Hey Folks
This is a rare little Bob Dylan tune called Rambling Gambling Willie.
Its based on the melody and story telling of an old Irish tune called Brennan On The Moor which is about an Irish Highway man who was hung in Cork in 1809.
When Bob Dylan was around 17-18 years old he would go and listen to the Clancy Brothers play in venues in Greenwich Village in New York.
At that time Brennan On The Moor was one of the Clany's big songs.Dylan changed the lyrics to be about a gambler called Will O Connelly which was the real name of Wild Bill Hickock.
"Rambling, Gambling Willie"
Bob Dylan
Come around you rovin' gamblers and a story I will tell
About the greatest gambler, you all should know him well
His name was Will O' Conley and he gambled all his life
He's had 27 children, yet he's never had a wife
And it's ride, Willie, ride
Roll, Willie, roll
Wherever you are gamblin' now
Nobody really knows
Sailin' down the Mississippi to a town called New Orleans
There was a famous card game on that Jackson River Queen
"I've come to win some money",old gambling Willie says
When the game was over the whole damn boat was his
And it's ride, Willie, ride
Roll, Willie, roll
Wherever you are gamblin' now
Nobody really knows
But Willie had a heart of gold and this I know is true
He supported all his children and all their mothers too
He wore no rings or fancy things like other gamblers wore
He spread his money far and wide to help the sick and the poor
And it's ride, Willie, ride
Roll, Willie, roll
Wherever you are gamblin' now
Nobody really knows
It was late one evenin' as they played a poker game
A man lost all his money, he said, "Willie was to blame"
He shot poor Willie through the heart, which was a tragic fate
When Willie's cards fell on the floor, they were aces backed with eights
And it's ride, Willie, ride
Roll, Willie, roll
Wherever you are gamblin' now
Nobody really knows
So all you ramblin' gamblers, wherever you might be
The moral of this story is very plain to see
Spend your money while you can, before you have to stop
For when you pull that dead man's hand, your gamblin' days are up
And it's ride, Willie, ride
Roll, Willie, roll
Wherever you are gamblin' now
Nobody really knows
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