Back in 1963, one could use the word hobo and not be politically incorrect. So Phil Ochs did in one of his most poignant songs, "There but for fortune".
Joan recorded it in 1964 and it was a hit single. With over 500,000 homeless on the streets of America and some who may freeze to death this winter, this is one of those songs that puts things into perspective.
Lyrics:
Show me a prison, show me a jail
Show me a prisoner whose face has grown pale
And I'll show you a young man
With so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
Show me an alley, show me a train
Show me the hobo who sleeps out in the rain
And I'll show you a young man
With so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
Show me the whiskey stains on the floor
Show me a drunkard as he stumbles out the door
And I'll show you a young man
With so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
Show me a country where the bombs had to fall
Show me the ruins of buildings so tall
And I'll show you a young man
With so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I
You or I