Rakes of Poverty, The

DESCRIPTION: Irish variant on "The Son of a Gambolier." The singer describes himself as "the rambling rakes of poverty... the son of a gambaleer." He likes drink, and lives shabbily, in used clothes and shoes. He wishes he had drink and sugar for all
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: drink rambling poverty
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H741, p. 50, "The Rakes of Poverty" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, SONGAMB2*
Roud #2964
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, as109580, "New Orleans Song of the Times" ("I am a rambling rake of poverty"), unknown, no date
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Son of a Gambolier (I)" (tune) and references there
SAME TUNE:
The Freight Handlers' Strike ("It was at Cooper's Institute, Jack Burke and I chanced to meet") (by Andrew A. Walls) (Foner, p. 238, with a broadside print on p. 240)
NOTES [25 words]: This is so close to "The Son of a Gambolier" that I'm tempted to list them as one song. But they're usually listed as separate, so here it stands. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.0
File: HHH741

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography