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My Ramblin’ Boy

[Tom Paxton]

Tom Paxton sang his own song My Ramblin’ Boy live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963.

Alex Campbell sang Rambling Boy at a concert on 16 August 1965 in Copenhagen, which was recorded and released in the same year on his Storyville album Alex Campbell in Copenhagen.

Sandy Denny recorded My Ramblin’ Boy in Spring 1967 at the sessions that produced the Saga Records albums Alex Campbell and His Friends andr Sandy and Johnny, but neither of them contained this song. It had to wait until 1978 to be added to the compilation/reissue album The Original Sandy Denny. It was also included in 2005 on a compilation of her Saga tracks, Where the Time Goes.

Lyrics

Sandy Denny sings My Ramblin’ Boy

He was a man and a friend always
We rambled on in the bad old days.
He never cared if I had no dough,
He stuck with me in the rain and snow.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
And here’s to you, my ramblin’ boy,
May all your ramblin’ bring you joy.
Here’s to you, my ramblin’ boy,
May all your ramblin’ bring you joy.

In Tulsa town we chanced to stray.
We thought we try and work one day.
The boss said he had room for one,
Said my old pal, “We’d rather bum.”

Late one night in a jungle camp
The weather it was cold and damp.
He got the chills and he got them bad,
I lost the only friend I had.

He left me here to ramble on,
My ramblin’ pal is dead and gone.
When we die, we go somewhere,
I’ll bet you a dollar he’ll be ramblin’ there.