Ramblin' Boy & The Ballad of Geraldine

[Ed Lewandowski]

I'm listening to The Very Best of Donovan and the track currently
playing is called "Ramblin' Boy" which sounds very much like
Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe". Actually, the tune is identical? There
is absolutley no information, other than the title of the song with
this CD. Can anybody fill in the blanks? Who wrote it? When? etc.

I was just about to post this when a track titled "Ballad of
Geraldine" came on. This one sounds identical to Dylan's "Boots
of Spanish Leather". Again, can anyone supply more info? Did
Dylan's songs come first? Is Donovan singing traditional songs?
What's the story?

TIA - Ed.

[Sasha Nyary]

In article <7...@omega.DIALix.oz.au>, e...@omega.DIALix.oz.au (Ed
Lewandowski) wrote:

I've never posted here, but I know there's lots of folks who do, who, like
me, use the "Digital Tradition Folk Song Full Text Search" on the Web:
http://web2.xerox.com/digitrad

What a terrific service! It has zillions of lyrics, is very easy to use,
and you can even listen to the tune (on most if not all of the songs.). I
assume the Donovan song you heard is the same Ramblin Boy I've loved for
25 years. And no, it's not the same tune as Ain't Me Babe, although to my
ear it's a bit similar. I don't know the Ballad of Geraldine, and that was
*not* on the database I searched. Shame on Donovan and his label for not
giving credit to the songwriters!

Here's what I did find:

RAMBLIN BOY

He was a pal and a friend always
We rambled round in the hard ol' days
He never cared if I had no dough
We rambled round in the rain and snow

So here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your rambles bring you joy
So here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your rambles bring you joy

In Tulsa town we chanced to stray
We thought we'd try to work one day
The boss says he had room for one
Says my old pal, "We'd rather bum"

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

He left me here to ramble on
My ramblin' pal is dead and gone
If when we die we go somewhere
I'll bet you a dollar he's ramblin' there

Words and music by Tom Paxton, copyright 1963 Cherry Lane Music.
Recorded on his Rambling Boy album and on Judy Collins' Songbook.
@chorus @gypsy @travel
filename[ RAMBLBOY
play.exe RAMBLBOY
DC

===============================================================
Sasha Nyary (212) 522-1224 sny...@life.timeinc.com
LIFE magazine, 1271 6th Avenue (4th floor), New York, NY 10020
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employer
==============================================================

[Ed Lewandowski]

Thanks Sasha,

>
>I assume the Donovan song you heard is the same Ramblin Boy I've
>loved for 25 years. And no, it's not the same tune as Ain't Me
>Babe, although to my ear it's a bit similar.
>

>Here's what I did find:
>
>RAMBLIN BOY
>
>He was a pal and a friend always
>We rambled round in the hard ol' days
>He never cared if I had no dough
>We rambled round in the rain and snow
>

However, the plot thickens. The song by Donovan sounds just like
It Ain't Me Babe; not identical as I first stated; that was a bit
of poetic license ;-)

And the words are nothing like the words above. Here are the words:

As I linger on this windy road, my suitcase in my hand,
I think of how some time ago, together we did stand,
Bewildered tears lay in your eyes, as you tried to make me see,
That if you gave your love to me, how could I leave so easily.

[At this point it stops sounding like It Ain't Me Babe]

'Cos I am called the ramblin' boy, like the wind that is so free,
Yes I am called the ramblin' boy, so ramblin' boy I'll be.

[And now it returns to the It Ain't Me Babe tune]

I turned my collar to the cold, I pulled my cap down low,
I'll sing this song I wrote for you, wherever I may go,
So I linger on this windy road, I hope your tears are dry,
Don't you never forget this ramblin' boy, no matter how hard try.

[Stops sounding like It Ain't Me Babe again]

'Cos I am called the ramblin' boy, like the wind that is so free,
Yes I am called the ramblin' boy, so ramblin' boy I'll be.

That's about as precise as I can be.

Any more offers?

Regards - Ed.

[P. D. Read]

Sorry Sasha, the Donovan Ramblin Boy is not the same as Tom Paxton's song
Donovan's goes something like:-
I am called the Ramblin Boy, like the wind that is so free...
if my mem'ry serves me well.
To continue on Donovan's songs, without checking the dates, I'm
sure all the Dylan soundalikes precede Donovan's songs, at best
they are just folk tunes that both picked up on indepenently.
I did post a while ago concerning the (unreleased?) song of
Donovan's "Darling Tangerine Eyes" which goes:-
"hey darling Tangerine Eyes sing a song for me
One that I can hear all the day.....
It was featured on a TV broadcast on Donovan around 65/66 - a
friend did tape it (audio) and later on wrote the lyrics out for
me (still have them somewhere). Remember that Bob was on TV in UK
in Jan 63, and also played a few clubs around London then + recorded
with Dick Farina.
Probably Donovan was also around the same places then.
Also Bob played a concert in London in 64, whereas I believe Donovan's
first album was not released until '65 (correct me someone?)
I was so much younger then (15 in 64) but did catch the tail end of the
UK "Beat" scene, on which Donovan was a regular traveller, as also was Paul
Simon, but "don't start me talkin, I'll tell everything I know..."

