I've been hittin' some hard harvestin', I thought you knowed
North Dakota to Kansas City, way down the road
Cuttin' that wheat, stackin' that hay, and I'm tryin' make about a dollar a day
And I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord

I've been working that Pittsburgh steel, I thought you knowed
I've been a dumpin' that red-hot slag, way down the road
I've been a blasting, I've been a firin', I've been a pourin' red-hot iron
I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord

I've been layin' in a hard-rock jail, I thought you knowed
I've been a laying out 90 days, way down the road
Damned old judge, he said to me, "It's 90 days for vagrancy."
And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord

I've been walking that Lincoln highway, I thought you knowed,
I've been hittin' that 66, way down the road
Heavy load and a worried mind, lookin' for a woman that's hard to find,
I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord

@RealAdvocateForLiberty

16w

My lyrics to this tune make fun of funeral directors while educating consumers about the tricks of the trade.
It’s about one hard travelin funeral director, writin home …to someone who cares.

I’ve been hittin’ some hard embalmin’, I thought you’d knowed;
I’ve been leanin’ on a trocar spear, way in the hole;
Needles flyin’, air hose suckin’, 6 kinds of chemicals I been a muckin’;
I’ve been doin’ some hard funerals, lord!

I’ve been vulgari__zing caskets, I thought you knowed.
I’ve been scuffing cheap finishes so nothin glows
I’ve been showing in back ally-ways, low lighted ways, it’s a cheesey play.
I’ve been doin’ some hard funerals, Lord!

But I ’ve been workin’ for SCI, I thought you knowed;
Service Corp__oration International, sellin a load;
With the Fed Bailout; profits are up; but share-hol-ders, they want their cut
I’ve been doin’ some hard funerals, lord!

I’ve been dealin with do-it-yourselfers, I thought you knowed.
I’m Tellin clients bringing caskets, they could hurt their toes, when the
“Handles fall off”, “bottom falls out” or an extra fee will seal their doubt!”
I’ve been doin’ some hard funerals, Lord!

I’ve been sellin’ some hard customers, I thought you knowed;
Cheap families and consumer savey, right down this road
When I’m Bein’ on call, mortgage to pay, ya know I gotta make bout a grand a day;
I’ve been doin some hard funerals, lord!

I’ve been fighten for Legislation, I thought you knowed;
I’ve been pitchin’ for exclusive business, way down the road;
But FCA is watchin’ me, Consumer Rights is all they see;
I’ve been doin some hard funerals, lord!

All comments from YouTube:

@MCrandomname101

1y↑8

Going through mental illness . This song describes everything. God Bless.

@teddy5236

1y↑1

Take it easy ❤

@chance.sk520

27w

Right!!!!

@suzzanesmothers9740

10y↑91

Woodie's song's are still relevant.

@dima9917

10y↑8

Suzzane Smothers A thousand times more relevant than any modern shit

@marefynn81

9y↑9

+dima9917 More relevant today than when he wrote them.

@bryanbuck3430

5y↑1

lol how about now?

@ThisPineappleLife

@@bryanbuck3430 This Travelin’ still ain’t easy

@idoltyler06

13y↑38

Gosh I love being 20 and being able to go back and find this music that is just full of emotion and truth. You can hear the conviction in his voice. Long live Folk music

@lowfunction6136

4y↑3

How are you?

@whiskeycitydiggers

13w

We're the same age and I certainly felt that way then and still do now. That 12 years went fast, didn't it?

@MarkNotWithAC

11y↑163

Lots of Hard Travelin' out there. Next time someone looks like they are having a rotten moment in life, remember that we all have burdens, most unseen. Understand them, or better yet reach out and get them on their feet again. Love me some Guthrie.

@UncleDansVintageVinyl

11y↑26

Amen, Brother Mark. We've all been doing some hard traveling. Let's all be generous to one another.

@toddhyatt4298

10y↑10

Daniel Gunter Were I doing some hard travelin' of my own (which, come to think of it, is most of the time), I'd count myself fortunate to run into folks like you and Mark. Alas, in my experience, the breed, hardy and trustworthy, is vanishing.

@primoaurelius

8y↑4

Mark Izydorczak try telling that to the people I'm on the bus with right now.

@zOMGiTz1337

4y↑3

Here, drunk n' high af, among these mere 175 replies I tell ye, my siblings, many a year will have come n' gone til you, as I have, will see and recognize that we now live as neighbours. Many blessings. Travel where your hearts bid you.

@quaderobertson2904

5y↑16

How could 60 people thumbs down this ?? Its a great song

@oreally8605

Because they're soulless talentless swine.

@kennethwalker4551

5y↑8

I've been diggin Woody's music since 1967 at the ripe age of 13

@clarkakatiff6787

5y↑18

This is such a treasure. To begin with there is the upbeat precise Guitar intro. Not easy to play well at that tempo. Woody could do it. Then the voice. Such an authentic American voice, and the lyrics are expressed so quickly and clearly that one enters into a world of words people used. Not easy to sing so fast. And it goes on and on. Woody's playing was rooted in dance playing. Keep it moving. Thanks to all those in the People's Songs movement for providing the platform. Go Woody!

@nbenefiel

This machine kills fascists.

@MrSperrell44

12y↑26

Woody Is America, More than anyone before him and since

@mileskeesey983

4y↑1

Walt Whitman?

@huarenxivonne9662

@@mileskeesey983 dont lie to me walt

@bobjacobs1333

4y↑1

Of course he should be. But a good many politicians have figured out that you could recruit the people that Woody spoke to by creating hot button issues like abortion, or race baiting, or communism, or climate denial, or vaccine safety, or secularism. This is what we have today in Texas and across the South.

@finnsgoombas6704

@@bobjacobs1333 woody was pretty friendly with communists

@paulwilliams2663

@@finnsgoombas6704 Bob is alluding to the stench of mccarthyism, this is clear. I'm European, nobody cares here if you're socialist, democrat, anarchist, communist, Marxist or libertarian etc. The more ideologies circulating, the healthier society is.

1 More Replies...

@slavthetraveller

15y↑13

r.i.p. woody and peace to all who belong to the road

@jamsguitars24

1y↑1

You can tell that a songs lyrics have aged well and are still relevant if nearly 100 years have passed and still sounds like modern slang.

@cheechrhein995

9y↑20

Woody was an OG! The original!!

@nschmitt49

12y↑13

Can't get enough of woody

@yankeeshogun

3y↑1

Damn right.

@Part1617

3y↑6

@markrobinson4474

4y↑1

I've been trying to figure something out for awhile and now I have. In the 1977 film THE AMERICAN FRIEND an artist who is making more money as a "dead artist" than alive in NYC sings, "I've been doing some lowdown travelin'," as a fragment of a song. But he was really singing this song! Thanks!

@SewHappy061

13y↑5

Love Woody Lyrics & Rhythm...puts a big 'ole smile on my face:)

@geoff64709

45w

What legend , thank you for educating me woody 👍

@ApollosPythia

13y↑4

I love this song!!!

@drewholloway5241

Amazing song! First time listening. I always liked Bob Dylan but been getting into some Woody Guthrie lately.

@charlesharlan5951

Tulsa Oklahoma is very proud of Woody Guthrie come see all we have to offer

@SandfordSmythe

His name was mud there for years there, because of his leftist leanings.

@btgream

9y↑9

+T.A. Sedlak, thanks for helping me get through the work day!

@JamesGilbert27

9y↑26

"the one last thing I would like say is I've been hard travelling too."

@SchokoKekseFTW

9y↑1

+James Gilbert Two of the greatest, thats for sure!

@robertsecondo2870

6y↑1

Song to woody makes me cry every time

@sciencefictionisreal1608

@08shortstop

13y↑1

No one captured real America in song better than Woody ... not even close.

@johnofypres

10y↑8

That is so good.

@anthonymessineo8804

3y↑3

Love him🙏❤️

@BenSHammonds

12y↑3

That travelin life is rough at times, but a man has to work to carry on

@spinlathes9288

9y↑11

Ah, this song's a tear jerker. My favorite is the Bob Dylan version on the Folksinger's Choice bootleg.

@CopperKettle

9y↑3

+Spin Lathes Thank you! Bob Dylan's version is beautiful.

@rockinbluzcats9543

9y↑4

Bob D. used to take a series of bus rides to visit Woodie when W was confined in Greystone Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey dying of Huntington's Chorea.
Please read Bob Dylan's Chronicles: Volume One: pages 98,99.

@notaeynattirb

12y↑3

thank you woody

@paulhallart

14y↑3

@sghirate in the freight yard if the rolling stock sits idol too long the sheer weight of the car causes the steel wheel to go slightly out of round and when the car is put in service there's this incessant jolting as that wheel reaches the slightly flattened section of it's wheel. It's often too prohibitive for a railroad to perform that kind of maintenance. It's a phenomenon of metallurgy. Usually minor flat wheeler situations are let go on presumption that there aren't passengers...

@9lontoonieful1

9y↑3

Very good!

@doctortrog

12y↑3

i'm leaving this place tomorrow.. time for some guitar strummin, peasants bummin, hard travellin of mine.. love ya woody

@patrickmorell

Thank s for the Press quote. Great song. The true America. (not what we have today....)

@MegaCaveboy

16y↑1

Great song; great man.

@manorrd

15y

Thanks for posting

@gtchisholm6979

9y↑9

HARD TIMES ARE COMING,,,

@mallenkennelsuk5854

so is winter

@vincentcheung5932

8y↑37

Came here after a history lecture about the Great Depression.

