Gypsy Davy
Guthrie Woody Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's askin' about his lady
The only answer he received, "She's gone with the
Gypsy Davy, gone with the gypsy Davy"
"Go saddle for me my buskin' horse
And a hundred dollars saddle
Point out to me their wagon tracks
Well, I had not rode 'til the midnight moon
When I saw the campfire gleaming
I heard the notes of the big guitar
And the voice of the gypsy singin'
That song of the gypsy Dave
There in the light of the camping fire
I saw her fair face beaming
Her heart in tune with the big guitar
And the voice of the gypsy singing
That song of the gypsy Dave
Have you forsaken your house and home
Have you forsaken your baby
Have you forsaken your husband dear
To go to the gypsy Davy
And sing with the gypsy Dave
That song of the gypsy Dave
Yes, I've forsaken my husband dear
To go with the gypsy Davy
And I've forsaken my mansion high
But not my blue-eyed baby
Not my blue-eyed babe
She smiled to leave her husband dear
And go with the Gypsy Davy
But the tears come a-trickling down her cheeks
To think of the blue-eyed baby
Pretty little blue-eyed babe
Take off, take off your buckskin gloves
Made of Spanish leather
Give to me your lily-white hair
And we'll ride home together
We'll ride home again
No, I won't take off my buckskin gloves
They're made of Spanish leather
I'll go my way from day to day
And sing with the Gypsy Davy
That song of the Gypsy Davy
That song of the Gypsy Davy
That song of the Gypsy Dave
The song "Gypsy Davy" tells a story of a woman leaving her husband and child to go with a charismatic gypsy man named Davy. The lyrics suggest that the woman is initially happy to go with Davy and join his free-spirited lifestyle. However, as she sings with him by the campfire, she begins to feel the weight of her decision and the tears start to flow. This is shown when she refuses to take off her buckskin gloves and leave with the singer, instead choosing to stay with Davy and continue singing their gypsy song. The singer's attitude towards Davy is ambivalent, as he refers to him as both a "big guitar" player and a "boss" whom the woman has left.
The song captures the allure of a certain type of person who can disrupt the status quo and entice others to follow them, even if it means leaving behind loved ones and familiar comforts. The nostalgia and regret in the woman's voice at the end of the song suggest that the path she has chosen may not ultimately lead to true happiness. Overall, "Gypsy Davy" is a poignant commentary on the human desire for adventure and freedom, and the potential cost of following those desires.
Line by Line Meaning
It was late last night when the boss come home
Late at night, the boss arrived home and inquired about his lady's whereabouts.
He's askin' about his lady
He queried about his significant other's place of residence.
The only answer he received, "She's gone with the
Gypsy Davy, gone with the gypsy Davy"
The only response he got was that she had gone to leave with the Gypsy Davy.
"Go saddle for me my buskin' horse
And a hundred dollars saddle
Point out to me their wagon tracks
And after them I'll travel, after them I'll ride"
The boss ordered his horse to be saddled with a high-priced saddle, and requested to be shown the way the Gypsies went as he aimed to follow them.
Well, I had not rode 'til the midnight moon
When I saw the campfire gleaming
I heard the notes of the big guitar
And the voice of the gypsy singin'
It wasn't until midnight that I rode until I saw a campfire and could hear the sounds of a guitar and Gypsy singing.
That song of the gypsy Dave
There in the light of the camping fire
I saw her fair face beaming
Her heart in tune with the big guitar
And the voice of the gypsy singing
That song of the gypsy Dave
I observed her attractive appearance illuminated by the campfire, and her heart synchronized with the sounds of the guitar and Gypsy singing, and it was the song of the Gypsy Dave.
Have you forsaken your house and home
Have you forsaken your baby
Have you forsaken your husband dear
To go to the gypsy Davy
And sing with the gypsy Dave
That song of the gypsy Dave
Have you abandoned everything in your life, including your home, baby, and husband, to leave with the Gypsy Davy and sing their song?
Yes, I've forsaken my husband dear
To go with the gypsy Davy
And I've forsaken my mansion high
But not my blue-eyed baby
Not my blue-eyed babe
Yes, I've left my dear husband to join the Gypsy Davy, but I have not left my blue-eyed baby and my estate.
She smiled to leave her husband dear
And go with the Gypsy Davy
But the tears come a-trickling down her cheeks
To think of the blue-eyed baby
Pretty little blue-eyed babe
She was happy to leave her husband and join the Gypsy Davy, but tears trickled down her cheeks as she thought about her blue-eyed baby.
Take off, take off your buckskin gloves
Made of Spanish leather
Give to me your lily-white hair
And we'll ride home together
We'll ride home again
Take off your buckskin gloves and give me your beautiful hair, and we'll ride home together and return to our house and normal life.