On 1 Aug 1995, Sasha Nyary wrote:

> In article <7...@omega.DIALix.oz.au>, e...@omega.DIALix.oz.au (Ed
> Lewandowski) wrote:
>
> > I'm listening to The Very Best of Donovan and the track currently
> > playing is called "Ramblin' Boy" which sounds very much like
> > Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe". Actually, the tune is identical? There
> > is absolutley no information, other than the title of the song with
> > this CD. Can anybody fill in the blanks? Who wrote it? When? etc.
> >
> > I was just about to post this when a track titled "Ballad of
> > Geraldine" came on. This one sounds identical to Dylan's "Boots
> > of Spanish Leather". Again, can anyone supply more info? Did
> > Dylan's songs come first? Is Donovan singing traditional songs?
> > What's the story?
> >
> > TIA - Ed.
> >
>
> I've never posted here, but I know there's lots of folks who do, who, like
> me, use the "Digital Tradition Folk Song Full Text Search" on the Web:
> http://web2.xerox.com/digitrad
>
> What a terrific service! It has zillions of lyrics, is very easy to use,

> and you can even listen to the tune (on most if not all of the songs.). I

> assume the Donovan song you heard is the same Ramblin Boy I've loved for
> 25 years. And no, it's not the same tune as Ain't Me Babe, although to my

> ear it's a bit similar. I don't know the Ballad of Geraldine, and that was
> *not* on the database I searched. Shame on Donovan and his label for not
> giving credit to the songwriters!
>
>

[gfr...@gmail.com]

Ballad of Geraldine melody is identical to Dylan's Girl From the North Country. Dylan did inform Donovan that he did indeed compose the melody. This was contrary to Donovan's belief that it was traditional. (might be a scene in the film, 'Don't Look Back'

[Tanya Glenn]

On Monday, August 24, 2015 at 2:00:47 p.m. UTC-4, gfr...@gmail.com wrote:
> Ballad of Geraldine melody is identical to Dylan's Girl From the North Country. Dylan did inform Donovan that he did indeed compose the melody. This was contrary to Donovan's belief that it was traditional. (might be a scene in the film, 'Don't Look Back'
> On Tuesday, August 1, 1995 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Ed Lewandowski wrote:
> > I'm listening to The Very Best of Donovan and the track currently
> > playing is called "Ramblin' Boy" which sounds very much like
> > Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe". Actually, the tune is identical? There
> > is absolutley no information, other than the title of the song with
> > this CD. Can anybody fill in the blanks? Who wrote it? When? etc.
> >

> > I was just about to post this a track titled "Ballad of

> > Geraldine" came on. This one sounds identical to Dylan's "Boots
> > of Spanish Leather". Again, can anyone supply more info? Did
> > Dylan's songs come first? Is Donovan singing traditional songs?
> > What's the story?
> >
> > TIA - Ed.

Tom Paxtons Rambling boy sounds a lot like Dylans dont think twice ... especially the guitar... interesting i think because music used to be more about the music then than the artist... they were just all inspired by each and writing without a thought to how similar it may be and certainly not getting upset about it like things are now because thats what it was inspiration. I miss something I never even had the pleasure of knowing. Something it seems none of our youth will ever know when you watch the videos now.... MUSIC. The message and the music bought and sold and bought again.

[chr...@privacy.net]

Hmm, interesting. I admit the melodies are similar but the chord
sequence is enormously different.
I think that, since there are only eleven notes in an octave, then the
number of possibilities for completely new tunes is probably nil by now.
Therefore it is inevitable that similarities will occur.
All that can be creatively changed is a new arrangement of those 12
notes (and occasionally their octaves), the instruments you play them on
- and the words of course :-)

Chris D

[scot...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, August 1, 1995 at 2:00:00 AM UTC-5, Ed Lewandowski wrote:
> I'm listening to The Very Best of Donovan and the track currently
> playing is called "Ramblin' Boy" which sounds very much like
> Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe". Actually, the tune is identical? There
> is absolutley no information, other than the title of the song with
> this CD. Can anybody fill in the blanks? Who wrote it? When? etc.

> I was just about to post this when a track titled "Ballad of

> Geraldine" came on. This one sounds identical to Dylan's "Boots
> of Spanish Leather". Again, can anyone supply more info? Did
> Dylan's songs come first? Is Donovan singing traditional songs?
> What's the story?
> TIA - Ed.

It's Tom Paxton's song- Ramblin' Boy. In my repertoire for 30 years.