Burl Ives - Big Rock Candy Mountain



1. On a summer day

In the month of May

A burly bum came hiking

Down a shady lane

Through the sugar cane

He was looking for his liking

As he roamed along

He sang a song

Of the land of milk and honey

Where a bum can stay

For many a day

And he won't need any money



Chorus:

Oh the buzzin' of the bees

In the cigarette trees

Near the soda water fountain

At the lemonade springs

Where the bluebird sings

On the big rock candy mountain





2. There's a lake of gin

We can both jump in

And the handouts grow on bushes

In the new-mown hay

We can sleep all day

And the bars all have free lunches

Where the mail train stops

And there ain't no cops

And the folks are tender-hearted

Where you never change your socks

And you never throw rocks

And your hair is never parted

Chorus: 

3. Oh, a farmer and his son,

They were on the run

To the hay field they were bounding

Said the bum to the son,

"Why don't you come

To that big rock candy mountain?"

So the very next day

They hiked away,

The mileposts they were counting

But they never arrived

At the lemonade tide

On the big rock candy mountain

Chorus:



  1. One evening as the sun went down

And the jungle fires were burning,

Down the track came a hobo hiking,

He said, "Boys, I'm not turning

I'm heading for a land that's far away

Beside the crystal fountain

I'll see you all this coming fall

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain

Chorus:



2. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain,

It's a land that's fair and bright,

The handouts grow on bushes 

And you sleep out every night.

The boxcars all are empty

And the sun shines every day

I'm bound to go

Where there ain't no snow

Where the sleet don't fall

And the winds don't blow

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

Chorus:



3. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain

You never change your socks

And little streams of alkyhol

Come trickling down the rocks

O the shacks all have to tip their hats

And the railway bulls are blind

There's a lake of stew

And ginger ale too

And you can paddle

All around it in a big canoe

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain

Chorus: 

4. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain

The cops have wooden legs

The bulldogs all have rubber teeth

And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs

The box-cars all are empty

And the sun shines every day

I'm bound to go

Where there ain't no snow

Where the sleet don't fall

And the winds don't blow

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

Chorus: 



5. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain,

The jails are made of tin.

You can slip right out again,

As soon as they put you in.

There ain't no short-handled shovels,

No axes, saws nor picks,

I'm bound to stay

Where you sleep all day,

Where they hung the jerk

That invented work

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

Chorus: