HOBO BAG

So I have decided to be a hobo. I have all my wordly possesions wrapped in a kerchief and tied to a stick over my shoulder. Only what do I call that piece of luggage? OK, I am going to call it 'Fred', but isn't there a name for that? Like 'billykin' (billycan) for a cooking pot?


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" Pardon mr while I have a strange interlude."-Marx (Melissa Gilbert is in the rest room right now or she would have a snappy comeback)

It's a 'bindle', making you (as soon as you leave the house with it) a 'bindlestiff', i.e. hobo.

I'll check the OED tonight and see. It's probably from the same root as 'bundle'.

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Bob the Random Expert
"If we don't have the answer, we'll make one up."

"So I have decided to be a hobo."
---mr john
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You're kidding, right?
Peace,
mangeorge

Back in the 1980's my uncle was bestowed the title of "King of the Hoboes." (much to my fathers humiliation) I have a videotape of the interview covering this notable event, but I can't find any reference to answer your question.

I would guess there are many words, depending on the region each hobo hails from.
My uncle started "hoboing" (that can't be a word) in Oklahoma in the 20's. He died a few years after aforementioned event, in Texas. Texas had been his "homebase" for most of his life.

Growing up, I can only remember vague references..."thangs", kit, "belongin's" (you MUST delete the g if you choose to use this one). Personally, I always liked "kit"..It sounded like something a grand wanderer would carry.

Don't know if your ? is purely academic ;) or not. Being a vagabond is something I inherited an appreciation for and seem to have passed on to my youngest son. Love an adventuring spirit!!

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Lew
"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

BTW-if you can fit all your worldly possessions in a "kit" or "bindle"...you are already my hero.

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Lew
"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

BINDLE! That's the word. Thanx. Oh, man, you wouldn't beleave all the stuff I have now. The 60's WAS good to me. And 'g'? This is Texas, no point in usin unnecesary letters. Ever hear of a 'possibles bag' ? Mountainman, plainsman term. Small 'kit' with stuff you might 'possible need'. Extra flint, needle , steel etc. Nope, not hittin the road too old now, all stove up.Texas is a good place to go hoboing( it's a word if its not it should be) cept in the summer. Good thing about Oklahoma is it keeps Kansas from touching Texas. Oh if anybody wants to proof read this and retype it, be my guest. I design um I don't proof um.

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" Pardon me while I have a strange interlude."-Marx (Melissa Gilbert is in the rest room right now or she would have a snappy comeback)

I've been wanting to travel America by freight car for the longest time. I'm afraid of the bulls. I wonder if the life still exists. I believe there is a micro-culture that runs the state and national park circuit, but they are all mobile. I use to run into the same people over and over again moving from park to park in search of work, or following the forrest fires.

sorry to be back so soon, but rjk, bindlestiff reminded me of 'gandy dancer' for some reason. I guess they see each other from time to time hangin round the tracks and all.
But any way i was just wondrein if anybody cides rjk has ever heard that word. And if any body knows any more words to this old chanty ( I spelled it right, it's pronounced 'shanty') Cap'n caint read,
Cap'n caint write,
how's he gonna tell,
if the track's laid right?

SHAKE IT! (UNH!)
SHAKE IT! (UNH!)
SHAKE IT ALL AROUND! (UNH!)
(Shake it all around? and you thought it was a rocknroll riff)
Shake that money maker,
shake it all around.
Shake that money maker,
all around the town.
Well they were singin bout somethin else there.

Not really answering the question, but it relates to the drift of the thread. Some mention of Texas as a friend of those who ride the rails. Memory: 1970, a friend and I decided to hitchhike around the country. One night we wound up on some highway ~20 miles outside of Amarillo, TX and decided to bed down on the ground about halfway between the highway and a railroad line. Flat ground, only scrubs around. Anyway, I was awakened at first light (~6 AM) by the (and I don't know the correct word - I never did get into riding trains) caboose guy from a freight train that was stopped on the tracks. He was letting my friend and I know that they were there; and did we want to get aboard?

DrJ--
"Thanks for the memories"--it's been a long time. I know I could "get your goat" if I told you my Texas experiences are primarily from Fort Worth and Lubbock. My mother was born in "Miama" Texas (Miami is for Floridians) and I grew up doing such things as "puttin' the braid own the table". I must confess, however, since I was an Air Force brat, I really don't know WHERE most of my speech patterns came from. No matter where I lived b/4 I was 12, people thought I talked funny.
Had forgotten about the "possibles bag", I , vaguely, remember it-I know, as travelers, we were always thinkin' uh whut we myt possible need.
Anyway...Sorry yore all stove up, though I'm shore y'aint bawlin' yer eyes out ov'rit. Take ye'seff a remdy and commence a fuhgettin' rat-cheer. :D



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Lew
"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

Dad Blamit!!--I know--it should have been mrj...Beg pardon.

