Tune of the Day: The Ramblin' Rover
This song was written by Scottish singer/songwriter Andy Stewart while he was the frontman for the folk band Silly Wizard (1970–1988). Several of his songs have become well-known within the folk community, including “The Ramblin' Rover”.
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.
(A ceilidh is a traditional Scottish/Irish social gathering, featuring folk music and singing, traditional dancing, and storytelling.)
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 frae Orkney down to Dover
We will roam the country over
And together we'll face the world.
Thanks to Hugo for suggesting this tune!