I grabbed the  sliding door and swung in

It was black as night.

When I heard a voice from the darkness say

Boy!  Get out of the light.

I was silhouetted in the doorway

Of the rolling railway car

Slowly going up the long grade

I could smell hot melting tar

Back in the far corner

I could dimly see

A man with a straw in his mouth

An old Hobo looking at me

Boy! This is my car he said

There are fifty more on the train.

Live by the rules of the road

Or the road will cause you pain.

What are you doing here anyway?

Are you running from your home?

How old are you boy?

Are you old enough to roam?

I am sixteen and a half sir

I left my home today

Cause we don’t have enough food

To keep the wolf away.

My mother is doing laundry

My dad can’t get a job

He said if they can’t feed us

He will have to rob

They have only food enough for my sister

She is two years younger than me

So I had to leave my home

That was easy enough to see

Well boy take a seat in a corner

I’ll try to tell you what to do

To live the life of a Hobo

And to share our Mulligan stew

This sorta life ain’t easy

Sometimes it is really bad

The first thing I can tell you is

Here there is no mom and dad

Keep your eyes open

And keep your mouth shut.

Watch your choice of friends

You make your own luck.

Run when necessary

Fight only when you must.

Never give anyone an opportunity

To throw you under the bus.

Eat every time you get a chance.

Stay away from rotgut brew.

Sleep with one eye open.

That is my message to you.

I’ve wandered many miles since then

And tasted fully of life.

But I never forgot that old Hobo

Or any of his good advice.

Whenever I see a runaway youngster

I tell him over a cup of joe

The message the old Hobo gave me

That I heard so long ago.

Raymond Morrow