I took a job on an extra gang, Way up in the mountain, I paid my fee and the shack shipped me And the ties I soon was counting. Well the boss he put me driving spikes And the sweat was enough to blind me, He didn't seem to like my pace, So I left the job behind me. I grabbed a hold of an old freight train And around this country traveled, The mysteries of a hobo's life To me were soon unraveled. I traveled east and I traveled west And the shacks could never find me, Next morning I was miles away From the job I left behind me. I ran across a bunch of stiffs Who were known as Industrial Workers. They taught me how to be a man And how to fight the shirkers. I kicked right in and joined the bunch And now in the ranks you'll find me, Hurrah for the cause, to hell with the boss And the job I left behind me.