Ray Charles - Hallelujah, I'm A Bum Lyrics






Cast!
Rockefeller's busy giving dough away;
Chevrolet is busy making cars;
Hobo, you keep busy when they throw away
Slightly used cigars.
Hobo, you've no time to shirk.
You're busy keeping far away from work.

The weather' s getting fine.
The coffee tastes like wine.
You happy hobo, sing,
"Hallelujah, I'm a bum again!"
Why work away for wealth
When you can travel for your health?
It' s spring, you hobo, sing,
"Hallelujah, I'm a bum again!"
Your home is always near;
The moon's your chandelier;
Your ceiling is the sky,
Way up high.

The road is your estate,
The earth your little dinner plate;
It's spring, you hobo, sing,
"Hallelujah, I'm a bum again!"





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Ray Charles Hallelujah, I'm A Bum Comments
  1. T.... C....

    Must have cost $4.

  2. C.... H....

    Sweet to hear this, after having only heard the hilarious Utah Phillips version.

  3. Z.... E....

    I used to sing along with my dad this song when i was 6 years old and here i am again singing along with the song



    Its really a nice song :>

  4. D.... D....

    Kto od Baniaka?

  5. R.... S....

    Our old favourite song

  6. A.... D....

    I’m here from dynamic banter, probably the only one, but if not, two honks for you.

  7. T.... ....

    Dynamic Banter and their reading of The American Songbag brought me here.

  8. C.... C....

    What happened to the baker?

  9. V.... F....

    My dad use to sing this all the time. It tickled us kids to death.

  10. D.... M....

    My dad was born in 1942. I lost him about 2 years ago to pancreatic cancer and for whatever reason this song popped in my head today as I used to remember him singing it....having no idea where it came from or originated. This really hit me hard today, thanks so so much for sharing this.

  11. S.... R....

    One of so many that my parents had when I was a child. Oh to have that "chicken box" full of records today!

  12. A.... ....

    My maternal grandfather born 1906 in Sweden moved to America when he was 22. He eventually moved back to Sweden and started a family. He sang this song with my mother when she was 5 years old and i played it for her after she sang a few lines. The smile on her face was adorable.

  13. K.... a....

    lol I got out in Monopoly and everyone’s calling me a bum because I lost first and had no money

  14. H.... H....

    This song was written in 1902

  15. M.... F....

    Mac's 1920's song is very appropriate for the 2020's.

  16. m.... s....

    Theme song for The New Green Deal 😂

  17. F.... F....

    My gramps started singing this song randomly and I looked at him and laughed, sure he was making it up but he insisted it was a song from his childhood. The next day he started singing the chorus again so I decided to look up the song, long story short I found it and played it for him- he smiled so big I'll never forget it!
    Thank you for uploading this song, made his day and by extension- mine.

    F.... F....

    Check out the version by the Pousette Dart band.

  18. c.... ....

    He sounds a lot like Burl Ives

  19. o.... w....

    REVIVE US AGAIN

  20. J.... T....

    Hallelujah I'm a bum)(

  21. W.... ....

    This ain't Paddy but still not a bad song.

  22. m.... j....

    no sound????

  23. S.... W....

    Our dad, born in '24 just across the river in Wisconsin, also sang this to us all the time- Dad's song!

  24. S.... ....

    Oow no i don't like beer hahaaaa

  25. m.... j....

    my dad used to sing these songs to me ...also sang a song (that grey haired daddy of mine)

  26. M.... P....

    Thank you, so much for sharing this recording!

  27. T.... H....

    This should be the National Anthem of Australia as its full of fucking bums!

  28. J.... H....

    My grandfather used to sing this to me and my twin brother while bouncing us both on each knee. One of my most cherished memories for a silly song but a great song. Thanks for the upload!

  29. H.... E....

    Paddy Tarleton brought me here.

  30. L.... S....

    My Mom loved this song so much. She thought it was so hilarious! May God rest her sweet soul! :,(

  31. L.... B....

    Mom just introduced me to this song. I've heard other works by Haywire Mac, but this is good silly fun.

