Riding an eastbound freight train speeding through the night He was just a lonesome hobo who was fighting for his life The sadness in his eyes revealed the torture of his soul As he raised a weak and weary hand to brush away the cold Ho-obo Billy... No warm lights flicker 'round him, no blankets there to fold There was nothing but the howling wind and the driving rain so cold When he heard a whistle blowing in a dreamy kind of way And the hobo seemed contented for he smiled there where he lay Ho-obo Billy... Outside the rain was falling on that lonely boxcar door But the little form of Hobo Bill lay still upon the floor And as the train sped through the darkness and the raging storm outside No one knew that Hobo Bill was taking his last ride Ho-obo Billy... It was early in the morning when they raised the hobo's head The smile still lingered on his face but Hobo Bill was dead There was no one near to weep for him, or soothe his weary soul For he was just a hobo who had died out in the cold