From Wikipedia:

To cope with the difficulty of hobo life, hobos developed a system of symbols, or a code. Hobos would write this code with chalk or coal to provide directions, information, and warnings to other hobos. Some signs included "turn right here", "beware of hostile railroad police", "dangerous dog", "food available here", and so on. For instance:

A cross signifies "angel food," that is, food served to the hobos after a party.
A triangle with hands signifies that the homeowner has a gun.
Sharp teeth signify a mean dog.
A square missing its top line signifies it is safe to camp in that location.
A top hat and a triangle signify wealth.
A spearhead signifies a warning to defend oneself.
A circle with two parallel arrows means to get out fast, as hobos are not welcome in the area.
Two interlocked humans signify handcuffs. (i.e. hobos are hauled off to jail).
A Caduceus symbol signifies the house has a medical doctor living in it.
A cat signifies that a kind lady lives here.
A wavy line (signifying water) above an X means fresh water and a campsite.
Three diagonal lines means it's not a safe place.
A square with a slanted roof (signifying a house) with an X through it means that the house has already been "burned" or "tricked" by another hobo and is not a trusting house.
Two shovels, signifying work was available (Shovels, because most hobos did manual labor).

Naturally, hobo code would vary from place to place around the country.


Just some FYI in case you're packing a bindle and riding the open rails in the near future.

I wrote a song about a hobo once. It was shit.

Number23 said:

then write another one god damn it

That was actually interesting.

JustErin said:

see? and if anyone hassles you about being on the org too much, you can tell them you learned all about prince's popcorn addiction AND hobo code this morning, so step off.

Anxiety said:

Tell'em Anx! Get Gangsta with it!

Anxiety said:

It was about a peadophile hobo called Frank the Finger. My mum expressed angish.

Number23 said:

Anguish.

Number23 said:

aw. for a moment i thought you meant ang lee's version of engrish...which i think would be quite eloquent, really.

Anxiety said:

I preferred Hulk.

Number23 said:

the action scenes in ang lee's hulk movie should have been more like the butt sex scene in brokeback mountain, and the butt sex scene in brokeback mountain should have employed more of the cgi from the hulk movie.

Anxiety said:

That would've been alot of muscel in every since of the word.

MsLegs said:

i simply believe ang lee needs to maintain a strong throughline in his ouevre!

Anxiety said:

What spurred your interest in Hobos? It has helped me learn alot about naming them and setting guideposts to lure them into my traps.


I've said too much.

You can find a lot of the hobo symbols at this very fun site:
http://www.symbols.com

Mars23 said:

HOBOPHOBE!!!

Anxiety said:

Yeah HOBO Descrimination. Time to call the ACLU.

I just want to know how hobo chili is made.

Onion
Shoelace
Mr. Coffee

WTF?

Mars23 said:

don't forget the whiskey and tobaccy!

Mars23 said:

i'm tired of pirates being cool. johnny depp and all that crap. i think hobos should be the new pirates. i'd totally get behind a series of hobo action movies.

Anxiety said:

There's a convention soon, not far from MPLS.

http://www.hobo.com/hobofaq.htm

Mars23 said:

oh, is this the thing in iowa? i would LOVE to go to that and hang out in the hobo jungle!

Anxiety said:

Yep. If you are proen worthy, you can run for Hobo King. There is a museum too.

Mars23 said:

maybe we can nominate this site's namesake and he can be hobo king prince!

In honor of this thread, can someone PLEASE post a pic of Boxcar Willie? It would brang a smile to a lil ole' boys face in Arkansas.

unkemptpueblo said:

i have boxcar willie's greatest hits on my mp3 player, it's good stuff!

Anx, what made you go from Homo to Hobo?

unkemptpueblo said:

2ndRevolution said:

a really bad head cold.