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".
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics
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Blue eyes cryin' in the rain.
When we kissed goodbye and parted,
I knew we'd never meet again.
Love is like a dying ember;
Only memories remain.
through the ages I'll remember
Someday when we meet up yonder,
We'll stroll hand in hand again,
In a land that knows no parting,
Blue eyes crying in the rain.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott's song "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is a poignant love song that paints a vivid picture of lost love and the memories that linger long after a relationship has ended. The lyrics describe the moment of saying goodbye to someone who has captured their heart, and the pangs of sadness that are experienced as they walk away. The first two lines set the melancholic tone of the song as the singer sees their love with tears streaming down her cheeks in the sunset. The memory of this moment lingers on in the singer's mind and he knows that the relationship has come to an end.
As the song moves towards its climax, the singer reflects on the nature of love and how it can be as fleeting as a dying ember. The memories of his love linger, but he knows that they will never be able to recapture the magic that brought them together again. In the final verse, the singer expresses hope that they will meet again in an afterlife where there is no separation. This sets the tone for an optimistic end to the song, even though the relationship has ended in the present.
Overall, the song deals with themes of lost love, memories, and the hope of reunion. The imagery and the melody of the song create a melancholic mood that captures the emotions of the singer perfectly.
Line by Line Meaning
In the twilight glow I see her
During the dim light of sunset, I envision her presence near me.
Blue eyes cryin' in the rain.
I witness tears rolling down her blue eyes, blending with the rain.
When we kissed goodbye and parted,
Our moment of farewell with a goodbye kiss was the last time we met.
I knew we'd never meet again.
I had a feeling that this separation was everlasting.
Love is like a dying ember;
The passion and warmth of love fades away like a dying ember of fire.
Only memories remain.
Only the recollections of our love story are left, everything else is gone.
Through the ages I'll remember
I will remember her throughout my life.
Blue eyes cryin' in the rain.
The sight of her tears streaming in the rain will always be there in my heart.
Someday when we meet up yonder,
In an afterlife or another world, if we meet again,
We'll stroll hand in hand again,
We will walk together again with affectionate touches.
In a land that knows no parting,
We will live in a world where there is no concept of separation or departure.
Blue eyes crying in the rain.
She will still shed tears, but this time it will be due to pure joy and not despair.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fred Rose
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind