To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=28524
15 messages

Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover

10 Dec 00 - 01:34 AM (#354312)
Subject: Ramblin' Rover
From: kimmers

The header is a bit of a misnomer. I know that the lyrics to Ramblin' Rover are in the DT, and I know the tune... more or less. But can someone point me to the chords? I've loved this one since I learned it in the SCA and would love to be able to torment my friends with it at the Post-Lessons-And-Carols-Choir-Party next weekend.
Kimmers, if the thread name prefixes don't fit your request, leave them out. I changed the title to Chords Request: Ramblin' Rover.
-Joe Offer-


10 Dec 00 - 10:09 AM (#354418)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: Murray MacLeod

You will be assailed by anally retentive purists who will tell you this song should always be sung unaccompanied. I tend to agree, unless you are skilled in playing fast triplets fingerstyle, when guitar accompaniment really enhances the song.

Murray


10 Dec 00 - 04:22 PM (#354560)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: kimmers

True, except sometimes being able to add a bit of accompaniment can help people to learn a song that they haven't heard before. Just like using a organ or piano accompaniment for rehearsal only then dropping it for the performance. I don't play keyboards worth squat, so guitar is all I have.


11 Dec 00 - 01:39 PM (#355059)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: Mooh

Since the words are in (please forgive me) Rise Up Singing, then I expect the chords are too. Can't put my hands on my copy at this moment. Beware, the usual RUS caution about weird chord changes will likely apply.

Mooh.


11 Dec 00 - 02:02 PM (#355073)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: harpmolly

I still say it's a cappella or nothin.' Preferably sung after two or three mugs of your favorite corrosive liquid. "Sober men and plenty" should clearly *not* be a reference to the singers ;)

It hadn't occurred to me what a perfect SCA song that was...

M


27 Sep 04 - 05:57 PM (#1282579)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: Clinton Hammond

Refresh...

Anyone kick the purists in the nuts and come up with chords for this yet?

(In the process of taking nearly all my acapella songs and putting guitar chords behind them)


28 Sep 04 - 02:13 AM (#1282860)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: Cluin

Though I always do it acker peller meself, try these:


          D    A      D
There are sober men in plenty
    D         G      D
And drunkards barely twenty
          G          D
There are men of over ninety
         Em       F#m      G
Who have never yet kissed a girl
         D    A       D
But give me a ramblin' rover
    D      G       D
From Orkney down to Dover
          G                D
And we'll roam the country over
       A          G       D
And together we'll face the world.


Same chords for both verse and chorus.
Alternatively, if you want to leave out the minor chords in the 4th line, you can replace them both with an A (or A7). Maybe you can do that on the chorus to make it a bit different.


28 Sep 04 - 02:39 AM (#1282870)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: Cluin

By the way, may as well correct the lyrics in the DT for this song while I'm at it...   (corrections in italics)


RAMBLIN` ROVER
(Andy M. Stewart)

(chorus)
Oh, there's sober men in plenty
And drunkards barely twenty
There are men of over ninety
That have never yet kissed a girl
But give me a ramblin' rover
Fae Orkney down to Dover
We will roam the country over
And together we'll face the world

There's many that feign enjoyment
From merciless employment
Their ambition was this deployment
From the minute they left the school
And they save and scrape and ponder
While the rest go out and squander
See the world and rove and wander
And they're happier as a rule

(chorus)

I have roamed through all the nations
Ta'en delight in all creation
And enjoyed a wee sensation
Where the company did prove kind
And when parting was no pleasure
I've drunk another measure
To the good friends that we treasure
For they always are in our minds

(chorus)

If you're bent with ar-thir-itis,
Your bowels have got colitis
You've galloping bollockitis
And you're thinking it's time you died
If you've been a man of action
Though you're lying there in traction
You may gain some satisfaction
Thinking, "Jesus, at least I tried!"

(chorus)


28 Aug 08 - 12:17 PM (#2424425)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: GUEST,SayBitter

Try this:

D
There are sober men in plenty
    G                D
And drunkards barely twenty
          G          D
There are men of over ninety
          Em                A
Who have never yet kissed a girl
          D   
But give me a ramblin' rover
      G             D
From Orkney down to Dover
          G                D
And we'll roam the country over
       Em          A       D
And together we'll face the world.


Works for me! (Note that some of the Chords don't line up with the lyrics because of the font, but you'll figure it out.)


13 Oct 13 - 05:10 PM (#3566626)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ramblin' Rover
From: GUEST,ketchdana

Could the "correct" words to Ramblin' Rover, as written two posts above by "Cluin" (28 Sep 04 - 02:39 AM), be put into the DT?

The version that's sitting in the DT now is almost laughable in places.
Not sure which of the Ramblin' Rover threads to post this to.

