Name: Two Bums (Unknown)
Duration: P00H00M53S
Description: Found in the "Hobo's Hornbook" by George Melburn; written by an unknown hobo.

Two Bums (Unknown)

from The First Shall Be The Last by Matt Rivers

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about

Found in the "Hobo's Hornbook" by George Melburn; written by an unknown hobo.

lyrics

The bum on the rods is hunted down
As the enemy of mankind,
The other is driven around to his club
Is feted, wined and dined

And they who curse the bum on the rods
As the essence of all that is bad,
Will greet the other with a winning smile,
And extend a hand so glad

The bum on the rods is a social flea
Who gets an occasional bite,
The bum on the plush is a social leech
Blood-sucking day and night

The bum on the rods is a load so light
That his weight we scarcely feel,
But it takes the labor of dozens of men
To furnish the other a meal

As long as you sanction the bum on the plush
The other will always be there,
But rid yourself of the bum on the plush
And the other will disappear

Then make an intelligent, organized kick,
Get rid of the weights that crush.
Don’t worry about the bum on the rods,
Get rid of the bum on the plush!

credits

from The First Shall Be The Last, released May 1, 2023

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about

Matt Rivers

Matt Rivers is a modern relic & torchbearer for the old ways of song craft & performance; following in the footsteps of such artists as: Woody Guthrie, Blind Willie McTell, Harry McClintock, & countless nameless & forgotten forebears of the folk tradition. ... more

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