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".
Bleeker Street Blues
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Praying for you
I'd give my Martin
For you to play on
Thinkin' you'd like that
Hang it up in your barn
Take it down off the nail
Strum it sweet in the straw
In the broodmare's box stall
Or I'll play rhythm as you blow mouth harp
With the smell of alfalfa, wafting through the dark
Memories of Woody
In the graystone hospital memorial cell
Back when you were a kid and I rang the bell
And Syd Gleason was there with chili and cornbread
And Peter LaFarge, and Dave Van Ronk
My Chevy ran cool though it smelled like a skunk
Ian and Sylvia, Johnny Cash and June Carter
All loved you well
Though none was the smarter
Pete Seeger, a leader
Deferred to your style
Of even hand strumming
And winked a wry smile
And I peeked and I winked
When you done it for me
They accused you of stealing
But I said, "No way!"
Then your triumph collapsed
And your neck was injured
I was not allowed to see you
In your hospital tincture
Right then we were severed from being together
Eight years later we were traveling together
On Rolling Thunder we bashed though the weather
In Northern New England and Quebec's narrow streets
Joni Mitchell hung out
Ronnie Hawkins came by
Gordon Lightfoot took us in one night on the fly
The Maple Leaf Gardens played host to our show
Allen Ginsberg said a poem, Rolling Thunder waved a feather
T-Bone and Roger, Wyeth and Stoner
Bearded Bob drove the semi
And clean Bob drove the bus
Seventy five people made one hell of an us!
One tour led to another like drinks lead to smoke
You've been touring forever
Not much of a home life
Take time out to relax and see where you've been
You've enlighten the world with your songs
Sink or swim
I pray you'll stay with the earth for sometime
You've stummed your song
And you've done earned your dime
Prance lightly, fly careful
But Bob, please take it easy
There's a tent for you in my camp
Beside the calm waters
The world's best doctors can't cure what's been ailing you
Not Freud, not Pasteur, not Eddie Van Halen
You've had it forever and you'll never get rid of it
I've got it too though I tried to hide from it
Sometimes I ride it for better or worse
Time to unsaddle and take a good rest
Later on we'll join Woody and Jerry and Townes
But right now we all need you, so please stick around
The lyrics of Ramblin' Jack Elliott's song Bleeker Street Blues poetically commemorate the relationship between the singer and Bob Dylan. The song is a tribute to Dylan, as the lyrics describe the singer's admiration for Dylan's musicianship and their shared experiences on the road, from playing in barns to touring with Rolling Thunder. The first verse is particularly poignant as it speaks to the singer's desire to give Bob his beloved Martin guitar to play on. The song also references other notable musicians of the time, such as Johnny Cash, June Carter, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie, hinting at the camaraderie between musicians and the shared history of folk music.
Lyrically, the song also touches on the physical and emotional struggles that Dylan faced, from his time in the hospital to his chronic illness. While the singer cannot cure Dylan, he offers a tent by the calm waters as a place of solace and rest. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer and Dylan will join other musicians who have passed on, but for now, it's important for Dylan to stick around.
Overall, Bleeker Street Blues is a reminder of the importance of friendship, shared experiences, and the power of music to connect people.