  32. O.... t....

    Darker than Utah Phillip's version.

  33. I.... S....

    What's this "us" stuff? You got a mouse in your pocket?

  34. R.... M....

    THE OBAMA SUPPORTERS SONG.

    R.... M....

    Rebecca Meister How timely.

  35. S.... A....

    In love with it

  36. A.... M....

    This is a parody of a famous hymn.

    A.... M....

    Rejoice and be glad!
    The Redeemer has come!
    Go look on His cradle,
    His cross, and His tomb.

    Refrain

    Sound His praises, tell the story,
    Of Him Who was slain;
    Sound His praises, tell with gladness,
    He liveth again.

    Rejoice and be glad!
    It is sunshine at last!
    The clouds have departed,
    The shadows are past.

    Refrain

    Rejoice and be glad!
    For the blood hath been shed;
    Redemption is finished,
    The price has been paid.

    Refrain

    Rejoice and be glad!
    Now the pardon is free!
    The Just for the unjust
    Has died on the tree.

    Refrain

    Rejoice and be glad!
    For the Lamb that was slain
    O’er death is triumphant,
    And liveth again.

    Refrain

    Rejoice and be glad!
    For our King is on high,
    He pleadeth for us on
    His throne in the sky.

    Refrain

    Rejoice and be glad!
    For He cometh again;
    He cometh to glory,
    The Lamb that was slain.

    Sound His praises, tell the story,
    Of Him Who was slain;
    Sound His praises, tell with gladness,
    He cometh again.

    The hymn is by the Scottish pastor Horatius Bonar

  37. w.... ....

    I found this on a book called: Earth Abides, I hope is this song.

  38. j.... m....

    prince Barry popularized this tune during his previous 8 years !!! lol

  39. T.... ....

    My grandmother used to sing this when I was a boy. Of course I laughed at the word 'bum'.

  40. P.... T....

    Heard this on some radio station on a recent trip to San Francisco and haven't been able to forget it since. Great song.

  41. m.... ....

    I'm 22 years old and love this kind of music! Just a song with emotions, a story, a man's pain :)

    Loves it so much, Learned it last night on guitar :)
    Verse: G-C-G-D
    Chorus: G-C-G-C-G-C-D-G

    m.... ....

    matsspringuel777 im 17 and i do too, i love it

    m.... ....

    I've got two geetars so far, one was $15 out of a thrift store and one was free from a dumpster, maybe I should learn those C's and G's and stuff.

  42. R.... ....

    2:17 radio talk show host  Michael Medved uses that section of the song on his show when he discusses news items about the homeless or as he calls it" A homeless solidarity moment"

  43. s.... p....

    my father puts this guys music on in his car, and it really cheers me up when i here things like this

    s.... p....

    @Omar S y tho

  44. B.... r....

    When I was younger, a long time ago, my folks had a 78 recording of this.

  45. g.... ....

    My dad, born in 1916 in St Paul, Minnesota, used to sing this while he worked on the yard or in the house. Dunno where he got it, but it used to tickle me so much. All us children loved to hear him sing it, sometimes even singing along. Now that I think of it, his uncle worked for Jim Hill's RR, maybe he taught it to dad. Wish I had asked dad so many things, but he's been gone for so long, it's only now that I am old that I remember all the things about him and my mom that I wanted to know. Young folks, take a lesson from that, if you will.

    g.... ....

    My dad (born 1921) always used to sing this and I thought it was something he made up. Surprised to find out it's a real song. Have you seen the Svend Asmussen version -- really great!

    g.... ....

    Apperently Jim Hill was am author who joined ww2 but was captured and executed by firing squad in 1940 something. ..I don't think he owned a rail road line

    g.... ....

    My dad, born in 1906, sang it too. You took the words right out of my mouth.

    g.... ....

    My dad used the phrase "Hallelujah give me a handout" all the time glad to find out where it came from.

    g.... ....

    1959 and my father still remember this. His father, my grandfather died when he was 16. I never meet him but this song is one of my father memories of him.

  46. D.... H....

    wow , i listened to this as a child on my grandmothers victrola . and here it is ..wow

    D.... H....

    I am now 87 1/2. I listened to this when I was a kid on my uncle's Victrola in the mid 1930's For some reason I just thought
    about it and thought I would try it on YouTube (your toob)? And here it is. Reminds me of the song
    As Time Goes by.

  47. h.... ....

    A hobo travels and works, a tramp travels but doesn't work, a bum doesn't travel and doesn't work.

    h.... ....

    I believe "hobo" is short for "hoe boy" because as they traveled around looking for work they carried their hoe over their shoulder with their belongings in a sack tied to the handle. A classic picture!

    h.... ....

    I think it was " hobo works and rides, a tramp dreams and rides, a bum works and rides" or some variation. They were all train hoppers and "jungle" dwellers.

    h.... ....

    Nope, OP's got it right. A hobo travels and works - modern day example would be migrant farm workers and Amazon "Workampers" and so on. A tramp just travels and there are a lot of ppl out there who get an SS check or pension etc. and just travel around, even $500 a month and hop trains, hitch hike, etc. Then there's the bum, AKA the homeguard, they don't travel and they don't work. (Unless you consider flying a sign work) they're the guys/gals you see in the same place, for years and years.

    h.... ....

    To be fair, how can a bum work when there's no work to do?

    h.... ....

    Well that doesn't seem right, the little tramp Charlie Chapman worked from time to time.

  48. L.... ....

    "Why don't you work, like other men do?" Now, how can I work when there's no work to do?

    L.... ....

    Halleluja! I'm a bum!

    L.... ....

    "Why don't you work like other folks do?" "How can I get a job when you're holding down two?"

    L.... ....

    Logan “I don’t like Work and Work don’t like me and that is the reason I am so hungry”. The truth comes out

    L.... ....

    i got laid off, i don't understand, how they could replace me with a mechanical man.

  49. s.... s....

    "When springtime does come, oh won't we have fun,
    We'll throw up our jobs and we'll go on the bum."

  50. s.... ....

    Oh, my goodness, this brings back memories!  My dad used to sing this to make my sisters and I roar with laughter ... "bum" meaning "backside" in the UK, and about the rudest word we knew at that age :)

    s.... ....

    I'm sat here listening whilst two 40yo blokes are in stitches laughing. x)

    s.... ....

    *sigh* My papa was 97 years old and he died last year, and he would always sing the "bum bum, the baker is dead" line. good times :)

    s.... ....

    Never heard one at that age about a "fanny pack" then? (haha)

  51. E.... S....

    One of the theme songs for the Industrial Workers of the World.

    E.... S....

    Omar S ... personally, I'll take that as the compliment I'm sure you intended. Commies are interested in the well being of all and shit makes things grow. In my mind that's a good thing.

    Generally though, Wobs are not Communists (as in CPUSA ) as we reject political affiliations and alliances. Like the man said, "We've been called red, but never yellow."

    E.... S....

    www.iww.org

    There's also www.wsws.org and a bunch of others. Red is the new black!

    E.... S....

    I heard this from somewhere this explains it

    E.... S....

    Da comrade

  52. m.... ....

    I always wondered if Richard Rodgers was aware of this composition when he wrote one that is completely different, with the same title.

  53. H.... ....

    The theme song for the denizens of downtown San Francisco

    H.... ....

    For the whole USA, actually. It's just more obvious here. I could explain why, but you don't care, do you? You are just another "bum basher."

  54. J.... P....

    I love it!

  55. S.... L....

    "Jim Hill's main line" was the Great Northern Railroad. I finally got around to looking it up. I also checked the address of his huge mansion, and it's still looking good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Hill

    S.... L....

    Have been wondering the same thing for some time now, thanks

    S.... L....

    Yeah, I got the Grand Tour in Big Jim's shack - it was swell!

    S.... L....