I would make just one change: Substitute "wir" for "our" at the end of the second verse.
The "justification" for this? Whenever Andy sings the song, that's the word he uses, both in Silly Wizard recordings and in a youtube video from 2008. "Wir" = "our" is in mudcat's own Scots Glossary (www.mudcat.org/scots/). It is the first-person plural possessive pronoun, based on "we", in the same way "your" comes from "you". And he (Andy) wrote it and sings it, so I'd take his word for it. His wird is "wir". [Sorry 'bout that. That's in mudcat's Scots Glossary too.]
Oh, and Cluin's "fae" should probably be "frae".

Thanks,

... Bob


I s'pose you could add below the song:

   frae = from
   wir = our
   gie = give             [found in a number of lists]
   Orkney = island(s) just North of Scotland.
   Dover = town on South-East England coast. (Landewednack doesn't rhyme.)
   galloping b. = see your doctor immediately. (or have him/her see you.)


14 Oct 13 - 04:26 AM (#3566703)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: GUEST,FloraG

I like the Bob Fox version. He adds a tune between verses. As far as I can tell AS always sung it accompanied.
FloraG.


14 Apr 15 - 03:46 PM (#3701852)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: GUEST

Sadly ironic, given Andy's current state. Hope the fundraising has success.


08 Jun 17 - 08:11 PM (#3859735)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: GUEST,Mikki

This isn't in the same key as Andy's version on youtube, but I like these chords for it. (The chords are the same for all three verses, but I'll leave them all here anyway)


(chorus)
             C
Oh, there's sober men in plenty, And drunkards barely twenty
            F          C                Dm       Em       F
There are men of over ninety, That have never yet kissed a girl
      C      
But give me a ramblin' rover, Fr'ae Orkney down to Dover
          F                C         F             G7       C      G7-
We will roam the country over, And together we'll face the world


       C
There's many that feign enjoyment

From merciless employment
       F                C
Their ambition was this deployment
         Dm          Em       F
From the minute they left the school
          C
And they save and scrape and ponder

While the rest go out and squander
          F                  C
See the world and rove and wander
            F       G7   F
And they're happier as a rule

   
       C
I have roamed through all the nations
                  
In delight of all creations,
      F            C
And enjoyed a wee sensation
          Dm          Em    F
Where the company did prove kind
         C
And when partin' was no pleasure

Ive drunk another measure
       F                   C
To the good friends that we treasure
         F          G7    F
For they always are in our mind.


          C   
If you're bent with ar-thir-itis,

Your bowels have got colitis
       F                C
You've galloping bollockitis
          Dm            Em       F
And you're thinking it's time you died
          C
If you've been a man of action

Though you're lying there in traction
       F               C
You may gain some satisfaction
          F         G7      F
Thinking, "Jesus, at least I tried!"


09 Jun 17 - 07:15 AM (#3859823)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: GUEST,kenny

These are the words and chords in my copy of "The Andy M. Stewart Songbook", [ Pgs. 38 / 39 ] - generously given to me by Andy himself when it was printed
- Pg 38 :

(chorus)
            C
Oh, there's sober men in plenty, And drunkards barely twenty
          F          C                Dm                F
There are men of over ninety, That have never yet kissed a girl
         C      
But gi'e me a ramblin' rover, and fae Orkney down to Dover
       F                C         F             G       C      
We will roam the country over, And together we'll face the world


          C
Oh there's many that feign enjoyment

From merciless employment
       F                C
Their ambition was this deployment
          Dm                   F
Since the minute they left the school
    C
They save and scrape and ponder

While the rest go out and squander
          F                C
See the world and rove and wander
            G            C
And they're happier as a rule

   
    C
I've roamed through all the nations
                  
Ta'en delight of all creation,
         F             C
And I've tried a wee sensation
          Dm                F
Where the company did prove kind
         C
And when parting was no pleasure

I've drunk another measure
       F                   C
To the good friends that we treasure
         G                C
For they always are in our minds.


          C   
If you're bent with arth(i)ritis,

Your bowels have got colitis
       F                C
You've gallopin' bollockitis
          Dm                     F
And you're thinkin' it's time you died
          C
If you've been a man of action

Though you're lyin' there in traction
       F             C
You may gain some satisfaction
          F                C
Thinking, "Jesus, at least I tried!"

I'm giving no guarantees as to the "correctness" of the chords supplied - these are what are in the book. The words are verbatim from the book, although it is perfectly possible that Andy may have slightly changed them himself from performance to performance.
I heard Andy sing the song unaccompanied many, many times, but also on occasions accompanied by Manus Lunny on bouzouki and there is a "Youtube" clip of Andy singing it accompanied by Gerry O'Beirne on guitar.
Andy wouldn't have cared whether you sung the song accompanied or unaccompanied - he'd just have been very happy to hear someone singing one of his songs.


09 Jun 17 - 07:18 AM (#3859825)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: Ramblin' Rover
From: GUEST,kenny

Sorry about this, but it's really not my fault. In posting the chords above the lyrics, the spacing appears to have shifted the chords so that they no longer match the lyrics. I don't think I can do anything about that - I did my best.