Alfred William Roberts was born in 1907 in the village of Hampreston, Dorset England, where his parents taught in the village school. Robert’s father, who was brought up in North Wales, ran the church choir as well as playing the piano, church organ, melodeon, concertina and fiddle for village dances. These musical interests led Ralph Vaughan Williams to visit him at the village.
Roberts attended Wimborne Grammar School on a choral scholarship. After leaving school at 17, he eventually became a journalist at the Orpington Gazette, before moving to work as a sports reporter for the Daily Mail on Fleet Street. Robert found it difficult to settle at job at the Mail, and twice took off on long sea voyages. Finally he left the newspaper to work on a Thames sailing barge. Apart from a short stint as a sub-editor at the East Anglian Daily Times in the late forties, Roberts would work on eight barges over the next 35 years, initially as a mate and on his final five boats, as skipper. His other voyages at sea would take him to the West Indies, Ascension Island, West Africa and Brazil.
In 1940 Roberts married his wife, Amelia or ‘Toni’, whom he’d first met in the late 1920s and in 1949 they moved to Pin Mill, on the River Orwell. And it was while working at East Anglian Times that F.T. Everard and Sons offered Roberts the captaincy of the Cambria, the Thames Sailing Barge he was to make famous.
Working as a bargeman allowed Roberts to collect songs from bargemen and others he met along the East Anglian coast, which he added to his repertoire of his own songs. Working on barges also affected Roberts literary output, because even as a skipper his wages didn’t support his family, which included two daughters. So, he supplemented his income by writing books and articles, often while waiting for good sea-going conditions.
Roberts had a good selection of songs by the 1950s when he met the folklorist Peter Kennedy. Kennedy was making field recordings for the English Folk Dance and Song Society and the BBC, and together they recorded some of Robert’s folk singing contacts for the BBC folk programme As I Roved Out.
From the 1950s onwards, Roberts appeared in folk clubs and festivals. He gained the reputation as a great story teller, distinctive singer and charismatic personality. In 1966, Roberts read five sea-faring stories on the BBC children's programme Jackanory.
As Thames Barges became increasingly economically unfeasible, Everards offered to sell Roberts the Cambria which he ran as owner between 1966 and 1970 when it was sold to the Maritime Trust. He then bought a replacement, a motor coaster called the Vectis Isle. In the seventies Roberts and his wife moved to live on the Isle of Wight where he made his last two records, as well joining in sing-alongs. After Toni died in 1978, Roberts married his second wife Sheila. Bob Roberts died in 1982 at the age of 74.
Recordings:
Songs from the Sailing Barges, Topic Records 12TS361, 1978
Breeze for a Bargeman, Solent Records SS054, 1981
Ballads, Complaintes et Shanties des Matelots Anglais (Various Artists: Chants de Marins IV – 2 tracks), Le Chasse-Marée SCM005, 1984
Sea Songs and Shanties (Various Artists - 14 tracks recorded by Peter Kennedy), Saydisc CD-SDL 405, 1994
Hidden English (1 track), Topic Records TSCD600, 1996
My Ship Shall Sail the Ocean (the Voice of the People series Vol. 2 - 1 track) , Topic Records TSCD652, 1998
To Catch a Fine Buck Was My Delight (The Voice of the People series Vol. 17 - 1 track) , Topic Records TSCD668, 1998
Ragtime Cowboy Joe
Bob Roberts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As he swings back and forward in the saddle
On a horse that is syncopated, gaited
And there's such a funny meter to the roar of his repeater
How they run when they hear that fellow's gun
Because the Western folks all know
He's a highfaluting, scooting, shooting son-of-a-gun from Arizona
Fit as a fiddle and ready for love
As he swings back and forward in the saddle
On a horse that is syncopated, gaited
And there's such a funny meter to the roar of his repeater
How they run when they hear that fellow's gun
Because the Western folks all know
He's a highfaluting, scooting, shooting son-of-a-gun from Arizona
Fit as a fiddle and ready for love
The lyrics to Bob Roberts's song Ragtime Cowboy Joe describe a colorful and charismatic cowboy who entertains the cattle with ragtime music as he rides through the Western plains of Arizona. The playful, syncopated rhythm of the song mirrors the galloping of his horse, which has a unique step that adds to the cowboy's appeal. The amusing meter of his cowboy entertainment comes from the sound of his gun, which makes the cattle scatter in all directions. The cowboy is depicted as a highfalutin' and fearless son of a gun, renowned for his horse-riding abilities and readiness for adventure.
The song's lyrics capture the spirit of the American West, where cowboys were legendary figures who symbolized freedom, courage, and adventure. The cowboy's ragtime music and rhythm symbolize his independence and unconventionality, while his gun represents his ability to protect himself and others. The song highlights the intrinsic connection between cowboys and the animals they protect on the ranch, emphasizing the cowboy's respect and love for the land and the creatures that inhabit it.
Line by Line Meaning
He always sings raggy music to the cattle
He sings a type of music to the cattle that has a ragged rhythm.
As he swings back and forward in the saddle
As he moves back and forth on his horse's saddle.
On a horse that is syncopated, gaited
He rides a horse that has a syncopated gait.
And there's such a funny meter to the roar of his repeater
The sound of his gun has a unique rhythm.
How they run when they hear that fellow's gun
The cattle run in fear when they hear the sound of his gun.
Because the Western folks all know
The people from the Western region know.
He's a highfaluting, scooting, shooting son-of-a-gun from Arizona
He is a fancy, fast-moving, and talented shooter from Arizona.
Fit as a fiddle and ready for love
He is in excellent physical shape and prepared for romance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRANT CLARKE, MAURICE ABRAHAMS, LEWIS MUIR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pgh45rpms
Nice that Bob sings the seldom heard introduction.
@joelacindaterry1582
When I was a little boy, my grandfather would sing this song to me. Thank you for sharing it! It brings back fabulous memories.
@andrewb731
Very impressed you excavated this ancient artifact. Two minutes from 1912, preserved forever.
@jauch0
For whatever it's worth, Arizona became a state in 1912. Maybe there's a connection, maybe there's not.
@juliusseizure591
Yes, the idea was to capitalize on both Arizona's statehood and the ragtime craze.
@Juliaflo
@@juliusseizure591 When Barry Goldwater was born, it was still a territory.
@nunyabiz-
Obviously, enjoyable through generations ! 🧡🌞
@adaltonflitz1613
I discovered this recording today, I already knew this song in the voice of the Andrews sisters
@danielarick2105
I have also heard a recording on You Tube called "They Start the Victrola", sung by Billy Murray that was done in 1914
@Richie_roo
Recorded 69 days after arizona became a state.