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Lew
"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

O.K, here's me, hoboin'
Credit card and ATM card in pocket.

Audi A6 Quatro under my ass. Or, if I must train, Railpass in hand.

Reservations at Hilton made.

One of them soft, wheeled suitcases filled with Levi's and t-shirts.

Maybe a Powerbook G3, with all the bells & whistles.

Some babe.

Unlimited time.

Ah, the simple life. :)
Peace,
mangeorge

Shoot fahr! this train ,er thread is wanderin' round right good. I see a few hobos on the trains still. (" The trains don't stop here anymore") Never 'rode the rods' hitched some, BTW grew up in Amarillo,( nuthin tween Amarillo and the North Pole but a 3 strand bob wire fence and some dern fool left the gate open.), bet it was hard to catch a freight on the plains no hills or curves to slow the train,any way from what I hear the life is a lot crueler now, not that it was ever easy, but its the other people in it now that are dangerous.
Lew , I was known as Reverend John for a while in the 70's, legit, or legal any way . Church of Universal Life, did some marriages, some still going strong, and didn't have to wear olive drab. I know where Miami is, wonder if any of these folks can pronounce Mexia?

Beatle that was likely the conductor or brakeman.Prob the conductor,he is the boss of a train not the engineer Engineer just drives..Back then they had an engineer, fireman (on a diesel),and switchman in the enine and the conductor and brakeman in the caboose.Sometimes there were other swichmen too. Now a days they got an engineer and conductor up front and NO caboose up. SIGH Don't even know if those are the titles any more 'operator and falicitator'.

So I have decided to be a hobo. I have all my wordly possesions wrapped in a kerchief and tied to a stick over my shoulder. Only what do I call that piece of luggage?

I thought it was called a Waltzin' Matilda, like the song. Other hobo terms from that song:
swagman = a hobo
billy = a can for boiling water
tucker bag = a bag for holding food
billabong = a pool of deep water

MG - I like the way you hobo.

Mexia - mu HAY uh
(only in Texas)

Now for real Ft. Worth trivia - what is Rio Vista know for and how do you pronounce it?

Lew - when did you live in Ft. Worth?

I believe that a swagman/hobo picks up his swag/kit/bindlestiff, and waltzs matilda (verb) around the countryside, that's how an Aussie explained it to me,
Larry

Good thing about Oklahoma is it keeps Kansas from touching Texas

Actually,that's utterly wrong. It's a good thing for Oklahoma as it keeps texas from touching Kansas. :). Anyone who lives in states that matter, not texas, thats the way it should be worded.

Oh and when i was 8, my family and I went to Kansas and back to California by Motor Home. My that was an interesting experience. We went through California, Arizona, New mexico, Colorado, then Kansas, Back through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and then back to California.

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"Let me show you something
that you've never seen before
like a light im gonna shine on you
forever is a word i dont often get to say
but if you say it loud enough i'll say it too"

SHOOOOOWEEE! This has turned into a most interestin thread.
Zyada; Don't know nuthin bout Rio Vista. When I moved from the real Texas to Dalls (after a one year aberition in NM), I wasn't allowed to think about Foatwuth no more. I guess 'rye-oh vista' which we make up for with rodeeo sted of rodayo which sounds affected any way.
Now you folks that have the misfortune of not bein born right, or at least havin the good sense to move right say "Bexar".( Southwesterners, stay outa that one for a while.)
Doobie here's for you, An old weather saying: "If you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait a few minutes." Which leads to; " Thar's only two kindsa folks try tuh predict the weather in Texas, Damn fools and newcomers." To which a person from a 'state that matters' (if he is clever) answers "That's because that's the only kind of people there are in Texas." See we can take it too, we know yaller just jealouse. " Never ask a man if he is from Texas, if he is he will tell you ,if he aint don't embarass the poor man." mmmmm where's spel chek when ya need it? BTW I actuall got a real gandy pole in the yard if inybuddy wanta dayunce.

[[sorry to be back so soon, but rjk, bindlestiff reminded me of 'gandy dancer' for some reason. I guess they see each other from time to time hangin round the tracks and all.
But any way i was just wondrein if anybody cides rjk has ever heard that word. ]] mr john


Dunno the derivation offhand, but "gandy dancer" is slang for a section worker on a railway.

