The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #4099   Message #271022
Posted By: Sandy Paton
03-Aug-00 - 11:07 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler
Subject: RE: I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler
Sorry, folks. I got so fixated on the "Rambler/Gambler" song that began this thread, I assumed that the Clancys had also recorded it. Now that I've had a moment to reflect, the song I remember hearing Liam sing some thirty years ago, which had the "I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler" line in it, isn't the same song at all, although it shares a couplet or two with the song in question. Liam was singing a version of a song most of us know as "Moonshiner," a song found on both sides of the pond and widely recorded, which deals with making illegal hooch. My comments above were all focused on the Rambler/Gambler version of "The Wagoner's Lad" which Lomax found transformed into a cowboy song. The key to look for in "Wagoner's Lad" versions is the "My horses ain't hungry" element. I hope this clears up some of the confusion.

Sandy