Lyr Req: The Rambling Man (Peggy Seeger)

Subject: The Rambling Man
From: GUEST,lil' VanBone
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 11:49 AM

There is a song I have heard many a time, but I cannot find the lyrics for it anywhere I've looking. I think the first verse starts

"The Ramblin' man was weary and wet,
down by the side of the fire he sat,
he had a poke and a walking stick
and a merrily he did sing"

and I think the chorus is something like

"Diddy-ram Diddy-ram Orendee
Ramble to Richmond along with me
Ramble to Richmond along with me
and away with the Rambling man"

if anyone has these lyrics I'd be greatful

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 12:13 PM

Lots of "Rambling Man" songs. There was one by Hank Williams that may be the one? Do you remember the performer?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: GUEST,lil' VanBone
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 03:20 PM

Afraid I don't know who the performer was

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: MartinRyan
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 05:04 PM

Used to hear this many years ago, sung by a friend of mine. DOn't recall ever seeing it in print. I'll have a look.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: MartinRyan
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 05:27 PM

A Google search on "rambling man" + richmond turns up some likely candidate recordings - including one Sandy Paton!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 20 Feb 02 - 08:50 PM

Yeah, it's on one of my recordings. I learned it from a friend who had learned it from Peggy Seeger, who, I believe, fashioned it from a couple of fragments and set it to a tune from New England. She needed it for a "matching song" with one that her husband, Ewan MacColl, sang. I asked her about it some years later and she was no longer sure how much of it was traditional and how much of it was her own. Good song, fun chorus. "Iddy ran, diddy ran oran dee, ramble to Richmond along with me, etc." It's on Folk-Legacy #100, New Harmony (I think).

Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: Peace
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 10:52 PM

Rambling Man is by Peggy Seeger (Child # 279) according to this sound sample. Go about half-way down and click on Play Sample (#102).

However, when I look at Child # 279, it shows a different song. I am now very confused. BUT, the song linked to is the one GUEST,lil' VanBone gave a quote from.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: Peace
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 10:53 PM

"Global SoundFW08731_102 Rambling Man (Child No. 279) Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger Keywords: Culture Group - Scottish Instrument(s) - Guitar Duration: 5:01 ...
www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/trackdetail.aspx?itemid=16549 - 216k - Cached - Similar pages"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: GUEST,Sandy Paton
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 12:11 AM

Peggy thoroughly Americanized the Scottish ballad - The Gaberlunzie Man, Child 279. Some claim the original was written by King James of Scotland who seemed to enjoy dressing as a common beggar and wandering through the countryside in search of pliant young milkmaids and the like.
    The texts of the Scottish versions differ from Peggy's American text, of course, but the plot remains the same. Read them and compare them. Here's the address of a Scottish version on the web: http://www.contemplator.com/child/gaberlunz.html.
I recorded Peggy's American rewrite on "New Harmony" (Folk-Legacy CD-100) and once recorded, many years ago, a lyrical version that I had learned from Jeannie Robertson when I visited her in Scotland in 1958. It's on the old LP I made for Elektra in 1959 ("The Many Sides of Sandy Paton" - Elektra 148).
    Sandy (sans cookie, apparently)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: GUEST,Sandy Paton
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 12:15 AM

Well, I guess I've forgotten how to make a blue-clickie thing. The web address is:
www.contemplator.com/child/gaberlunz.html. Hope this one goes through.
    Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: Peace
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 12:17 AM

Thank you, Sandy.

http://www.contemplator.com/child/gaberlunz.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 02:40 AM

I used to sing this song, I was totally in awe of Peggy and Ewan. I still am.

What was it the man had - a 'muley cow'?

as I've gotten older - people aren't allowed such things in the songs I sing. You see when you get old, you get intolerant and nasty. sorry, can't help it!

Subject: Lyr Add: THE RAMBLING MAN (Peggy Seeger)
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 10:03 PM

Well, I was hoping someone else would enter this text. I'm a lousy typist and extremely slow. If you find it full of typos, that's typical of the things I type. Maybe one of the clones can repair it for me. Here's the text as Peggy Seeger wrote it, or at least as Lee Knight remembered her singing it. I found no comparable ballads in Bronson from American tradition, so I suspect Peggy created an American text on her own, in order to match a ballad sung by MacColl - "The Jolly Beggar" or, perhaps, "The Beggar Laddie", or even a version of "The Gaberlunzie Man." I dunno.

The Rambling Man
(Peggy Seeger)

The rambling man was weary and wet;
Down by the side of the fire he sat.
He had a poke and a walking stick,                   (poke: sack or bag)
And merrily he did sing.

The youngest daughter sat by the fire,
And, oh, he sang to her desire.
With every song she would inquire,
"Could I ramble away with you?"

    Iddy-ran, diddy-ran, oran-dee,
    Ramble to Richmond along with me.
    Ramble to Richmond along with me,
    Away with the rambling man.

Well, he said, "My dear, try if you can,
To walk and talk like a rambling man;
Bend your back like a rambling man,
Away with me you'll go."

She bent her back with a wink of her eye;
Sang her songs with many a sigh.
Whenever he'd laugh, she would cry,
"Could I ramble away with you?"

    Iddy-ran, etc.

He said, "My dear, if I was free
As when I came to your country,
I'd dress you up like a fine lady
And away with me you'd go."

She said, "My dear, if I was free
To leave my mama and my own family,
I'd dress myself all beggarly
And away with you I'd go."

    Iddy-ran, etc.

Well, the songs were sung and the stories were told;
She was loving and he was bold.
Though the night was wet and cold,
Away they both did go.

Down in the meadow there's a white oak tree,
Grass as green as you ever did see.
She was loving and he was free,
'Cause he was the rambling man.

    Iddy-ran, etc.

The years went by, maybe three or four;
The corn it was cut five times or more.
The rambling man, he come to my door,
Same old rambling man.

"Well, I've got no use for a rambling man;
That's how my tears and my sorrows began.
I had a daughter and away she ran,
Away with the rambling man."

    Iddy-ran, etc.

"Well, yonder she comes along with me,
She's got babies, one, two, three;
One on her hip and one at her knee,
And another one a-rambling home.

"She's got a wagon and she rides to town,
Silver spoons and a taffety gown;
She's got a pig and a muley cow
Since she rambled away with me."

    Iddy-ran, etc.

(A "muley cow" is simply one without horns, isn't it? What could be offensive about that?)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: Peace
Date: 15 Aug 06 - 12:44 AM

Sandy,

That is awesome. A million thank yous. It is one really good song. Love the melody. Thank you for taking the time to type all of that out. It was literally not on the www. Now, it is.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: The Rambling Man (Peggy Seeger)
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 15 Aug 06 - 01:06 AM

nothing offensive, just doesn't tend to crop up in conversation amongst the charcters in my songs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rambling Man
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Aug 06 - 01:19 AM

Darn, I still wish I had a copy of that Many Sides of Sandy Paton album. I saw the LP once, but didn't know the owner well enough to feel right about borrowing it.

I listened to "The Rambling Man" on Sandy and Caroline Paton's New Harmony, and I really liked it. Thanks a lot for transcribing the song, Sandy. I looked for it in three Peggy Seeger songbooks, but didn't have any luck; so it's a darn good thing you typed it up. I didn't find any typing mistakes at all.
-Joe-

Click here and look at the album cover. Doesn't that guy look like an Elvis impersonator?

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: The Rambling Man (Peggy Seeger)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Aug 06 - 10:58 AM

Versions of and comments on "The Gaberlunzie Man" aka "Beggarman" in thread 54744: Gaberlunzie