RAMBLING JACK

IT WAS ON A THURSDAY NIGHT
AT THE "JUG O'PUNCH", THAT'S RIGHT,
A FOLK CLUB IN THE DAYS OF WAY BACK WHEN
I SAT ON THE SECOND ROW
LIKE I ALWAYS DID, YOU KNOW
READY TO SING CHORUSES AGAIN
THERE WERE SONGS ABOUT THE FARMER,
THE PLOUGHBOY AND THE SEA
SONGS I LOVED THAT DIDN'T REALLY MEAN A LOT TO ME
'CAUSE THERE WERE NO FARMS IN MY CITY
NO SAILS UPON MY LEA
AND NO PLOUGHBOYS IN THE FACTORIES BACK THEN


WHEN GUEST TIME CAME AT LAST
AND THE INTERVAL HAD PASSED
A VOICE SAID "WOULD YOU ALL PLEASE SETTLE DOWN.
'CAUSE ITS MY JOB TO SAY
LET'S WELCOME HERE TODAY
A LEGENDARY MAN OF GREAT RENOWN.
HE'S RAMBLED EVER HIGHWAY
HE'S RAMBLED EVERY ROAD
HE'S PLANTED AND HE'S GATHERED
HE'S REAPED AND HE HAS SOWED
HE'S A WANDERER, A TRAVELLER
A MAN OF NO ABODE."
AND THAT'S WHEN RAMBLING JACK RODE INTO TOWN


AND WHEN HE TOOK THAT FLATPICK OUT
AND HAMMERED ON THE STRINGS
SUDDENLY THE TUNES WERE TIGHT
ALL THE WORDS HAD WINGS
AND I WAS HEARING SONGS THAT TOLD ME
ALL MANKIND ARE KINGS
THE DAY THAT RAMBLING JACK RODE INTO TOWN

AND WHEN THAT NIGHT WAS THROUGH
I'D FOUND A LOVE SO TRUE
A FLAT PICK AND SIX STRINGS WERE ALL I'D NEED
THAT KEROUAC OF SONGS
THAT TOLD OF RIGHTS AND WRONGS
UNKNOWINGLY HAD PLANTED ONE MORE SEED
NOW I'VE RAMBLED DOWN THE ROAD OF TIME
AND THERE'S NO GOING BACK
BUT I HAVE PLANTED SEEDS OF SONG
SOMEWHERE ALONG MY TRACK
SO HERE'S TO ALL THE TROUBADOURS
AND HERE'S TO RAMBLING JACK
SAFE JOURNEYS AND SAFE HAVENS
AND GOD SPEED
YES, HERE'S TO ALL THE TROUBADOURS
HERE'S TO RAMBLING JACK
SAFE JOURNEYS AND SAFE HAVENS
AND GOD SPEED
JACK!