My Ramblin' Boy

DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls the "ramblin' boy" with whom he traveled, who stuck with him in all conditions. On a cold night in a hobo jungle, the ramblin' boy dies. The singer speculates that he will still be rambling in the afterlife
AUTHOR: Tom Paxton
EARLIEST DATE: 1963 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: rambling death friend
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 61, "My Ramblin' Boy" (1 text)
DT, RAMBLBOY*
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Ramblin' Boy
NOTES [177 words]: Like several other Tom Paxton songs, this has not really entered oral tradition, but it certainly has a strong place in the repertoire of professional folksingers, who ramble more than most. I *have* seen it listed as traditional -- and by people who really should have known better. I'm allowing it to be listed here to make it clear that it is composed.
Tom Paxton himself, on p. 60 of The Honor of Your Company (edited and with an introduction by Milton Okun; Cherry Lane Music, 2000) , says that this was written between shows at the Gaslight, and was in part a response to the Dylan/van Ronk version of "He Was a Friend of Mine."
ing, five songs in the Index -- "The Marvelous Toy," "The Last Thing on My Mind," "My Ramblin' Boy," "Going to the Zoo," and "I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound" -- and all were written and recorded very early in his career. Nor have I seen any hints of any of his later songs matching those five in popularity. - RBW
This shouldn't be confused with versions of "Wild and Wicked Youth" that are called "Ramblin' Boy". - PJS
Last updated in version 6.4
File: FSWB061

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