Songs of the Great Depression Era
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
One evening as the sun went down
And the jungle fires were burning,
Down the track came a hobo hiking,
And he said, "Boys, I'm not turning
I'm headed for a land that's far away
Besides the crystal fountains
So come with me, we'll go and see
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
There's a land that's fair and bright,
Where the handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out every night.
Where the boxcars all are empty
And the sun shines every day
And the birds and the bees
And the cigarette trees
The lemonade springs
Where the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
All the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth
And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
The farmers' trees are full of fruit
And the barns are full of hay
Oh I'm bound to go
Where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall
The winds don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol
Come trickling down the rocks
The brakemen have to tip their hats
And the railway bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew
And of whiskey too
You can paddle all around it
In a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
The jails are made of tin.
And you can walk right out again,
As soon as you are in.
There ain't no short-handled shovels,
No axes, saws nor picks,
I'm bound to stay
Where you sleep all day,
Where they hung the jerk
That invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.
....
I'll see you all this coming fall
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
Song Background:
The song “Big Rock Candy Mountain” was written from the perspective of a "hobo"
during the Great Depression who did not hold a steady job, and instead traveled the
roads looking for handouts and possibly getting into trouble with the law.
The composer of both words and music was Harry “Haywire Mac” McClintock. Mr.
McClintock was an actor, poet, painter, newspaper reporter, and set designer as well as a
composer. McClintock successfully established himself as the copyrighted composer of
many songs, despite the fact that folk music experts and copyright lawyers continue to
argue amongst themselves about his originality. He made more than 50 records of
original songs and folk classics. He was the first artist to record what have become
classic American folk songs, such as "Red River Valley," “Bury Me Not on the Lone
Prairie," and “Jesse James."
Discussion Questions:
1. Write a conclusion about why people became hoboes?
2. Using the lyrics what do you think a hobo’s life was really like? Do you see the
sarcasm in the lyrics?
3. Why were cigarettes and alcohol abused so much in that time period.
“American History Through Music.” Voices Across Time. 24.10.14.
<http://www.library.pitt.edu/voicesacrosstime/come-allye/ti/2006/Song%20Activities/07LLLGreatDepression.html>.
Songs of the Great Depression Era
"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob
When there was earth to plow or guns to bear
I was always there, right on the job
They used to tell me I was building a dream
With peace and glory ahead
Why should I be standing in line
Just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run
Made it race against time
Once I built a railroad, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower up to the sun
Brick and rivet and lime
Once I built a tower, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell
And I was the kid with the drum
Say, don't you remember? They called me 'Al'
It was 'Al' all the time
Why don't you remember? I'm your pal
Say buddy, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, ah, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell
And I was the kid with the drum
Oh, say, don't you remember? They called me 'Al'
It was 'Al' all the time
Say, don't you remember? I'm your pal
Buddy, can you spare a dime?
Songwriters
GORNEY, JAY / HARBURG, E. Y.
Song Background:
The song "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" became an anthem of the great Depression
and is supposed to represent a World War I veteran reflecting on what has become of his
life. It is easy to imagine this veteran choosing to become part of the Bonus Army March
as a way to regain some of his dignity and rightfully collect earnings rather than take
charitable handouts.
Discussion Questions:
1. What did the speaker do before he was “standing in line, just waiting for bread?”
2. Read the excerpt below on the “Bonus Army March.” How does this information
inform your understanding of the song lyrics?
The Bonus Army, some 15,000 to 20,000 World War I veterans from across the
country, marched on the Capitol in June 1932 to request early payment of cash
bonuses due to them in 1945. The Great Depression had destroyed the economy,
leaving many veterans jobless.
“The Bonus Army March.” The Library of Congress. July 27, 2010. October 29,
<http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm203.html>.
2014.
3. Can you make connections between the speaker in this song and people in today’s
world?
“American History Through Music.” Voices Across Time. 24.10.14.
<http://www.library.pitt.edu/voicesacrosstime/come-allye/ti/2006/Song%20Activities/07LLLGreatDepression.html>.
Songs of the Great Depression Era
Do Re Mi Lyrics
Lots of folks back East, they say, is leavin' home every day
Beatin' the hot old dusty way to the California line
'Cross the desert sands they roll, gettin' out of that old dust bowl
They think they're goin' to a sugar bowl but here's what they find
Now the police at the port of entry say
"You're number fourteen thousand for today"
Oh, if you ain't got the do re mi folks you ain't got the do re mi
Why you better go back to beautiful Texas
Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see
But believe it or not you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi
You want to buy you a home or a farm that can't deal nobody harm
Or take your vacation by the mountains or sea
Don't swap your old cow for a car, you better stay right where you are
You better take this little tip from me
'Cause I look through the want ads every day
But the headlines on the papers always say
If you ain't got the do re mi boys you ain't got the do re mi
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas
Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see
But believe it or not you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi
Songwriter
WOODY GUTHRIE
Song Background:
...Woody Guthrie shows the paradoxical nature of opportunity for the working person in
his "Do Re Mi." In that song he talks of California being "a garden of Eden," a virtual
"paradise," a harshly ironic concept considering that no one will be able to reap the
harvest of Eden unless he/she has the "do re mi" (i.e., dough)
--Timothy E. Scheurer, Born in the U.S.A., Jackson, Mississippi, 1991, p. 154.
Discussion Questions:
Why was California such a popular final destination for people fleeing the Dust
Bowl?
2. Did California have the right to stop people at the border and demand to see
proof of income?
3. What do you think happened to the estimated 200,000 people who migrated to
California? Did they stay? Did they prosper?
1.
“American History Through Music.” Voices Across Time. 24.10.14.
<http://www.library.pitt.edu/voicesacrosstime/come-allye/ti/2006/Song%20Activities/07LLLGreatDepression.html>.