Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliott Charles Adnopoz, 1 August 1931) is a Gr… Read Full Bio ↴Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliott Charles Adnopoz, 1 August 1931) is a Grammy Award winning American folk performer.

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".

Riding Down Canyon
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics

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When evening chores are over at the ranch house on the plains
And there's nothing left to do but lay around
I saddle up my pony and go riding down the trail
Just to watch the desert sun go down

White faced cattle lowing, sagebrush everywhere
Granite spires are standing all around
I'll tell you folks it's heaven to go ridin' down the trail

Just to watch the desert sun go down

Ridin' down the canyon to watch the sun go down
A picture that no artist 'ere could paint
Cactus plants are bloomin' on the mountain side
I hear a coyote calling to its mate

White faced cattle lowing, sagebrush everywhere
Granite spires are standing all around
I'll tell you folks it's heaven to go ridin' down the trail
Just to watch the desert sun go down

White faced cattle lowing, sagebrush everywhere
Granite spires are standing all around
I'll tell you folks it's heaven to go ridin' down the trail
Just to watch the desert sun go down

When evening chores are over at the ranch house on the plains
And there's nothing left to do but lay around
I saddle up my pony and go riding down the trail
Just to watch the desert sun go down

White faced cattle lowing, sagebrush everywhere
Granite spires are standing all around

I'll tell you folks it's heaven to go ridin' down the trail
Just to watch the desert sun go down

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ramblin' Jack Elliott's song "Riding Down The Canyon" evoke a sense of tranquillity and nostalgia for the pastoral and rugged landscapes of the American West. The opening lines set the scene: the singer has finished their daily chores and is left with nothing else to do but to ride towards the setting sun. The imagery used to describe the environment—the white-faced cattle lowing, sagebrush and granite spires standing tall, and cactus plants in bloom—conjures up a picture of a seemingly infinite landscape, evoking feelings of wonder and awe. The coyote's call in the distance adds an even deeper sense of immersion in the vast space and tranquil silence of the desert.

The repetition of the main verse, which describes the peaceful and ethereal experience of riding down the canyon and watching the sun go down, reinforces the idea that this is a deeply personal, contemplative moment for the singer. Elliott's delivery of the lyrics is sparse but intimate, as he sings the words with a low, resonant voice that seems to conjure up the vast and rugged terrain. Overall, the song's message is about finding solace and purpose in the wild and beautiful landscapes of the American West, and the simplicity and contentment that comes with it.

Line by Line Meaning

When evening chores are over at the ranch house on the plains
After completing all the evening tasks at the ranch located on the flatlands

And there's nothing left to do but lay around
And when all that's left is to be idle

I saddle up my pony and go riding down the trail
I mount my horse and set off on the path

Just to watch the desert sun go down
Simply to observe the setting sun over the arid landscape

White faced cattle lowing, sagebrush everywhere
I can hear cattle mooing and there's sage all around

Granite spires are standing all around
Towers of granite are present in the surrounding areas

I'll tell you folks it's heaven to go ridin' down the trail
I must say it's a heavenly experience to travel down the path

Just to watch the desert sun go down
Just to view the setting sun over the arid landscape

Ridin' down the canyon to watch the sun go down
While traveling through the crevice or canyon to observe the sunset

A picture that no artist 'ere could paint
A breathtaking scene that no painter could replicate

Cactus plants are bloomin' on the mountain side
Cacti are flowering on the sides of the mountain

I hear a coyote calling to its mate
I can hear a coyote calling out to its partner