    In Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times every time he got back out of jail again, this was playing in the background. I don't think he meant it as a hymn either!

  56. R.... M....

    love it...

  57. D.... H....

    My father used to sing this one, many many years ago

  58. D.... G....

    This is not a re-issue of the "28 version (which is on a Victor scroll label). This Bluebird label recording was made sometime in the late '30's or early '40's. You can also tell that McClintock's voice has "matured" when the later recording was made.

  59. D.... C....

    I'm a bum

    D.... C....

    Bum Again

    D.... C....

    Hallelujah

    D.... C....

    Glad to hear the oldies.

    D.... C....

    you look like a bum!

    D.... C....

    Hallelujah man

  60. P.... J....

    When I was a kid this was one of the only records we had that would play on my grandfather's old Victrola. We used to dance around a giggle at how often they said bum. It wasn't until much later that I actually re-listened to it as an adult that I truly understood what the song was about. It's strange to feel such a happy warmth for a song with fairly depressing lyrics.

  61. M.... C....

    I even had a: "PRINTED-SHEET", with the lyrics, to: "THIS-SONG", as-well!

  62. M.... C....

    This is an: "OLD-SONG!"

  63. M.... C....

    When I was in 7th-Grade, I was actually listening to this-song, during ELA-Class!

  64. S.... t....

    there was a difference between a hobo and a bum. a hobo would work for a meal. that is according to my step dad who was a hobo after coming home traumatized by the war in the 40s

    S.... t....

    I heard "A hobo travels and works, a tramp travels and doesn't work; a bum doesn't travel or work"

    S.... t....

    Hobo = migratory worker, tramp = migratory non-worker, bum = non-migratory non-worker, is how I heard it.

    There's another, slightly contradictory version: A hobo works and wanders, a tramp dreams and wanders, and a bum drinks and wanders.

    S.... t....

    Sounds like Tyrion Lannister must be a bum.

    "I drink and I know things."

  65. R.... J....

    Magic!!! One of the first songs I remeber. Thank you.

  66. a.... ....

    This was my dad's favorite song. I think he sang it in the SeaBees during WW2. Thanks for posting all the lyrics!

  67. K.... L....

    IMA BUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  68. g.... b....

    My uncle used to sing this song!  I had this one on a few months ago!

  69. M.... M....

    Hallelujah I'm a kid again, singing along with my grandpa and his guitar as as we scolded each other through these lyrics! Thank you, thank you for sharing this priceless gem of a song.

  70. H.... M....

    Classic one of my heroes'!!

  71. B.... C....

    I can't believe that YOUTUBE would make a buck off of this song. An advertisement for a song like this? Really? Shame on YOUTUBE! 

  72. c.... m....

    Rejoice and be glad for the Springtime has come
    We can throw down our shovels and go on the bum
    Hallelujah, I'm a bum, Hallelujah, bum again
    Hallelujah, give us a handout to revive us again

    The Springtime has come and I'm just out of jail
    Without any money, without any bail
    Hallelujah, I'm a bum, Hallelujah, bum again
    Hallelujah, give us a handout to revive us again

    I went to a house and I rapped on the door
    And the lady says, "Bum, bum, you've been here before"
    Hallelujah, I'm a bum, Hallelujah, bum again
    Hallelujah, give us a handout to revive us again

    I like Jim Hill, he's a good friend of mine
    That is why I am hiking down Jim Hill's main line
    Hallelujah, I'm a bum, Hallelujah, bum again
    Hallelujah, give us a handout to revive us again

    I went to a house and I asked for some bread
    And the lady says, "Bum, bum, the baker is dead"
    Hallelujah, I'm a bum, Hallelujah, bum again
    Hallelujah, give us a handout to revive us again

    Why don't you work like other men do
    Now, how can I work when there's no work to do
    Hallelujah, I'm a bum, Hallelujah, bum again
    Hallelujah, give us a handout to revive us again

    Why don't you save all the money you earn
    If I didn't eat, I'd have money to burn
    Hallelujah, I'm a bum, Hallelujah, bum again
    Hallelujah, give us a handout to revive us again

    I don't like work and work don't like me
    And that is the reason I am so hungry
    Hallelujah, I'm a bum, Hallelujah, bum again
    Hallelujah, give us a handout to revive us again

  73. W.... M....

    AmericanIsraeliJew ,  God bless your Mom and you !  I'm often teased about being a Jew because my last name is Murray .  Your Mother has 22 yrs on me ,and the teasing is  just in jest . All my friends truly respect Israel .

