" I love the TenderCrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch..."

[BOZ]

no... not really. southern illinois, depending on where you're talking about specifically, is a good 3-5 hour drive for me.

unless, of course, you're suggesting that the whole rest of the state might as well be a suburb of chicago - which is probably true.

 

[Silver Moon]

That's a children's song? That's a hobo song...knife fights, eating beans cooked over the fire, leaving funny signs in fences and trees, avoiding train police...

Never saw or heard the McClintock version until this thread. We have three renditions of the song by three different artists - a 1980's cassette, 1990's video, and 2000's DVD, all of which have the following Children's version of the song:

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
There's a land that's fair and bright
Where the handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out ev'ry night
Where the boxcars are all empty
And the sun shines ev'ry day
Oh, I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall and the wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

Oh, the buzzin' of the bees in the peppermint trees
'Round the soda water fountains
Where the lemonade springs and the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You never change your socks
And little streams of lemonade
Come a-tricklin' down the rocks
The hobos there are friendly
And their fires all burn bright
There's a lake of stew and soda, too
You can paddle all around 'em in a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

Oh, the buzzin' of the bees in the peppermint trees
'Round the soda water fountains
Where the lemonade springs and the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains



The kids also have a toy piano songbook with the above. My guess is that if they know the song by that version then tens of millions of other kids do as well.

 

[orchid blossom]

I remember singing that version in elementary school. Imagine my surprise when we saw "O Brother Where Art Thou?"

 

[Greylock]

We have three renditions of the song by three different artists - a 1980's cassette, 1990's video, and 2000's DVD, all of which have the following Children's version of the song:

Ohmigawd, it burnses the eyes, it BURNS!

Here, for those who haven't looked them up yet, are the McClintock lyrics:


1. One evening as the sun went down
And the jungle fires were burning,
Down the track came a hobo hiking,
He said, "Boys, I'm not turning
I'm heading for a land that's far away
Beside the crystal fountain
I'll see you all this coming fall
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain
Chorus:

2. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain,
It's a land that's fair and bright,
The handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out every night.
The boxcars all are empty
And the sun shines every day
I'm bound to go
Where there ain't no snow
Where the sleet don't fall
And the winds don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain.
Chorus:

3. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain
You never change your socks
And little streams of alkyhol
Come trickling down the rocks
O the shacks all have to tip their hats
And the railway bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew
And ginger ale too
And you can paddle
All around it in a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain
Chorus:

4. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain
The cops have wooden legs
The bulldogs all have rubber teeth
And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
The box-cars all are empty
And the sun shines every day
I'm bound to go
Where there ain't no snow
Where the sleet don't fall
And the winds don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain.
Chorus:

5. In the Big Rock Candy Mountain,
The jails are made of tin.
You can slip right out again,
As soon as they put you in.
There ain't no short-handled shovels,
No axes, saws nor picks,
I'm bound to stay
Where you sleep all day,
Where they hung the jerk
That invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain.
Chorus:

And, another take on the lyrics (Burl Ives, I think):

1. On a summer day
In the month of May
A burly bum came hiking
Down a shady lane
Through the sugar cane
He was looking for his liking
As he roamed along
He sang a song
Of the land of milk and honey
Where a bum can stay
For many a day
And he won't need any money

Chorus:
Oh the buzzin' of the bees
In the cigarette trees
Near the soda water fountain
At the lemonade springs
Where the bluebird sings
On the big rock candy mountain

2. There's a lake of gin
We can both jump in
And the handouts grow on bushes
In the new-mown hay
We can sleep all day
And the bars all have free lunches
Where the mail train stops
And there ain't no cops
And the folks are tender-hearted
Where you never change your socks
And you never throw rocks
And your hair is never parted
Chorus:

3. Oh, a farmer and his son,
They were on the run
To the hay field they were bounding
Said the bum to the son,
"Why don't you come
To that big rock candy mountain?"
So the very next day
They hiked away,
The mileposts they were counting
But they never arrived
At the lemonade tide
On the big rock candy mountain
Chorus:

 

[Greylock]

Mmmmmm. Steak 'n Shake....

Favorite Steak 'n Shake moment, Memphis, TN mid-'80s: Getting solidly cussed out and threatened by an exceptionally drunk Charlie Rich. *fanboy sigh*