Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliott Charles Adnopoz, 1 August 1931) is a Gr… Read Full Bio ↴Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliott Charles Adnopoz, 1 August 1931) is a Grammy Award winning American folk performer.

Originally from New York, Elliott grew up in a Jewish family and had always wanted to be a cowboy. Pressured by his parents to follow in his father's footsteps and become a doctor, Elliott resisted and inspired by the rodeos he attended at Madison Square Garden, he ran away from home at the age of 15 and joined the J.E. Ranch Rodeo. Although he was only with the rodeo for three months (before his parents tracked him down and he was sent home), Elliott was exposed to his first singing cowboy, a rodeo clown who played guitar and banjo and sang songs.

Returning home, Elliott taught himself to play guitar and started busking for a living. Eventually he hooked up with Woody Guthrie and lived with him as a kind of student.

With banjo player Derroll Adams, he later toured Great Britain and Europe and had a lasting effect on the music scene there. By 1960, he had made three folk albums for the British label, Topic. Playing in the small clubs and pubs of London by day, he would then take his act to the smart, west end night clubs. Upon arriving back in the U.S., Elliott discovered he had become well-known within the folk scene.

Elliott's greatest influence was Woody Guthrie. Guthrie's son, Arlo, has said that because of his dad's illness and early death, he never really got to know him. Arlo acknowledged that he learned his dad's songs and musical style through Elliott.

Elliott's musical style influenced Bob Dylan so heavily that Dylan's first gig in New York City was billed as "Son of Jack Elliott." While Dylan rose to prominence through his compositions, Elliott continued as an interpretive troubadour, bringing old songs to new audiences in an idiosyncratic manner.

Elliott appeared on Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and played Longheno de Castro in Dylan's Renaldo and Clara.

Jack Elliott's style is distinctive in its use of excellent guitar technique matched with laconic, humorous storytelling and an emotional intensity in the singing.

Elliott's nickname is due not to his travel habits, but rather to the countless stories he would relate before answering the simplest of questions. Folk singer Odetta claims that it was her mother who gave him the name by remarking, "Oh Jack Elliott, yeah, he can sure ramble on!"

He was famously parodied in on the BBC in the 1960s by Kenneth Williams as Rambling Syd Rumpo who was a recurring character on Round the Horne. His claims of authenticity as a folk artist (despite being a Jewish doctor's son from New York City) and disparagement of other folk artists were also parodied by the Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer) in A Mighty Wind both in the name of their "hit" Ramblin' and in their claims that their version was more authentic than the New Main Street Singers's version.

Jack Elliott's first recording in 20 years, "South Coast", earned him his first Grammy in 1995. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1998. Ramblin' Jack's long career and strained relationship with his daughter Aiyana were chronicled in her 2000 documentary, "The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack".

At 75, he has recently changed labels and released "I Stand Alone" on the Anti- label, with an assortment of guest backup players including members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers; again, an idiosyncratic collection of little-known music delivered with humor and intensity. He is on record as saying his intention was to title the album "Not For The Tourists" because it was recorded in response to his daughter's request for songs he loved but never played in concert. When she asked why he did not play them in public, he replied "These songs are not for the tourists".

Arthritis Blues
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Went to the the doctor
The doctor looked sad
Well, he looked in his book
And he told me what I had
And its all, kinds of trouble
Going to find you somehow

Arthritis is a thing to miss

It will leave you walking
With a double twist
And it's all kinds of trouble
Going to find you somehow

Can't stand up, can't lay down
You can't sit in a chair
You can't roll on the ground
And it's all kind of trouble
Going to find you somehow

Doctor, doctor, doctor
Get your X-ray machine
Well it feel so good
Just about like morphine
And it's all kind of trouble
Going to find you somehow

When you get to Heaven
Tell the judge for me
I've had sixteen years of the third degree
And it's all kind of trouble
Going to find you somehow

All kinds of trouble, good Lord
Going to find you somehow

Overall Meaning

In Ramblin' Jack Elliott's song Arthritis Blues, the artist reflects on his experience with arthritis. The lyrics evoke a sense of despair as the singer describes his visit to the doctor who looks "sad". The doctor, after consulting his book, informs the singer that he has arthritis. This revelation is described as "all kinds of trouble" that will "find you somehow". The artist highlights the debilitating impact of arthritis on one's physical capabilities, making it almost impossible to carry out everyday tasks such as standing up, sitting down or even rolling on the ground. The artist seems to be seeking relief from the condition, asking the doctor to get the X-ray machine which provides some form of relief from the pain, albeit temporarily. The mention of Heaven in the final verse, suggests that the singer views arthritis as a kind of punishment, and hopes that the judge in heaven will take pity on him for having endured this condition for sixteen years. The artist's overall portrayal of arthritis is quite bleak, with the song seemingly evoking a sense of hopelessness and defeat in the face of a painful and debilitating condition.

