He was best known as a pioneer of the acoustic blues revival, but his work ranged from old English ballads to Bertolt Brecht, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing. He was a pioneer of instrumental ragtime guitar, as well as an early supporter of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, among many others. Van Ronk was very influential on the music scene in New York City in the 1960s.
His professional musical career started when he moved from Brooklyn to Queens in 1951 and started doing pick-up work in traditional jazz outfits.
Van Ronk died of colorectal cancer (colon cancer) in 2002.
He Was A Friend Of Mine
Dave Van Ronk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was a friend of mine
Every time I think about him now
Lord I just can't keep from crying
Cause he was friend a friend of mine
He died on the road
He died on the road
To pay his room or board
He was a friend of mine
I stole away and cried
I stole away and cried
Cause I never had too much money
And I can't be satisfied
He was a friend of mine
He never done no wrong
He never done no wrong
He was just a poor boy
Long way from home
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Every time I hear his name
I just can't keep from crying
Cause he was a friend of mine
The lyrics of Dave Van Ronk's "He Was A Friend Of Mine" tell the story of a man who has lost a dear friend. The song begins with the singer acknowledging that the person he is singing about was a good friend of his. His friend's memory continues to grip him so much that he can't avoid his emotions and starts crying whenever he thinks of him. The friend met an unfortunate end as he died on the road without any wealth to his name.
The verse of the song "He never had no money to pay his room or board" reveals that the singer's friend was lacking in finances, and this could have been a significant factor leading to his death. The next verse continues to speak to the theme of financial scarcity, with the singer acknowledging that he himself never had much money and that he can never be satisfied. It is possible that he feels some level of guilt over his friend's death, as if he should have been able to do more to help him.
The closing verse speaks about the fact that the friend was a good person who never did anything wrong but was nonetheless a long way from his place of origin. In the end, the pain of the singer's loss is acute, and he can't help but cry every time he hears his friend's name. The repetition of "He was a friend of mine" throughout the song serves to reinforce the deep connection that the singer had with his lost friend.
Line by Line Meaning
He was a friend of mine
He was someone I knew and considered a friend
He died on the road
He passed away while traveling
He never had no money
To pay his room or board
He didn't have enough money to cover his expenses during his travels
I stole away and cried
Cause I never had too much money
And I can't be satisfied
I had to hide and cry because I also had financial struggles and couldn't find contentment
He never done no wrong
He was just a poor boy
Long way from home
He was an innocent, impoverished person who was far from where he grew up
Every time I hear his name
I just can't keep from crying
I am still deeply affected by thoughts of him and can't help but get emotional
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: D. HOLMBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@estremonias1112
Incredible interpretation, he was feeling each word that is singing
Greetings dear Dave Van Ronk.
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Never had no money
Pay for his fines
He was friend a friend of mine
He died on the road
He died on the road
Never had no money
Pay for his board
He was a friend of mine
He never done no wrong
He never done no wrong
He was just a poor boy
A long way from home
He was a friend of mine
I stole away and cried
I stole away and cried
Never had no money
And I can't be satisfied
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
When I hear his name
You know, I just can't keep from crying
He was a friend of mine
@janfine974
I was at the tribute concert. Van Ronk was obvioussly affected. He prefaced his performance by telling the audience that he could sing no more, or no less.
@newsman1234
Exactly, right on comment. He was also a brilliant acoustic guitarist who was loyal to his roots and didn’t sell out to commercialism
@encm
Can we all just take a moment to appreciate one of the most underrepresented geniuses of our time?
@BazookaTooth707
They'd like us to forget these folk singers ever existed imo.
@mauriwestmoreland5687
Dave was my favorite singer, song writer everything since I was 14 or 15 yrs old. I got to meet him when he was at the troubadour, Joni Mitchell opened for him & I had never heard of her, but it was a good set. Long live songs and memories of Dave Van Ronk -
@dipierro4
I had a similar experience once. Went to see a singer, Chi Coltrane, that I adored (& still do). Her opening act was a young, unknown guy from Chicago who played & sang by himself -- had a song about Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore....
@dipierro4
I saw him perform many times. He was unique beyond words. Sad that he's been pretty much forgotten. He didn't leave a great legacy of recordings, so I'm thankful that someone has found old videos like this.
@HoldenNY22
Are you talking about PHil Ochs or Dave Can Ronk?
@dipierro4
@@HoldenNY22 Van Ronk. I listened to Ochs' records a lot, but never saw him in concert.
@seekinghealing
I still have his records...one of my all time favorites as well.