Song of the Week #137: Hobo

[Smitty]

I'll start off the "track of the week: solo, non-album" edition with one of my favorite tracks off Killers and Stars. I do believe it's semi-autobiographical; Patterson's grandaddy did in fact hop trains. Atleast a 7 or 8 razor blader on the depressing song scale.

Saturday night, there's no one around
I'm riding that train to another town
Ain't got no family, ain't got no home
Got nothing to leave when I'm gone

My Granddaddy hobo'd from the time he was twelve
my Daddy went out and made a name for himself
I should have gone out and made me one too
but Baby, she left me, the train whistle blew
there wasn't anything for me to do

When I die, they'll find me in here
I hope that they bury me someplace nice
Away from the noise, away from the ice
away from the things that have haunted me for all my life

(if anyone wants to do a "Track of the Week", hit me up. Clamsy's retired)

[Cole Younger]

Good call Smitty!!

I love this song. I love Killers and Stars period. I found the liner notes from Patterson about what lead to him recording these songs and the time period surrounding the recording to be interesting.

Me and some of my buddies get together failry regularly and put some meat on the smoker, get a fire going in a pit, have some beers, and play music. We are all very average guitar players and none of us can sing all that well but it's fun. Anyway, last time we did this, it was my turn to play one and I busted out Hobo. It floored them.

This is a heartbreaking song in a lot of ways but there's something that shines through it to me near the end. Maybe it's something about the way Patterson sings it.

I really like this song a lot.

[Clams]

Atleast a 7 or 8 razor blader on the depressing song chart.

Never heard of the razor blade scale. I like it.

[Smitty]

Me and some of my buddies get together failry regularly and put some meat on the smoker, get a fire going in a pit, have some beers, and play music. We are all very average guitar players and none of us can sing all that well but it's fun. Anyway, last time we did this, it was my turn to play one and I busted out Hobo. It floored them.

WWOV

[Cole Younger]

Me and some of my buddies get together failry regularly and put some meat on the smoker, get a fire going in a pit, have some beers, and play music. We are all very average guitar players and none of us can sing all that well but it's fun. Anyway, last time we did this, it was my turn to play one and I busted out Hobo. It floored them.

WWOV

I don't get it big Dan.

[zoid]

another attempt at a big howdy from Patterson
Posted By:
drivebytruckers@...
Mon May 7, 2001 3:27 pm

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"Hobo" was an Adam's House Cat song from 1988. We worked it up while Chris Howard was playing bass in the band that summer and opened with it when we played the Shoals Theatre. We were just borrowing Chris from his band at the time Stained Mecca. When we got John Cahoon in the band that song got left behind where it has stayed until now.

[Smitty]

Me and some of my buddies get together failry regularly and put some meat on the smoker, get a fire going in a pit, have some beers, and play music. We are all very average guitar players and none of us can sing all that well but it's fun. Anyway, last time we did this, it was my turn to play one and I busted out Hobo. It floored them.

WWOV

I don't get it big Dan.

worthless without video.

[dime in the gutter]

love this song. love this lp. love patterson as a picker. none like him.