Contemporary: The Ramblin' Rover
The Ramblin' Rover
Words and music by Andy's web site)
Chorus & verse: mp3 (341K)
"The Ramblin' Rover" is performed by
Notes: Andy M. Stewart writes: "I wrote
this song for my dear friends in our band "Silly Wizard," and to give
some kind of an idea of the craziness of life as a touring musician. We used
to
have ceilidhs very frequently and that's where the life of this song began.
Since then it seems to have been adopted as an anthem of committed partyers
the
world over." It's practically a traditional song in its own
right!
Andy recorded this song on By the Hush, Live
Wizardry and The Best of Silly Wizard. The words, sheet music and chords
appear
in his songbook, Stewart Collection.
Guitar chords
Chorus/verse:
C
C
F C
Dm F
C
C
F C
F G C
Chorus:
Oh, there're sober men in plenty,
And drunkards barely twenty,
There are men of over ninety
That have never yet kissed a girl.
But gie me a ramblin' rover,
And 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 are happier as a rule.
I've roamed through all the nations
Ta'en delight in all creation,
And I've tried a wee sensation
Where the company, did prove kind.
And when partin' was no pleasure,
I've drunk another measure
To the good friends that were treasure
For they always are in our minds.
If you're bent wi' arth-i-ritis,
Your bowels have got colitis,
You've gallopin' with bollockitis
And you're thinkin' it's time you died,
If you been a man of action,
Though you're lying there in traction,
You will get some satisfaction
Thinkin', "Jesus, at least I tried."