Line by Line Meaning

Went to the the doctor
I visited a doctor

The doctor looked sad
Upon seeing my condition, the doctor appeared unhappy

Well, he looked in his book
The doctor consulted his reference books

And he told me what I had
He informed me of my diagnosis

And its all, kinds of trouble
My condition is problematic in various ways

Going to find you somehow
Regardless of how, my condition will affect me

Arthritis is a thing to miss
The absence of arthritis is appreciated

It will leave you walking
Arthritis can result in difficulties in walking

With a double twist
Walking with a painful, abnormal gait

Can't stand up, can't lay down
I cannot stand up or lie down comfortably

You can't sit in a chair
Even sitting brings discomfort

You can't roll on the ground
Laying on the ground is painful

Doctor, doctor, doctor
I implore the doctor

Get your X-ray machine
Please use an X-ray machine to diagnose me

Well it feel so good
The relief from treatment feels like a euphoric drug

Just about like morphine
The relief is akin to that of morphine

When you get to Heaven
In the afterlife

Tell the judge for me
Inform the divine authority

I've had sixteen years of the third degree
I have suffered greatly for sixteen years

All kinds of trouble, good Lord
My affliction encompasses numerous issues, Lord help me

Going to find you somehow
Regardless of how, the affliction will impact the individual

Contributed by Connor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Denise Blake

7y↑5

[Verse 1]
Went to the the doctor
The doctor looked sad
Well, he looked in his book
And he told me what I had
And its all, kinds of trouble
Going to find you somehow

[Chorus]
Arthritis is a thing to miss
It will leave you walking
With a double twist
And it's all kinds of trouble
Going to find you somehow

[Verse 2]
Can't stand up, can't lay down
You can't sit in a chair
You can't roll on the ground
And it's all kind of trouble
Going to find you somehow

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Doctor, doctor, doctor
Get your X-ray machine
Well it feel so good
Just about like morphine
And it's all kind of trouble
Going to find you somehow

[Chorus]

[Verse 4]
When you get to Heaven
Tell the judge for me
I've had sixteen years of the third degree
And it's all kind of trouble
Going to find you somehow

[Chorus]

[Outro]
All kinds of trouble, good Lord
Going to find you somehow...

Jim Dixon

8y↑3

ARTHRITIS BLUES
Butch Hawes
(as sung by Ramblin' Jack Elliott)

Went to the doctor. The doctor looked sad.
Well, he looked in his book and he told me what I had,
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

Arthritis is the thing to miss.
It'll leave you walkin' with a double twist,
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

You can't stand up and you can't lay down.
You can't sit in a chair. You can't roll on the ground,
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

Doctor, doctor, doctor, get your x-ray machine.
Well, it feels so good, just about like morphine,
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

If you get to heaven, tell the judge for me:
I've had sixteen years of the third degree,
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

You can chase it away with your sweet apple jack.
You wake up in the mornin' and it's squattin' on your back,
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

Gin, rum, and whiskey will ease the pain.
You wake up in the morning and you're right back again.
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

Arthritis is the thing to miss.
It will leave you walkin' with a double twist.
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

If I live to be forty-three,
You'll find me runnin' like a Model T.
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

Arthritis is the thing to miss.
It will leave you walkin' with a double twist.
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

You can chase it away with your sweet apple jack.
You wake up in the mornin' squattin' on your back.
And it's all kinds of trouble gonna find you somehow.

Arthritis is the thing to miss.

All comments from YouTube:

Denise Blake

7y↑5

Christopher Helton

3y↑1

I haven't had to deal with arthritis so far, but, every time I have a hemorrhoid flare-up, I put on this song. "Gin, rum, and whiskey will ease the pain...you wake up in the mornin' and it's right back again"...amen, brother.

AlvisaMinidoruv

11y↑4

I like this album's version the best of Jack's takes on this song. Thanks for posting.

Henry57069

9y↑13

My friend Bo sent me this when Arthritis jumped into my life. Still bargaining with the doctor, haven't tried whiskey but there's a comfort in shared suffering.

Elisa Lipkau

Jajajaja I’m sorry about that have you tried yoga ?

Tim Myles

11y↑6

Nice post. I like Jack. I met him in California in Sacramento at a small coffee shop around 1994. I was impressed by how easy it was to talk to someone who was really a big celebrity. I asked him bout his time touring with Dylan..and had him sign the book Sam Sheppard wrote " The Rolling Thunder Review Tour " . Love Jack.