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".
Hard Travelin'
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics
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I've been hittin' some hard travelin' way down the road
I've been havin' some hard travelin', hard ramblin', hard gamblin'
I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
Well I've been ridin' them fast rattlers, I thought you know
I've been ridin' them blind passengers way down the road
I've been ridin' them dead enders, flat wheelers, kickin' up cinders
I've been hittin' some hard rock man and I thought you know
I've been leanin' on the pressured grill way down the road
Hammer flyin', air hose suckin'
Six feet of mud and a shovel muggin'
I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
Well I've been layin' in a hard rock jail I thought you know
I've been layin' there ninety days way down the road
And a mean old judge said to me it's ninety days for vagrancy
And I've been havin' some hard travelin' Lord
I've been workin' at Pittsburgh Steel I thought you know
I've been dumpin' that red hot slag way down the road
I've been blastin', I've been firin', I've been a pourin' that red hot iron
And I've been a havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I've been hittin' some hard harvest and I thought you know
North Dakota to Kansas City way down the road
Cuttin' that wheat and stackin' that hay
And tryin' to make 'bout a dollar a day
And I've been a havin' some hard travelin', Lord
Well I've been workin' on Lincoln Highway I thought you know
I've been hitchin' on 66 way down the road
Heavy load and worried mind lookin' for a woman that's hard to find
And I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
Ramblin' Jack Elliott's song "Hard Travelin'" is a folk song that details the struggles and hardships of life on the road. Through a series of vivid and descriptive vignettes, the song paints a picture of a life lived on the move, filled with gritty images of railroad tracks, hard labor, and the constant search for steady work. The lyrics express the hardship, danger, and loneliness that comes with a life of travel.
The first verse sets the tone for the song, with the singer expressing his struggles and difficulties while traveling, which include hitting hard times, rambling from place to place, and taking risks, such as gambling. The second verse focuses on the danger and risk that is involved when illegally hopping aboard a train; the lyrics describe "riding the fast rattlers" and "taking blind chances" by jumping onto freight trains. The third verse talks about working in a mine and the tough conditions that miners face, including the heat, mud, and the danger of the job. The fourth verse describes the experience of being incarcerated for vagrancy and the harsh sentence given by a judge. The fifth verse describes working in the steel industry, and the back-breaking, arduous work involved. The final verse talks about the difficulties of finding work in a fickle job market and the search for love on the road.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been havin' some hard travelin', I thought you know
I've been experiencing a difficult journey and I assumed you were aware
I've been hittin' some hard travelin' way down the road
I've encountered challenging travels on my journey so far
I've been havin' some hard travelin', hard ramblin', hard gamblin'
I've encountered tough travel experiences that involve wandering and risking everything
I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I've been experiencing difficult travels and asking for divine assistance
Well I've been ridin' them fast rattlers, I thought you know
I've been traveling on fast-moving trains and assumed you were aware
I've been ridin' them blind passengers way down the road
I've been hitchhiking with strangers and continuing far distances
I've been ridin' them dead enders, flat wheelers, kickin' up cinders
I've encountered challenging travel conditions like trains that never reach their intended destination and trains in poor condition
I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I've been experiencing challenging travels and seeking divine support
I've been hittin' some hard rock man and I thought you know
I've been working in difficult conditions like mining and believed you were aware
I've been leanin' on the pressured grill way down the road
I've been working on pressing machinery at a faraway location
Hammer flyin', air hose suckin'
The environment I've been working in involves a lot of heavy machinery and air suction
Six feet of mud and a shovel muggin'
I've been digging in muddy conditions with a shovel
I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I've been experiencing challenging travels and requesting divine intervention
Well I've been layin' in a hard rock jail I thought you know
I've been imprisoned in a difficult jail situation and assumed you knew
I've been layin' there ninety days way down the road
I've been in jail for a long period, far from my previous location
And a mean old judge said to me it's ninety days for vagrancy
A harsh judge had accused me of vagrancy and sentenced me to ninety days in jail
And I've been havin' some hard travelin' Lord
I've been experiencing challenging travels and hoping for divine support
I've been workin' at Pittsburgh Steel I thought you know
I've been laboring at a steel factory in Pittsburgh and believed you were aware
I've been dumpin' that red hot slag way down the road
I've been carrying and dumping the hot byproduct of steelmaking over a long distance
I've been blastin', I've been firin', I've been a pourin' that red hot iron
I've been working in the critical steps of creating steel, like melting iron
And I've been a havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I've been experiencing challenging travels and sought divine help
I've been hittin' some hard harvest and I thought you know
I've been working in challenging agricultural conditions like farms and assumed you had knowledge about it
North Dakota to Kansas City way down the road
I've been covering great distances from North Dakota to Kansas City while doing farm work
Cuttin' that wheat and stackin' that hay
I've been doing hard physical labor in the fields, like cutting wheat and stacking hay
And tryin' to make 'bout a dollar a day
Despite the challenging field work, I've only been making a small income
And I've been a havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I've been experiencing challenging travels and seeking divine intervention
Well I've been workin' on Lincoln Highway I thought you know
I've been traveling on Lincoln Highway and believed it was a known fact
I've been hitchin' on 66 way down the road
I've been hitchhiking on Route 66 over great distances
Heavy load and worried mind lookin' for a woman that's hard to find
I've been traveling with a lot of baggage and concerns, while also searching for a woman who is difficult to locate
And I've been havin' some hard travelin', Lord
I've been go through difficult travels and hoping for divine intervention
Lyrics © Kanjian Music
Written by: WOODY GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind