It’s how things is out here, livin’ by a law ya knows yerself is right ‘n not by what’s writ on a paper by some people don’t know what it is to live on the tramp. See, the way things is a’set up, a tramp got no choice but to live outside the law. Laws are a’thought up by people that owns prope’ty, ‘n ain’t no way in hell them laws is gonna do nothin’ fer a guy that  ain’t got none. Yer all the time tresspassin’. Ain’t no place ya kin go in this country ‘thout ya bein’ a trespasser. Ya rides the railroad, ‘n yer a’tresspassin’. Ya jungle in some field somewheres, ‘n yer a’tresspassin’. Ya cain’t a’git away from it so ya make up yer mind ‘n say hell, I’m gonna do what I’m gonna do ‘n if I git a’throwed in the pokey, that’s too fuckin’ bad.

The other day a yard dick come down ta the jungle ‘n starts givin’ me ‘n another fella the once over. He sez, “Don’t ya know yer a’tresspassin’?” I sez, “Sure I know. I been a’tresspassin’ all my life ‘n I ain’t a’gonna stop now.” He sez,” Well, why’nt you boys go up ta the city park; ya won’t be a’tresspassin’ there.” So we goes up to the park ‘n it’s one a these parks where the grass is cut nice ‘n neat so’s yer afraid to mess it up by walkin’ on it. Well, we a’sit ourselves down over in the corner ‘n start cookin’ up. First cop comes along, gits outta his car ‘n comes over to where we was cookin’, ‘n sez, “What you boys doin’?” I sez, “Cookin’, nothin’ but cookin’.”  He sez, “Ya cain’t cook here. This park’s fer picnics ‘n stuff like that.” So I sez, “We’re havin’ ourselves a picnic, yessir, a reg’lar goddamn fancy-assed picnic.” The cop sez, “Ya gotta have a permit ta build a fire.” Never heard a such a thing. A fuckin’ permit to build a fire. A lotta horse shit. We was gittin’ throwed out anyway, so I ask the cop if ev’ryone in town eats cold food. He sez, “No, they cooks it on their stoves at home.” I sez, “See, it ain’t that it’s again’ the law to have a fire, it’s that it’s again’ the law not to have a house with a stove.” Them laws was writ by people that owns prope’ty.

58.