Mix CD | Why Are There So Many Songs about Hobos?

Wimbo Zuri Catalog No. 032.1A07-1

I know, the title is a bad Kermit the Frog joke, and the mix perhaps started out as the same, but the more I researched and worked on it, the more sincere the question seemed to me. What is the role of the hobo in American musical culture? A figure to be pitied? Envied? The songs seem relatively split. Or do people sing about hobos simply because it’s a fun word to say? When it was all through, I realized I needed to write my own hobo song as well, “Hobo Lingo,” which takes the word-game approach. Click to enlarge