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".
Portland Town
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was born in Portland town
Yes I was, yes I was, yes I was.
I got married in Portland town
I got married in Portland town
Yes I did, yes I did, yes I did.
I had children, one, two, three
I had children, one, two, three
Took my children off to war
Took my children off to war
Yes they did, yes they did, yes they did.
Killed my children one by one
Killed my children one by one
Yes they did, yes they did, yes they did.
No more children in Portland Town
No more children in Portland Town
No I won't, no I won't, no I won't.
I was born in Portland town
I was born in Portland town
Yes I was, yes I was, yes I was.
The song 'Portland Town' by Ramblin' Jack Elliott is a poignant tune about a parent's grief at the loss of their children to war. The repetition of the opening line "I was born in Portland town" is a sort of anchoring phrase that ties the sorrowful narrative to their hometown. The second verse reveals that the singer was married and had three children. And in the following verse, the perspective changes, and we learn that the children were sent off to fight in a war, presumably for their country. The final verse is where the heartbreaking twist is revealed: all of the children died in the war, and the singer laments how there will be no more children in Portland town.
The song has been interpreted to mean different things by different people. Some believe that it's a commentary on the Vietnam War, while others think it's about World War I or II. Regardless of the specific conflict, the underlying sentiment is universal: the devastating effects of war on families and communities. The repetition of phrases like "yes they did" is a way of emphasizing the senselessness of the loss of innocent lives in war. In conclusion, Ramblin' Jack Elliott's 'Portland Town' is a powerfully sad song that can be interpreted in many ways, but its message is clear: war has a high cost, and it's usually paid by those who can least afford it.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born in Portland town
Ramblin' Jack Elliott was born in Portland town.
Yes I was, yes I was, yes I was.
He confirms that he was indeed born in Portland town.
I got married in Portland town
Ramblin' Jack Elliott got married in Portland town.
Yes I did, yes I did, yes I did.
He confirms that he did get married in Portland town.
I had children, one, two, three
Ramblin' Jack Elliott had three children.
Yes I did, yes I did, yes I did.
He confirms that he did have three children.
Took my children off to war
Ramblin' Jack Elliott's children went off to war.
Yes they did, yes they did, yes they did.
He confirms that his children did indeed go off to war.
Killed my children one by one
Ramblin' Jack Elliott's children were killed one by one during the war.
Yes they did, yes they did, yes they did.
He confirms that his children were indeed killed during the war.
No more children in Portland Town
There are no more children remaining in Portland town, as Ramblin' Jack Elliott's children were killed.
No I won't, no I won't, no I won't.
He confirms that he will not have any more children in Portland town.
I was born in Portland town
Ramblin' Jack Elliott reiterates that he was born in Portland town.
Yes I was, yes I was, yes I was.
He confirms once again that he was born in Portland town.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DERROLL LEWIS ADAMS, JOHN STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elisa Lipkau
Ohhhhhhhhh Woody would be so proud of you
eden brontman
such an authentic
Brian Wood
Let's hear it for the OG jewish cowboy singer
Dennis Devine
Check out Pete Seeger & the old black & white TV show.
Justice Gusting
Now I know from where Zimmerman stole all his shit.
Paul Rippey
Totally, and he mostly admits it. Of course, Woody borrowed melodies and lyrics all his life, from other singers who had learned from other songwriters, back to our prehistoric ancestors.