Hard Travellin'
Woody Guthrie Lyrics


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I been a-havin'some hard travelin'
I thought you knowed
I been a-havin'some hard travelin'
Way down the road
I been a-havin'some hard travelin'
Hard ramblin'hard gamblin'
I been a-havin'some hard travelin'Lord
I been a-workin' in a hard rock tunnel
I thought you knowed;
I been a-leanin'on a pressure drill
Way down the road
Hammer flyin'air hose suckin'
Six feet of mudI sure been a-muckin'
I been a-havin' some hard travelin'Lord
I been a-workin' that Fittsburgh steel
I thought you knowed;
I been a-workin' that red-hot slag

Way down the road
I been a-blastin'I been a-firin'
I been a-duckin' red-hot iron
I been a-havin' some hard travelin'Lord
I been hittin' some hard harvestin'
I thought you knowed;
I been hittin' some rough handlin'
Way down the road;
Cut that wheat and stack that hay
Tryin' to make about a dollar a day
I been a-havin' some hard travelin'Lord
I been a-hittin' that Lincoln Highway
I thought you knowed;
I been a-hittin' that sixty-six
Way down the road;
Heavy load and a worried mind





Lookin' for a woman that's hard to find
I been a-havin' some hard travelin'Lord

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Woody Guthrie's song "Hard Travellin'" describe the difficulties that come with a life of constant travel and hard work. Guthrie describes various jobs he has taken on, such as working in a hard rock tunnel, handling red-hot slag in Pittsburgh steel mills, and harvesting crops, all of which involve physically demanding labor. Guthrie emphasizes the harshness of his working conditions with phrases like "six feet of mud I sure been a-muckin'" and "duckin' red-hot iron."


As the song progresses, Guthrie mentions his travels along the Lincoln Highway and Route 66 in search of work and a better life. The repeated refrain of "I been a-havin' some hard travelin', Lord" emphasizes the toll that such a life takes on a person. The use of the term "Lord" at the end of each verse suggests that Guthrie is turning to a higher power for strength and guidance during his struggles.


Overall, "Hard Travellin'" is a song about the hardships faced by those who must work hard to make a living and constantly move in search of work. Guthrie's use of vivid imagery and repetition creates a sense of the relentless difficulty faced by those who lead this kind of life.


Line by Line Meaning

I been a-havin'some hard travelin'
I've been facing difficulties while traveling


I thought you knowed
I assumed you already knew


Way down the road
Far away in the past


Hard ramblin'hard gamblin'
Traveling and taking risks


Lord
Expressing hopelessness and pleading for help


I been a-workin' in a hard rock tunnel
Engaged in rigorous manual labor in a tunnel


I been a-leanin'on a pressure drill
Supporting oneself on a drill under pressure


Hammer flyin'air hose suckin'
Working hard with a hammer and a sucking machine


Six feet of mudI sure been a-muckin'
Wading in six feet of mud during work


I been a-workin' that Fittsburgh steel
Working in the steel industry in Pittsburgh


I been a-workin' that red-hot slag
Working with hot waste matter from steel production


I been a-blastin'I been a-firin'
Involved in blasting and firing


I been a-duckin' red-hot iron
Avoiding red-hot iron to prevent injury


I been hittin' some hard harvestin'
Engaged in tough harvesting work


I been hittin' some rough handlin'
Dealing with rough handling of produce


Cut that wheat and stack that hay
Performing field work to make a living


Tryin' to make about a dollar a day
Struggling to earn a meager income


I been hittin' that Lincoln Highway
Traveling on the Lincoln Highway


I been a-hittin' that sixty-six
Traveling on Route 66


Heavy load and a worried mind
Overburdened and stressed


Lookin' for a woman that's hard to find
Searching for a special someone who is elusive




Lyrics Ā© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: WOODY GUTHRIE

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

@Part1617

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

My lyrics to this tune make fun of funeral directors while educating consumers about the tricks of the trade.
Itā€™s about one hard travelin funeral director, writin home ā€¦to someone who cares.

Iā€™ve been hittinā€™ some hard embalminā€™, I thought youā€™d knowed;
Iā€™ve been leaninā€™ on a trocar spear, way in the hole;
Needles flyinā€™, air hose suckinā€™, 6 kinds of chemicals I been a muckinā€™;
Iā€™ve been doinā€™ some hard funerals, lord!

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

But I ā€™ve been workinā€™ 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
Iā€™ve been doinā€™ some hard funerals, lord!

Iā€™ve been dealin with do-it-yourselfers, I thought you knowed.
Iā€™m Tellin clients bringing caskets, they could hurt their toes, when the
ā€œHandles fall offā€, ā€œbottom falls outā€ or an extra fee will seal their doubt!ā€
Iā€™ve been doinā€™ some hard funerals, Lord!

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

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



All comments from YouTube:

@MCrandomname101

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

@teddy5236

Take it easy ā¤

@chance.sk520

Right!!!!

@suzzanesmothers9740

Woodie's song's are still relevant.

@dima9917

Suzzane Smothers A thousand times more relevant than any modern shit

@marefynn81

+dima9917 More relevant today than when he wrote them.

@bryanbuck3430

lol how about now?

@ThisPineappleLife

@@bryanbuck3430 This Travelinā€™ still ainā€™t easy

@idoltyler06

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

How are you?

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