Ramblin' Round
Guthrie Woody Lyrics


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Ramblin' around your city
Ramblin' around your town
I never see a friend I know
As I go ramblin' 'round, boys
As I go ramblin' 'round

My sweetheart and my parents
I left in my old hometown
I'm out to do the best I can
As I go ramblin' round, boys
As I go ramblin' round

The peach trees they are loaded
And the limbs are bending down
I pick 'em all day for a dollar, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round

Sometimes the fruit gets rotten
Falls down on the ground
There's a hungry mouth for every peach
As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round

I wish that I could marry
I wish that I could settle down
But I can't save a penny, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round
As I go a ramblin' 'round

My mother prayed that I would be
A man of some renown
But I'm just a refugee




As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Woody Guthrie's song "Ramblin' Round" captures the essence of the life of a wandering troubadour. The song is about a man who travels from city to city, town to town, without ever finding a place to call home. He never sees anyone he knows and is all alone except for his memories of his sweetheart and parents back home. He is out to do the best he can while earning a living by picking peaches.


Guthrie portrays the theme of transience through the imagery of peach trees and the transient nature of life. The peaches that are ripe and are picked today are gone tomorrow; hence, the fruit gets rotten and falls to the ground. There's a hungry mouth for every peach, which is a metaphor for the transience of life. The man wishes he could marry and settle down, but he doesn't have any savings because he's always rambling around.


The song highlights the struggles of the working-class man who travels to different cities to work odd jobs without any security or monetary return. The song shows how life is sometimes unpredictable and that one's dreams may not come true. The lyrics of "Ramblin' Round" is a reflection of the Great Depression era when thousands of people left their homes and families to search for work during hard times.


Line by Line Meaning

Ramblin' around your city
I'm wandering aimlessly through different cities


Ramblin' around your town
I'm wandering aimlessly through different towns


I never see a friend I know
I don't see anyone I know as I wander around


As I go ramblin' 'round, boys
While I meander through different places


My sweetheart and my parents
My loved ones


I left in my old hometown
I left them behind in my hometown


I'm out to do the best I can
I'm doing my best to make a living


As I go ramblin' round, boys
While I keep wandering around


The peach trees they are loaded
There are many peaches on the trees


And the limbs are bending down
The branches are drooping under the weight of the fruit


I pick 'em all day for a dollar, boys
I spend all day picking peaches for a small wage


As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
While I continue to wander around


Sometimes the fruit gets rotten
Sometimes the peaches spoil


Falls down on the ground
They fall on the ground


There's a hungry mouth for every peach
Even imperfect fruit will be eaten


As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
While I keep wandering around


I wish that I could marry
I wish I could settle down and start a family


I wish that I could settle down
I want to stop wandering and have a stable life


But I can't save a penny, boys
I can't save any money no matter how hard I work


As I go a ramblin' 'round
While I continue to wander around


My mother prayed that I would be
My mother had high hopes for me


A man of some renown
That I would become a famous or respected man


But I'm just a refugee
Instead, I am just a wanderer with no real home


As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
And that's how I spend my days




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Huddie Ledbetter, John Lomax, Woody Guthrie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Leah Ballou

I could listen to this man alllllllll day long.

MusicRevisited

Woody is the essence of hard hitting truth, and hard work: America was once the same.

danny hernandez

@Nick Cirillo lol you’re just jealous Woody is somebody and will be remembered.

Vincent Gatto

@Nick Cirillo commie don't equal lazy sir. don't think someone as talented as him is lazy at all

Pizza Mike

@Nick Cirillo he's a voice for the voiceless

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not2fast4u2c

Good Stuff !!!

ronstadtfanaz

Love Linda Ronstadt's version of this song.

bill chew

I thought that was the original

Beezow Zopittybop-bop-bop

I was looking up Woody Guthrie this morning and who has posted the music here? My author friend T. A. Sedlak! Strange... the last time I remember seeing him he was tossing chunks of weed around at the annual Marijuana harvest festival in Madison, and patronizing the local NORML meetings. What are the chances he would be the one posting the music I'm listening to?

ChapayevRoamedTheUrals

by Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter, im not sure woody did a cover of it but still your right it would be good to see it uploaded

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