@Smigsmacker

Vincent Cheung I came here because I like the song, but the picture in the beginning "this press kills fascists" is pretty funny, historically speaking.
Guthrie was a communist, which during that period of economic hardship was not particularly uncommon. The press that disparaged fascism was literally the tool used to kill it. Consider the following: while the "free" Americans were standing in bread lines and starving during the great depression (a product of rapacious capitalism run amok) the "oppressed" people of national socialist Germany were vacationing in the italian Riviera, and the south of France.
If guthrie had internet access in the 30's, he would have had much different views on things, I think.

@rickycook1539

Same here, I listened to Pretty Boy Floyd in class and I've been listening through some of his other songs since then.

@muzafferelbeyli2756

5y↑1

@@Smigsmacker what the hell?Do you think usual people in Germany were having fun,have fun free holidays around in those days?If he had internet access,probably he could know more of injustice and inequality around the world which would harden his thoughts

@jasonmccain9544

He just sings about his job, his crimes and everything a 5th grader would know about the great depression!

@SandfordSmythe

@@muzafferelbeyli2756 By many accounts, the Germans suffered much more.

@FlyKiwi

8y↑58

Anyone else reach this point in John's playlist thinking he might be a secret cowboy?

@camillapeeters1668

8y↑3

ME HAHA I was just thinking 'why is there so much country in this list?' well guess the secret is out now

@zacharychase8848

i lol'd

i love john...

@alicekliewer

8y↑16

Cambustible
No, this is folk. It's easy to tell the difference, if the lyrics are beautiful it's folk, and if it's absolutely unbearable then it's country

@gavocrazy

8y↑2

Sauron Saruman country wishes it was folk

@OO-qr1ks

So confused

9 More Replies...

@DangerDave-e7u

5y↑2

I've been havin some hard travelin, too

@dansanger5340

I didn't even realize this was a Woody Guthrie song until today. Apparently, he wrote this around the time the US Department of the Interior hired him to tour the Pacific Northwest and write songs about the Columbia River.

@道上裕子

好きな曲🎸❤️

@Martinvdzzz

8y↑13

I comment today following trumps win of the u.s presidency. This song resonates more with me now more than ever.

@johnmacpherson9791

6y↑1

You have heard his song about Trump's old man, right? Old Man Trump.

@sageskip3227

6y↑10

My teacher brought up woody Guthrie the other day in class so I decided to do some research so I checked out a book from my library and his life was so hard it amazes me that someone could get threw what he has been threw his mom had Huntington’s disease and burnt down their house and killed his sister that’s something so unbelievable

@MonotoneCreeper

I don't know if it's just how you worded it, but his mother didn't kill his sister. It was a tragic accident

@blainegater3507

Then he died with it...

@iGFXDave

10y↑11

"Heavy load and a worried mind, looking for a woman that's hard to find.."

@alexander15055

12y↑3

keep on travelling...man

@lynnglidewell7367

21w

Woody was more then a singer/songwriter. He was a social commentator as well.

@SuperTrancend

14y↑39

any hard core bob dylan fans out there?, this picture is exactly what dylan means when he says hes 100% woodie guthrie

@savorwyy2825

4y↑3

Yes hello

@kellyroberts8098

3y↑2

AMEN!

@RattleheadIV

14y

How many people here have been in a folk music mood since Wisconsin?

@BaByJeZuZ93

2021 old soul

@JulioRamirez90

13y↑1

Pura vida!!

@MarsVoltaKA

13y↑1

Happy 100th birthday Woody! : )

@goldenbough56

soon to be 110th

@tradingfilosofia9457

Dylan song to woody last words...i've been hitting some hard traveling too

@siTTinLo

6y↑3

I've been ridin' them Fast Rattlers

@johnsegriff28

Hard traveling...nothing like Woodie.

@TheGODOFDEBAUCHERY

13y↑1

this is real punk folk rock by a man who lived not read about it--u can tell by the tone and grain of his voice--i miss music wit conviction----~GOD~OF~DEBAUCHERY~

@KaraLey98

39w

This song has the coolest lyrics. Woody was so great—horrible that he died so young—horrible for anyone who has Huntington’s. Two of his daughters died young from it.

@AA-sn9lz

7y↑60

44 fascists disliked this

@offtherecord912

6y↑1

55 fascists as of 6/12/19. Smash Divisions. (E)

@false0start

5y↑1

62 as of 3/6/20

@geoff64709

5y↑2

@@false0start 63 now but there's more of us than them 👍

@mcmury501

4y↑1

there is now 64 fascists that disliked

@paul-xt5pp

4y↑1

Probably just people who haven't lived real lives

@fanniterrette

13y↑1

@tasedlak I can see why. Guthrie has his own prose style, one that beautifully reflects his spoken voice and the various characters he runs across in his travels. I know there are many fans, or at least I assume there are, of On the Road, but I found the book to be hard-going. In my opinion, while Keroauc's got the literary rep, Guthrie's got the talent.

@paulhallart

14y

@randallends yeah. Texas - Oklahoma speak. and coincidentally, knowed is handy here 'cause it rhymes with road.

@triangularantiprism8010

9y↑30

I thought you know'd

@TheNuclearHawk

I thought you nood

@marctade4428

good for you john

@fergamaniac1

13y

The Good Ol' Ramblin' Man!

@tomslaughter9544

6y↑1

I done some hard traveling....Rehab or jail? They won't let you stay long enough to get old.....But I keep going down this road...I've seen some hard travlin', Lord...

@Tylerjamesnall

13y

@fanniterrette I liked both. And say that both of them are easily two of my favorite books. Kerouac was a drunk, and suffered from depression.

@SandfordSmythe

You could have worded Kerouac's problems better.

@UpinsmokeB

13y

and thats because his song are these songs.

@vauxhall908

15y

good tune

@PGHBMX

PGH, PA baby !

@calebballantine3402

Hail Woody

@paulhallart

14y↑4

@madhattery341 Woody helped Bob (Zimmerman) Dylan get started...

@fullhousewilson

12y

if no luck/response here, shouldn't be hard to find in a library if you have access to one. if not at local library, ILL (inter-library loan, if anyone not familiar w/acronym) is a big help. i think they charge $2.50 - $5.00 now, don't recall at the moment..) Many libraries will carry entire catalogs of instrumental (ha.. more than one sense of the word.. so I'm a nerd..) musicians-classical, folk, country, rock, etc. -> pioneers-songwriters & composers..) hope this helps

@SianCartwright-e9h

John Haylett. Played as we planted him in hills beyond cardiff

@muzcfan

13y

would'a said the same thing, u got it perfect.

@stellaga

13y

Love this, but I am trying to find a version of 'What Did the Deep Sea Say?'' I can't find it, If someone could upload a version, they'd make my day!

@handlebar82

13y↑1

@TheTxBandit Cool story bro,

@FarmerWyatt

13y

Anyone think this is a kind of a small spin-off of I'll fly away by Allison Kraus and Gillian Welch?

@MrJudeWanamaker

Cutting that Wheat stackin that hay trying to make about a dollar a day an ive been having some hard travelin lord

@IAmTheWoodenDoors

15y

Revleftkid, whoever you are, your comment rocks.

@1001orpheus

13y

Yo! Where?

@kenmackie

14y

@btancisback you think?

@wewerehereonce

here in 2024

@brandoncoxwell9181

Workers of the World unite

@nathanoman1

13y

RIP

@craigoren4475

This song undoubtedly inspired the closing lines of Bob Dylan's Song to Woody (found on Dylan's first album) ; "The very last thing that I'd want to do/Is to say I've been hitting some hard travelin' too."

@sghirate

15y

What does "flat wheeler" mean? (0:43)

@olcoolbreeze

Out of round wheel on a boxcar.

@MattisSoderstorm

14y

@sghirate You couldn't Google it really?

@ronelvis

14y

@RattleheadIV You know it brother. Time to organize.

@saulgoodman5482

😢

@kenmackie

14y

@paulhallart you know this for a fact?

@jarsonist

13y

@CarolyntheGreat ??????

@benjahminerakabuckshotbrot2919

6 foot a mud that's some muckin

@paulhallart

14y

@paulhallart yes. to start off before he went2see Woody, he had already learned about 50 of Woody's songs. That's how I got started too. only I was able2avoid fame. the secret, ken, is not in the music so much as in the hard travlin' ...

@a1rh3add

13y

Who did he steal that quote from? heh heh....

@liamrdavidson

12y

Actually a lot has changed, but an awfull fucking lot has stayed the same !!

@tomslaughter9544

🚞🚞🚞🚞🚞🚞

@RealAdvocateForLiberty

16w

@RealAdvocateForLiberty

16w

In my lyrics FCA is the Funeral Consumers Alliance a non-profit affiliation of advocacy groups across the US.

@MariaMartinez-researcher

David Carradine's version of this song in the soundtrack album of Bound for Glory is highly recommendable. Same beat, but a different melodic line.
https://youtu.be/1_DnJszBbCc

@inkblackRose

14y↑1

this machine kills fascists!

@matteov2458

11y

No one like him.

@landenbennett8104

10y↑8

No one like you

@holysutcliff8112

7y↑1

he means that there's no one like him. i think.

@onitram1

13y

A recording made in the 40s is a spin-off of a recording made in the 21st century? That would be miraculous. If you mean this song is a spin-off of the song I'll Fly Away, still no. They are nothing alike.