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".
Folsom Prison Blues
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics
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And I ain't seen the sunshine since...I don't know when
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison and time keeps dragging on
But that train keeps a-rollin', on down to San Anton
When I was just a baby my mama told me, "Son
"always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns"
But I shoot a man in Reno, just to watch him die
I bet there's rich folk eatin' in a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee and smoking big cigars
Well I know I had it comin', I know I can't be free
But those people keep a-movin', and that's what tortures me
Well if they freed me from this prison, if railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line
Far from Folsom Prison, that's where I want to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away
Ramblin' Jack Elliott's song Folsom Prison Blues describes the experience of being incarcerated in a prison and the longing for freedom that persists even as time drags on. As the train rolls by, the singer is reminded that the world outside the prison walls continues to move on without him, and he is left alone with his regrets and his desire to escape.
The opening stanza of the song sets the tone for the singer's bleak existence, as he laments his isolation from the outside world and the absence of sunlight in his life. The repetition of the phrase "I don't know when" implies that the singer has lost track of time and has become disconnected from the passage of the seasons and the rhythms of daily life.
In the second stanza, the singer recalls his mother's warning to avoid trouble and behave himself, but he admits to breaking the law and taking the life of another man. His admission is followed by a moment of introspection, as he reflects on the consequences of his actions and the guilt and shame that he feels. The singer's recognition of his wrongdoing and his willingness to accept the punishment that he deserves reflect the themes of personal responsibility and moral reckoning that are central to the song's narrative.
Overall, Folsom Prison Blues is a poignant and evocative exploration of life behind bars and the human yearning for freedom and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the train a-comin', it's rollin round the bend
I can hear a train coming and it is following the route which goes around a curve
And I ain't seen the sunshine since...I don't know when
I have no clue as to when was the last time I saw the sunshine
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison and time keeps dragging on
I am confined in Folsom prison, and time moves at an extremely slow pace
But that train keeps a-rollin', on down to San Anton
However, that train continues to roll towards San Anton without any interruptions
When I was just a baby my mama told me, "Son
"always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns"
When I was a child, my mother advised me to stay away from guns and to behave like a good person
But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die
Unfortunately, I intentionally killed a man in Reno just to see him die
When I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry
Due to remorse, I feel saddened whenever I hear the whistle blow
I bet there's rich folks eatin' in a fancy dining car
I am guessing there are affluent people dining in a luxurious dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee and smoking big cigars
These affluent people might be smoking expensive cigars and drinking coffee
Well I know I had it comin', I know I can't be free
I am aware of the fact that I did something wrong, and that I cannot be exempt from punishment
But those people keep a-movin', and that's what tortures me
The fact that those affluent people continue on their journey without any problems is what troubles me the most
Well if they freed me from this prison, if railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line
If they somehow freed me from prison, and if a railroad train was at my disposal, I would have continued to move it on the tracks
Far from Folsom Prison, that's where I want to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away
I would have preferred to stay away from Folsom prison and let the forlorn whistle blow all my burdens away
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny R. Cash
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind