This is one of my favorite tunes. I love the multiple meanings drawn from the phrase "rosin the bow" as it refers to this itinerant musician who he finds himself at the end of his life. Early on, he travels around and all call out for him to "rosin the bow" to give them a lively tune and also call out "rosin the bow" meaning buy him a drink of praise and reward. Later as drink perhaps becomes more the pleasure sought than the playing, and as hands become rusty and head a bit addled. Those in the pub may well have called out "rosin the bow" as a sarcastic suggestion to improve the playing or called out "rosin the bow" meaning get the old one a drink so he'll stop scraping on that fiddle. Still in the end he faces death with courage (and a glass!).