''Hobo's Lullaby'' is a folk song written by American folk artist Goebel Reeves. It is commonly associated with folk singer

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

, for whom it was one of his favorite songs and covered it.

Background

''Hobo's Lullaby'' was written by Goebel Reeves.

Reception and legacy

The song later came to be associated with folksinger

, who is sometimes confused as its composer. It was one of his favorite songs. He recorded a cover of the song in 1944. In a songbook provided to listeners of his KFVD radio show ''Woody and Lefty Lou'', he noted beneath the lyrics of the song, "Yes, pardnah, it is another world—another Life drawn apart from the one you know...A hobo's Life moves swiftly, broadly, talking and moving in terms of states, countries, seasons instead of the narrow, suffocating, Life of City Living so hemmed in on every side."

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...

stated that the last time he visited Guthrie, he and Guthrie's son Arlo played the song for him, as, "It was the only song that we could have sung that could have made any sense. Shortly thereafter, Woody Guthrie, himself a weary hobo, left this hard world." During a 1970 tribute concert to Guthrie held at the Hollywood Bowl, the song was played by

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...

, the only song not authored by Guthrie on the setlist. Arlo recorded a cover of the song in 1972. The song was covered by folk singer

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

on the 1987 album '' Folkways: A Vision Shared''.

Citations

Works cited

* * * {{cite book, last = Kaufman, first = Will, title = Woody Guthrie's Modern World Blues, publisher = University of Oklahoma Press, date = 2017, location = , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UaI4DwAAQBAJ, isbn = 9780806159706 American folk songs