Relocating to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, McClinton emerged in a partnership with fellow Texan Glen Clark, performing a combination of country and soul music. They achieved a degree of artistic success, releasing two albums before splitting, with McClinton embarking on a solo career. Emmylou Harris had a number 1 hit in 1978 with his composition "Two More Bottles of Wine", and McClinton's "B Movie Boxcar Blues" was covered on the first album of The Blues Brothers, Briefcase full of blues. His 1980 album, The Jealous Kind contained his only Top 40 hit single "Givin' It Up for Your Love".
After a rest period during much of the '80s, McClinton made a welcome return in 1989 with the fiery album Live From Austin, taped during an Austin City Limits appearance. He won a 1991 Grammy for his duet with Bonnie Raitt, "Good Man, Good Woman", and reached the Top 5 of the country charts with the Tanya Tucker duet, "Tell Me About It". He recorded the opening title song "Weatherman" for the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day. The fledgling label Rising Tide offered One of the Fortunate Few in 1997, but the label quickly folded. In addition to releasing two new studio albums in the early 2000s, New West Records issued Delbert McClinton Live in 2003, a compilation of songs from throughout his career.
McClinton is the star of the upcoming musical documentary: "Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey" by Hawaii-based film maker Jay Curlee. The feature includes interviews and performances by McClinton, Marcia Ball, Rodney Crowell, Stephen Bruton, Wayne Toups, Jimmy Hall,Paul Thorn, Jeffrey Steele and Teresa James. Sometime author, musician, sheriff and now Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman also stars. The film will be entered in the 2006 Telluride Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and Hawaii International Film Festival.
The Wanderer
Delbert McClinton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where pretty girls are, well, you'll know that I'm
Around
I kiss 'em and I love 'em 'cause to me they're all the
Same
I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em, they don't even know my
Name
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
There's Flo on my left and there's Mary on my right
And Janie is the girl that I will be with tonight
And when she asks me which one I love the best
I tear open my shirt and show, Rosie on my chest
'Cause I'm the wanderer, yeah, wanderer
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
Well, I roam from town to town
Live life without a care
I'm as happy as a clown
With my two fists of iron but I'm goin' nowhere
I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around
I'm never in one place, I roam from town to town
And when I find myself a-fallin' for some girl
Yeah, I hop right into that car of mine and drive
Around the world
Yeah, I'm the wanderer, yeah, wanderer
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
And 'round and 'round and 'round
Well, I roam from town to town
I live life without a care
And I'm as happy as a clown
With my two fists of iron but I'm goin' nowhere
I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around
I'm never in one place, I roam from town to town
And when I find myself a-fallin' for some girl
Yeah, I hop right into that car of mine and drive
Around the world
'Cause I'm the wanderer, yeah, wanderer
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round and
'round
They call me the wanderer, yeah, the wanderer
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round and
'round
They call me wanderer, they call me the wanderer
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round and
'round
They call me the wanderer, yeah, wanderer
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
And 'round and 'round and 'round
They call me the wanderer, yeah, wanderer
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round and
'round
'Cause I'm a wanderer, yeah a wanderer
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
And 'round and 'round and 'round
"The Wanderer" is a song about a man who lives his life without any commitments or responsibilities. This man is constantly on the move, traveling from town to town and never staying in one place for too long. He enjoys the company of women and doesn't have any desire to settle down with just one. This carefree lifestyle may seem exciting, but it also leaves him feeling unfulfilled as he admits he's going nowhere.
The singer admits he is not interested in genuine emotional attachment with women. He is often with different women, but to him, they are just a temporary place to rest his heart for a moment. He doesn't care that they do not know his name or that he cannot remember theirs. This disconnection is clearly reflected in how he introduces Rosie, whom he claims to be his only love, but it's also clear that she is just another fleeting love.
The singer acknowledges that he's aimless and is only coasting through life. He doesn't have a place he belongs to, and he's content with just wandering around. It is this sense of aimlessness that highlights the true message of the song: it's not all fun and games. At the end of the day, the singer is still alone and unfulfilled, despite his carefree lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm the type of guy who would never settles down
The singer is someone who enjoys moving around too much to stay in one place.
Where pretty girls are, well, you'll know that I'm Around
The singer loves being around pretty girls.
I kiss 'em and I love 'em 'cause to me they're all the Same
The singer values each of his romantic liaisons equally.
I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em, they don't even know my Name
The artist has so many romantic partners that some don't even know his name.
They call me the wanderer, yeah, wanderer
The artist is known as the wanderer because he moves around so frequently.
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
The singer is constantly moving about from place to place.
There's Flo on my left and there's Mary on my right
The singer is surrounded by pretty girls.
And Janie is the girl that I will be with tonight
The artist has chosen to spend time with Janie tonight.
And when she asks me which one I love the best
Janie wants to know which of the artist's partners he loves most.
I tear open my shirt and show, Rosie on my chest
The artist points to a tattoo of a woman named Rosie to indicate that she is his favorite.
'Cause I'm the wanderer, yeah, wanderer
The singer repeats that he is known as the wanderer.
Well, I roam from town to town
The artist moves between different towns.
Live life without a care
The singer lives life without worrying too much about the future.
I'm as happy as a clown
The singer is a very happy person.
With my two fists of iron but I'm goin' nowhere
The singer may be strong and resilient, but he is aimless in life.
I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around
The artist enjoys moving around.
And when I find myself a-fallin' for some girl
The artist falls in love with different girls.
Yeah, I hop right into that car of mine and drive Around the world
The singer takes off in his car to explore new places.
They call me wanderer, they call me the wanderer
People refer to the singer as the wanderer.
And 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
The artist just keeps moving in circles.
Cause I'm a wanderer, yeah a wanderer
The artist repeats that he is a wanderer.
I roam 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round
The artist continues to move around in circles.
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, CTM Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ernie Maresca
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind