Big Rock Candy Mountain

song by McClintock

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July 16, 2026

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The "Big Rock Candy Mountain" is a song written by Harry McClintock, inspired by a real place in Utah. The song depicts a hobo's idealized vision of an easy life, featuring elements like a lake of stew and whiskey. This song gained popularity in the late 1920s, turning the actual hills in Utah into a tourist attraction. The hills themselves are a geological formation, approximately 5,500 feet tall, known for their distinctive striped colors. The name "Big Rock Candy Mountain" was given by railroad workers. Rock candy, as a confection, refers to large, crystallized masses of boiled sugar.12

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Big Rock Candy Mountain
…Harry McClintock, later composed a song by that title. The song—which features a hobo’s vision of the good life (“There’s a lake of stew and whiskey, too/ And you can paddle all around it in a big canoe”)—became popular throughout the United States in the late 1920s, and the area…
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…Harry McClintock, later composed a song by that title. The song—which features a hobo’s vision of the good life (“There’s a lake of stew and whiskey, too/ And you can paddle all around it in a big canoe”)—became popular throughout the United States in the late 1920s, and the area…
Read More