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Hobo's Meditation
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Aug 17, 2026 updated
Verified editorial review
Merle Haggard's 'Hobo's Meditation' is a reflective country song that imagines the afterlife from a hobo's perspective. The narrator, lying in a boxcar, wonders what will happen to hobos when they die, asking whether heaven will include freight trains and boxcars, and whether there will be freedom and respect there. The song blends a sense of longing with a hopeful trust in a heavenly home, suggesting that God has a place for everyone, even those who wander. It touches on themes of rest, acceptance, and the hope of a better life beyond this one.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team
Tonight as I lay on a boxcar
Just waiting for train to pass by
What will become of the hobo
Whenever his time comes to die.
There's a Master up yonder in heaven
Got a place that we might call our home
Will we have to work for a livin'
Or can we continue to roam.
Will there be any freight trains in heaven
Any boxcars in which we might hide
Will there be any tough cops or brakemen
Will they tell us that we cannot ride.
Will the hobo chum with the rich man
Will we always have money to spare
Will they have respect for the hobo
In that land which lies hidden up there.
Will there be any freight trains in heaven
Any boxcars in which we might hide
Will there be any tough cops or brakemen
Will they tell us that we cannot ride.
Will the hobo chum with the rich man
Will we always have money to spare
Will they have respect for the hobo
In that land which lies hidden up there...