Addendum:
I feel I should explain my posting of lyrics the other day.
I'm serenely addicted to O' Brother Where Art Thou?, and I've watched it far too many times in the short period since I stole it from my dad. I'm a huge Coen Bros. fan, I love old timey music and Southern dialogue, so this movie hits on many cylinders for me. It's my stand-by for something to watch while Netflix is delivering new movies.
The film's score is a big reason for my addiction and this song has always peaked my imagination. I believe, to the best of my recollection, that it refers to an actual hobo legend, the much sought after hobo Garden of Eden. And it's that connection with historical myth, I believe, that gives it a certain something for me.
When I was in High School and had time to spare, one of my favorite things to do was to go to the library and pull a book off the shelves entitled: "The Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were". I spent a lot of time flipping through its pages, reading the entries about Elves, Vampires and all manner of odd things and I recall a passage about the Big Rock Candy Mountain. A place that specifically countered all the ill's that depression era hobos encountered in their life. Upon my first viewing of O' Brother I instantly recognized the reference in the song and, well, I adored it. It strikes a chord with me that I'm just not sure I can explain, and well, maybe I've gone on about it too long now. Anyhoo…that's it.