  74. A.... ....

    My mom is 91, born in 1923.  She's been in a state of depression for the past 14 years since a car wreck we were in.  Just a few minutes ago she heard me singing a few lines from this song (that I heard my dad sing).  So I just found this song here and am playing for my mom.  She's singing it and smiling.  I've always said, my way of life is Judaism but my religion is music.

    A.... ....

    AmericanIsraeliJew

    A.... ....

    AmericanIsraeliJew A Jew with no money? What is this imposter?

    A.... ....

    Are you a protection racket?

    A.... ....

    how is your mom only 91 if she was born in 1923? I'm a fan if Hank Williams who was also born in 1923 and although he is gone, he would be 94 if he were around today...so how is your mom born on the same year but is some how 4 years younger?

    A.... ....

    @Everyone The comment was made 4 years ago, she was 91 as of the posting of the original comment.

  75. d.... v....

    Thank you for this track. This is great stuff to be bandied about.

  76. M.... m....

    my late gramps used to drive my mom crazy when he taught me that song, and she'd swat me when i would

  77. k.... s....

    I REMEMBER MY DAD SINGING THIS SONG,,,AWESOME,,,

    k.... s....

    Same here!  He's been gone for over 25 years but I still remember him walking around the house singing it!

  78. D.... D....

    Great song and video! I bet that record is worth plenty!

  79. S.... S....

    RUDE! LOL

  80. d.... ....

    Thanks:    My Grandfather loved this one also.    I heard first in  1944.

  81. J.... C....

    Amazing song id give ten stars.

  82. t.... ....

    Like if you came hear from listening to Michael Medved's show.

  83. A.... ....

    Wow, the song is better than the experience of six years homeless!

  84. B.... ....

    Whenever we dont finish out homework, my history plays this and makes us sing it... (we are learning about this time period)

  85. D.... B....

    Thank you, That is wonderful. We first sang and played that 50 years ago when I was a youth hostel warden. We were paid less than £3 per week and the song felt right!

  86. J.... G....

    me.too

  87. Y.... ....

    Coz there was no work to do.

  88. S.... R....

    If you're poor and live a bum's life, you get criticized as a "bum." If you're rich and lead a bum's life, you get praised as a "man of leisure." What you got to say about that?

    S.... R....

    If you are nuts, but you are poor - you're "crazy." If you are nuts, but you have a lot of money - you're "eccentric." I've decided that I will be eccentric in my old age. And live like a bum. Best of both worlds.

    S.... R....

    No one ever said that life is fair!

  89. a.... t....

    This is music

  90. A.... P....

    it seems like in everyone of his songs he talks about not having to do work.

  91. I.... ....

    You know, this was a social struggle, and nothing to laugh about.

  92. u.... ....

    I have the soul of a bum. Cant change.

  93. b.... ....

    My brothers and I used to roll around laughing at the opportunity to say Bum without getting into trouble when we played this 78 on my Grandma's old gramophone. I played this to my 9 year-old grandson the other day, and he loved it, and thought it was hilarious!! Now he's singing it too - I think that's wonderful !!! Thanks so much.

  94. D.... G....

    I looked up this song after I heard it because I was wondering if he actually was saying I'm a bum.

  95. C.... ....

    Fits the Economy...

  96. H.... ....

    I've been a bum too many times and I think I still am..

  97. 1.... ....

    What a visionary this man was, creating the theme song for the Occupy movement some 80 years ago!!

  98. S.... ....

    Help your family, your neighbor, and your friend.