I came across the 1928 Harry McClintock recording this evening.

HALLELUJAH! I'M A BUM

Rejoice and be glad, for the springtime has come,
We can throw down our shovels and go on the bum.

CHORUS
Hallelujah, I'm a bum; Hallelujah, a 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.

I went to a house, and I rapped on the door,
And the lady says, "Bum, bum, you've been here before!"

I like Jim Hill, he's a good friend of mine,
That is why I am hiking down Jim Hill's mainline.

I went to a house, and I asked for some bread,
And the lady says, "Bum, bum, the baker is dead!"

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

Why don't you save all the money you earn?
If I didn't eat, I'd have money to burn.

I don't like work, and work don't like me,
And that is the reason I am so hungry.


Harry McClintock recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uKbIkYGsIg


James Hill was chief executive of the Great Northern Railway