No, I won't take off my buckskin gloves
They're made of Spanish leather
I'll go my way from day to day
And sing with the Gypsy Davy
That song of the Gypsy Davy
That song of the Gypsy Davy
That song of the Gypsy Dave
I refuse to remove my buckskin gloves since they're crafted from premium Spanish leather, and I'll travel and sing with the Gypsy Davy, performing his song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: WOODY GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OrdinaryVids
Verse 1
C
It was late last night when the boss come home
He's askin' about his lady
G7
The only answer he received, "she's gone with the
C G7 C
Gypsy Davy, gone with the gypsy Dave"
Verse 2
C
"go saddle for me my buckskin' horse
And a hundred dollars saddle
G7
Point out to me their wagon tracks And after
C G7 C
them I'll travel, after them I'll ride"
Verse 3
C
Well, I had not rode 'til the midnight moon
When I saw the campfire gleaming
G7
I heard the notes of the big guitar And the voice
C G7 C
of the gypsy singin' That song of the gypsy Dave
Verse 3
C
There in the light of the camping fire
I saw her fair face beaming
G7
Her heart in tune with the big guitar And the voice
C G7 C
of the gypsy singing That song of the gypsy Dave
Verse 4
C
Have you forsaken your house and home
Have you forsaken your baby
G7
Have you forsaken your husband dear To go
C G7
to the gypsy Davey And sing with the gypsy Dave That
G7 C
song of the gypsy Dave
Verse 5
C
Yes, I've forsaken my husband dear
To go with the gypsy Davy
G7
And I've forsaken my mansion high But not
C G7 C
my blue-eyed baby Not my blue-eyed babe
Verse 6
C
She smiled to leave her husband dear
And go with the Gypsy Davy
G7
But the tears come a-tricklin' down her cheeks To think
C G7 C
of the blue-eyed baby Pretty little blue-eyed babe
Verse 7
C
Take off take off your buskin'gloves
Made of spanish leather
G7
Give to me your lily-white hand We'll ride
C G7 C
back home together And we'll ride home again
Verse 8
C
No, I won't take off my buskin' gloves
They're made of Spanish leather
G7
I'll go my way from day to day And sing
C G7 C
with the gypsy Davy That song of the gypsy Dave
G7 C G7 C
That song of the gypsy Davey That song of the gypsy Dave
@joannelindstrand4452
It is Law that every folk singer in the English speaking world must record a version of this song.This is a truly great rendition.
@emilymarco9041
I Love This Song! I Used To Listen To It When I Was Three!
@mechcavandy986
Wonderful! That song is older than I am. 🤠😎
@mlaforce321
Uhh, yeah. That's an understatement - this song is easily over 300 years old.
@ivycompton
Hedy West also does a wonderful version of this enduring song. Thanks for posting.
@51MontyPython
Music. Gotta love it.
@OrdinaryVids
Verse 1
C
It was late last night when the boss come home
He's askin' about his lady
G7
The only answer he received, "she's gone with the
C G7 C
Gypsy Davy, gone with the gypsy Dave"
Verse 2
C
"go saddle for me my buckskin' horse
And a hundred dollars saddle
G7
Point out to me their wagon tracks And after
C G7 C
them I'll travel, after them I'll ride"
Verse 3
C
Well, I had not rode 'til the midnight moon
When I saw the campfire gleaming
G7
I heard the notes of the big guitar And the voice
C G7 C
of the gypsy singin' That song of the gypsy Dave
Verse 3
C
There in the light of the camping fire
I saw her fair face beaming
G7
Her heart in tune with the big guitar And the voice
C G7 C
of the gypsy singing That song of the gypsy Dave
Verse 4
C
Have you forsaken your house and home
Have you forsaken your baby
G7
Have you forsaken your husband dear To go
C G7
to the gypsy Davey And sing with the gypsy Dave That
G7 C
song of the gypsy Dave
Verse 5
C
Yes, I've forsaken my husband dear
To go with the gypsy Davy
G7
And I've forsaken my mansion high But not
C G7 C
my blue-eyed baby Not my blue-eyed babe
Verse 6
C
She smiled to leave her husband dear
And go with the Gypsy Davy
G7
But the tears come a-tricklin' down her cheeks To think
C G7 C
of the blue-eyed baby Pretty little blue-eyed babe
Verse 7
C
Take off take off your buskin'gloves
Made of spanish leather
G7
Give to me your lily-white hand We'll ride
C G7 C
back home together And we'll ride home again
Verse 8
C
No, I won't take off my buskin' gloves
They're made of Spanish leather
G7
I'll go my way from day to day And sing
C G7 C
with the gypsy Davy That song of the gypsy Dave
G7 C G7 C
That song of the gypsy Davey That song of the gypsy Dave
@johnanthony-kt8kv
"Her heart in tune with the big guitar and the voice ofthe gypsy Davy" beautiful!!!
@DaveMartinCanuck
@cosmikdebris1961 as long as we keep sharing and performing his songs Woody will always be with us.
@ErinWatson4
keep ridin the rails boys...see you on the road