Line by Line Meaning
Bob, I'm up early
I'm up early thinking of you, Bob
Praying for you
I'm praying for you
I'd give my Martin
I would give my prized guitar
For you to play on
So that you could play it
Thinkin' you'd like that
I think you'd like that
Hang it up in your barn
You could hang it up in your barn
Take it down off the nail
Take it down off the nail where it is hanging
On the tack room wall
On your barn's tack room wall
Strum it sweet in the straw
You could play sweet music in your barn's straw
In the broodmare's box stall
Or even in the broodmare's box stall
Or I'll play rhythm as you blow mouth harp
I could play rhythm on my guitar while you play harmonica
With the smell of alfalfa, wafting through the dark
In the quiet darkness with the smell of alfalfa in the air
Memories of Woody
I remember Woody Guthrie
In the graystone hospital memorial cell
Especially, how we went to see him in the hospital when he was very ill
Back when you were a kid and I rang the bell
It was a long time ago, when you were a kid and I rang the doorbell
And Syd Gleason was there with chili and cornbread
Syd Gleason was there at Woody's with chili and cornbread
And Peter LaFarge, and Dave Van Ronk
Peter LaFarge and Dave Van Ronk were also there
My Chevy ran cool though it smelled like a skunk
My Chevy car's engine was running well but it did smell like a skunk
Ian and Sylvia, Johnny Cash and June Carter
Ian & Sylvia, Johnny Cash and June Carter all liked you
All loved you well
They all really liked you and your music
Though none was the smarter
Although, none of them were necessarily smarter or better than the other
Pete Seeger, a leader
Even Pete Seeger, a musical leader,
Deferred to your style
was impressed with, and followed your unique style of guitar playing
Of even hand strumming
which consisted of even hand strumming patterns
And winked a wry smile
and even gave you a wry smile
And I peeked and I winked
I remember watching
When you done it for me
When you played your guitar for me
They accused you of stealing
Some people accused you of stealing songs
But I said, 'No way!'
But I defended you
Then your triumph collapsed
Suddenly, things took a turn for the worse
And your neck was injured
You suffered a serious neck injury
I was not allowed to see you
I wasn't allowed to see you in the hospital
In your hospital tincture
While you were recovering from your injury
Right then we were severed from being together
At that point, we were separated and couldn't be together
Eight years later we were traveling together
But 8 years later, we were traveling together again
On Rolling Thunder we bashed though the weather
On the Rolling Thunder tour, we traveled through harsh weather
In Northern New England and Quebec's narrow streets
In Northern New England and Quebec's narrow streets
Joni Mitchell hung out
We hung out with Joni Mitchell
Ronnie Hawkins came by
Ronnie Hawkins visited us
Gordon Lightfoot took us in one night on the fly
Gordon Lightfoot let us stay overnight
The Maple Leaf Gardens played host to our show
We performed at the Maple Leaf Gardens
Allen Ginsberg said a poem, Rolling Thunder waved a feather
Allen Ginsberg recited a poem and someone waved a feather to start the show
T-Bone and Roger, Wyeth and Stoner
Several other musicians such as T-Bone, Roger, Wyeth and Stoner
Bearded Bob drove the semi
Bearded Bob drove the semi-truck
And clean Bob drove the bus
Clean-shaven Bob drove the bus
Seventy five people made one hell of an us!
We had a great group of 75 people
One tour led to another like drinks lead to smoke
One tour led to another tour just as one drink typically leads to another
You've been touring forever
You've been touring for a long time
Not much of a home life
You haven't had much of a home life recently
Take time out to relax and see where you've been
Take some time to rest and reflect on your travels and experiences so far
You've enlighten the world with your songs
You've enlightened people in the world with your songs
Sink or swim
Do what you must
I pray you'll stay with the earth for sometime
I hope you stick around on this earth for a while longer
You've stummed your song
You've played your song of life
And you've done earned your dime
And you've earned your fair share of money
Prance lightly, fly careful
Be careful in what you do
But Bob, please take it easy
Bob, please take care
There's a tent for you in my camp
Stay with me, I have a tent for you
Beside the calm waters
We'll be beside the calm water
The world's best doctors can't cure what's been ailing you
The world's top doctors can't cure your ailments
Not Freud, not Pasteur, not Eddie Van Halen
There are no cures to be found in psychoanalysis, microbiology or even guitar legends
You've had it forever and you'll never get rid of it
You've had it for a long time and it will never go away
I've got it too though I tried to hide from it
I have it too, even if I tried to keep it hidden
Sometimes I ride it for better or worse
At times, I handle it gracefully and sometimes not so gracefully
Time to unsaddle and take a good rest
It's time to take a good rest
Later on we'll join Woody and Jerry and Townes
One day, we will be with Woody Guthrie, Jerry Garcia and Townes Van Zandt
But right now we all need you, so please stick around
But for now, we need you, so please stay with us
Contributed by Violet J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.