Did you notice in “The Summer Man“, when Don walked into Gene’s party, the children were playing musical chairs to the tune of ‘The Big Rock Candy Mountain“? I recall hearing a similar sanitized version of this hobo song at school when I was a child, and indeed, when you look into the history of the song, it was clearly not written for children—or was it?

This song was written by Harry McClintock in 1897 and was most recently brought back to fame in the excellent film,” O Brother Where Art Thou?” whose soundtrack featured long forgotten hillbilly and country gospel music. But the song itself, like Mad Men, turns out to have many layers, some quite surprising.

You may have noticed that I mentioned ‘sanitized’. And there are a lot of people think it’s a children’s song, and use it as such. Indeed, as a kindergartner in 1966, I recall Miss Griffith playing this for us on the portable boxy turntable that every elementary classroom had while we played musical chairs. We didn’t listen too deeply to the lyrics; we basically heard the good stuff about lemonade, bluebirds, but mostly the big rock CANDY mountain. I suspect it was the candy element of the title that made it so popular as a children’s song, but if you look into its history, you find that it was written as both a hobo’s dream of Utopia, and as a sarcastic commentary of how real hobos may hope to entice real little boys to join them on their journeys (and not for candy either). But before I get to that, I’ll share with you some of the elements that make it a hobo’s paradise.

Here’s the original recording by McClintock, made kid-friendly by this clever animation:

It begins with a hobo escaping some ‘jungle fires’ and telling his colleagues he’s not turning back, but

“…headed for a land that’s far away, besides the crystal fountains” (sounds good so far)

Then he implores them to join him:

“Come with me, we’ll go and see The Big Rock Candy Mountains”

As he starts off, it seems like a nice place that’s ‘fair and bright’:

But as this song progresses you see elements that make it especially hobo-friendly:

“The handouts grow on bushes…” (No need to beg)

With “cigarette trees” (free smokes!)

And “…streams of alcohol” (free booze!)

“The barns are full of hay (safe, cozy sleep)

“And the hens lay soft boiled eggs” (great if you have no teeth)

“A lake of stew and Whiskey too” (more hobo cuisine)

Where “You never change your socks” (Either they magically regenerate or you just don’t need them).

Then along with these creature comforts, comes authority with no power

“All the cops have wooden legs,” (hence they can’t catch you)

“The bulldogs have rubber teeth” (a bite won’t hurt)

The brakemen have to tip their hats and the railway bulls are blind (free travel!)

And most important: “The jails are made of tin…you can walk right out as soon as you walk in” (no incarcerations)

And finally:

“I’m bound to stay where you sleep all day

Where they hung the jerk that created work…

I’ll see you all this coming fall in the big Rock Candy Mountain!”

As a hobo’s paradise, this is pretty easy living, but as this published and performed version ends, it leaves off the final verse, which paints a quite darker picture of hobo life, one that Dick may relate to. It’s the after verse, the reality of what happens to the target of the hobo, the one whom the hobo was trying to join him in the first place. It is in the tune of the first verse and goes:

“The punk rolled up his big blue eyes

And said to the jocker, “Sandy,

I’ve hiked and hiked and wandered too,

But I ain’t seen any candy.

I’ve hiked and hiked till my feet are sore

And I’ll be damned if I hike any more

To be buggered sore like a hobo’s whore

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.”

With this shocking revelation, you can see why McClintock cut this from his recorded version. But this was the full version from his street busker days. And McClintock mocked how the real hobos tried to recruit children here. I wouldn’t be surprised, but sad, to know that some succeeded. (Remember how Dick admired the hobo in “Hobo Code”)?

Of course, the irony is that it’s used at little Gene’s party is not lost:

“Big Rock Candy Mountain”=Hobo=Dick Whitman=Don Draper.

One thing is for sure, the PTA mothers at Gene’s party would have been totally mortified if they knew all the original words to the song, and would have never used it (although the booze and tobacco references were fine!)

Ironically, the family-friendly company L.L. Bean uses “Big Rock…” as a jingle for their products! Is that your doing, Don?

http://homadge.blogspot.com/2010/08/llbeans-big-rock-candy-mountain.html

By the way, I don’t condemn this song for its shock value; I think it’s really brilliant, but so sad when you think about it.