"GANDY" was the name of the company that made the tools they used. Especially the long prypole for moving the already laid rails. "lining track", for aligning the rails.
btw lining track and gandy dancing are euphimisms in a lot of old shanties and blues songs.
" Down on the Brazos in 19 and 10,
Cap'n drives the women as hard as the men, shake it! unh!" etc.
and " Cap went to Sugahlan', aint coming back,so now me an' his missus is linin the track"


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" Pardon me while I have a strange interlude."-Marx (Melissa Gilbert is in the rest room right now or she would have a snappy comeback)

LEW Im originally from FT Worth too Westworth Village 1975 -1989.

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The american people are very generous people and will forgive almost any weakness, with the possible exception of stupidity.---Will Rogers

Drove from Chicago to San Diego, through Texas, *once* -- the Panhandle -- Lubbock. *Nothing* there. Once was enough. Actually, as far as I'm concerned, you can take the whole Midwest and dump it in space somewhere -- make it easier to get from one coast to the other.

Ray (not a prairie dog)

Ah swun..you do go on...you make me laugh, so I hesitate to admit this to you...but, being an actual (not many of us out here)born and mostly bred Californian..after all my travels, this is definately the place for me. However...
One of the things I miss tremendously are the old tent revivals (or is that a time warp problem?) (and please, this is not a religious thing...if you haven't been to one, you will probably miss my reference).
Also, that evahbodeh has a stahm cellah (natchly havin' to use it alluhs scared the daylihts outta me). And of course, that down home feelin' you git when yuh put own yer Sundy go tuh meetin's and go callin' (down the road apiece). Ah preshate countrah livin' but I show don't miss 'em chiggahs or whut we lovinleh caulled "dustuhs" in Lubbuck.
Having a father born in KS and raised mostly in OK/and a mother and sister-in-law from TX. I have always made it a policy to stay out of the debate between you and Doobie; but I'm loving listening to this very familiar litany.

Zyada--I lived in Ft. Wuth (boy, I can't even do that pronunciation dialectically--what do you and mrj. think?.--IIRC Ft. is pert nere it's own syllable.) Anyways, I lived there WAY BACK in the late 50's--there used to be a great place called "The Clock", you know, with carhops and all--whoops another time warp!!

SOOOOO-to the original thread..My uncle has told me all the same things: TX. is/was the friend of the hobo and also what was said about the dangerous element. "True hoboes are pretty peaceful folk, just tryin' to git frum hyuh to thar...them thet ride the rails t'day is sumthin' else." Uncle Les, King of the Hoboes.



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Lew
"Man, the 60's must have been real good for you!"
George Carlin..."Outrageous Fortune"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
Dorothy..."The Wizard of Oz"

Texas - go east till ya smell it, south till ya step in it. :)
Peace,
mangeorge

LEW FOTEwuhth is as close as I can come stress on FOTE as if you were making a distinction from other worths, but said qwick no break between the words, and some kinda asspiration in the middle of worth. Lots a folks still have fraidy holes and still have good ol sin shoutins. Most times you gotta pay to such goin ons. But be careful the chiggurs'll git yur ankles good. If you were in Lubbock in the 50's you probably remember seein New Mexico coming for a visit. I was growing up in Amarillo then and some times the western sky was as black as the inside of satan's saddle bag. Women folk runnin around stuffin damp towels around the winders n doors.
nuff for now I'll get back to you, nano,I agree drivin north to south thru the panhandle can be a real drag
Sherman (cursed be his name) ;) once said,
" If I owned Texas and Hell ,I'd live in Hell and rent out Texas." Kinda thing you'd expect from him, aspiring to be a non-resident landlord.Hanging out down there with all his cronies collecting exhorbitent rents.

>>sorry to be back so soon, but rjk, bindlestiff reminded me of 'gandy dancer' for some reason... And if any body knows any more words to this old chanty ( I spelled it right, it's pronounced 'shanty') Cap'n caint read,
Cap'n caint write,
how's he gonna tell,
if the track's laid right? >>mrjohn

If you ever get a chance to see The Buckingham Lining-Bar Gang, do not miss it.
They are a terrific group of now-elderly African-Americans from Buckingham, VA, who have formed a lining-bar gang to entertain and educate at county fairs and rail events and to keep the oral tradition of the lining-bar gang alive. About 2/3 of them worked for various railroads, including the C&O, on lining-bar gangs, the others are friends who have picked up the tradition from them.

They steal the show wherever they appear. They actually set rail and perform traditional lining-bar gang worksongs and chanties. They prefer not to be called "gandy dancers" -- they claim that in their experience that referred mainly to workers who tamped the ballast around the ties, not the lining bar gang itself.

See:
http://www.appalshop.org/Seedtime/bucklbg.htm
and
http://minerva.acc.virginia.edu/~foundhum/vfp/blbg.html