Tramp (I), The

DESCRIPTION: The hobo has been wandering till his shoes are worn to pieces. He asks a woman for work; she replies, "Tramp, tramp, tramp, keep on a-tramping, There is nothing here for you." Everywhere he tries, he is threatened with prison if he returns
AUTHOR: Joe Hill
EARLIEST DATE: 1913 (_The Industrial Worker_, May 22, 1913, according to William M. Adler, _The Main Who Never Died: The Life, Times, and Legacy of Joe Hill, American Labor Icon_, p. 206)
KEYWORDS: work hardtimes poverty prison hobo unemployment IWW
FOUND IN: US(Ro) Canada
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag, p. 185, "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, Keep On a-Tramping" (1 text)
Darling-NewAmericanSongster, pp. 281-282, "The Tramp" (1 text)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 52, ""The Tramp (1 text)
Greenway-FolkloreOfTheGreatWest, p. 320, "(The Tramp)" (1 fragment, said to be an addition to this song)
MidwestFolklore, Edith Fowke, "Canadian Variations of a Civil War Song," Volume 13, Number 2 (Summer 1963/1964) pp. 101-104 "(no title)" (1 short text)
DT, THETRMP*
ADDITIONAL: Gibbs M. Smith, _Joe Hill_, 1969 (I use the 1984 Peregrine Smith Books edition), pp. 251-252, "The Tramp" (1 text)

Roud #9929
RECORDINGS:
Frank Crumit, "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, Keep On A'Tramping" (Victor V-40214, 1930)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" (tune) and reference there
NOTES [7 words]: For the life of Joe Hill, see "Joe Hill." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: San185

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography

The Ballad Index Copyright 2024 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.