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".
South Coast
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My father was a Spanish Grandee
But I won my wife in a card game
To hell with those lords o'er the sea
Well the South Coast is wild coast and lonely
You might win in a game at Cholon
But a lion still rules the Barranca
I played in a card game at Jolon
I played there with an outlaw named Juan
And after I'd taken his money
I staked all against his daughter Dawn
I picked up the ace...l had won her
My heart it was down at my feet
Jumped up to my throat in a hurry
Like a young summer's day she was sweet
He opened the door to the kitchen
And he called the girl out with a curse
Saying "Take her, Goddamn her, you've won her
She's yours now for better or worse"
Her arms had to tighten around me
As we rode down the hills to the south
Not a word did I hear from her that day
Nor a kiss from her pretty young mouth
But that was a gay happy winter
We carved on a cradle of pine
By the fire in that neat little cabin
And I sang with that gay wife of mine
Well the South Coast is wild coast and lonely
You might win in a game at Cholon
But a lion still rules the Barranca
And a man there is always alone
That night I got hurt in a landslide
Crushed hip and twice broken bone
She saddled her pony like lightning
And rode off for the doctor in Cholon
The lion screamed in the Barranca
Buck, he bolted and he fell on his side
My young wife lay dead in the moonlight
My heart died that night with my bride
Well the South Coast is wild coast and lonely
You might win in a game at Cholon
But a lion still rules the Barranca
And a man there is always alone
The song "South Coast" by Ramblin' Jack Elliott is a story of love and loss set against the backdrop of the rugged, wild and lonely South Coast. It tells the story of Juanano de Castro, a man of Spanish heritage who won his wife, Dawn, in a card game, and the tragic events that follow.
Juanano's rugged features, evident in his name and lineage, belie his gentle nature and the love he has for his wife. He remarks how he won his wife in a card game, proud of the strength of his hand, but with a hint of regret, suggesting that perhaps this was not the best way to begin a love story. He notes that the South Coast is a wild and lonely place, where one might win in a game of chance, but must always contend with the lion that rules the Barranca, a metaphor for the untamed wildness of the area.
The story then unfolds, with Juanano carving out a simple and happy life with his wife in a little cabin in the woods. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, and Dawn dies riding for help when Juanano is injured. The song closes with the lines "the South Coast is a wild coast and lonely..." emphasizing the loneliness of Juanano's life without Dawn.
Line by Line Meaning
My name is Juanano de Castro
Juanano de Castro introduces himself as the singer of the story.
My father was a Spanish Grandee
Juanano de Castro comes from a wealthy Spanish family.
But I won my wife in a card game
Juanano won his wife in a card game against an outlaw named Juan.
To hell with those lords o'er the sea
Juanano does not care about his aristocratic heritage and values his wife more.
Well the South Coast is wild coast and lonely
The South Coast is challenging and isolated.
You might win in a game at Cholon
Juanano won his wife in a card game in Cholon.
But a lion still rules the Barranca
Despite winning his wife in a card game, Juanano knew he was not the true ruler of the land.
And a man there is always alone
Juanano suggests that the South Coast is a desolate place where people often feel lonely.
I played in a card game at Jolon
Juanano played in a card game in Jolon against an outlaw named Juan.
I played there with an outlaw named Juan
Juanano emphasizes that he played against an outlaw in the card game.
And after I'd taken his money
Juanano won the card game and took Juan's money.
I staked all against his daughter Dawn
Juanano felt confident in his win and wagered Juan's daughter Dawn.
I picked up the ace...l had won her
Juanano won the game and Dawn with an ace.
My heart it was down at my feet
Juanano was overwhelmed by the situation and felt nervous.
Jumped up to my throat in a hurry
Juanano's heart raced with excitement.
Like a young summer's day she was sweet
Juanano describes Dawn as being beautiful and sweet like a summer day.
He opened the door to the kitchen
Juan allowed Juanano and Dawn to leave the house.
And he called the girl out with a curse
Juan called for Dawn to leave with Juanano using profanity.
Saying "Take her, Goddamn her, you've won her
Juan was angry at Juanano for winning his daughter but still let them leave together.
She's yours now for better or worse"
Juan accepted that Dawn belonged to Juanano now.
Her arms had to tighten around me
Dawn had to hold onto Juanano tightly as they rode downhill.
As we rode down the hills to the south
Juanano and Dawn rode towards the South Coast.
Not a word did I hear from her that day
Dawn did not speak to Juanano during their ride to the South Coast.
Nor a kiss from her pretty young mouth
Juanano did not receive any affection from Dawn either.
But that was a gay happy winter
Despite Dawn being quiet and distant, Juanano recalls a joyful winter with her.
We carved on a cradle of pine
Juanano and Dawn made a cradle out of pine wood.
By the fire in that neat little cabin
They built a cabin where they could keep warm by the fire.
And I sang with that gay wife of mine
Juanano and Dawn sang together happily by the fire.
That night I got hurt in a landslide
Juanano suffered injuries in a landslide.
Crushed hip and twice broken bone
Juanano's injuries were severe and painful.
She saddled her pony like lightning
Dawn acted quickly and efficiently to get help for Juanano.
And rode off for the doctor in Cholon
Dawn went to get a doctor from Cholon to help Juanano.
The lion screamed in the Barranca
The lion in the area screamed in the distance.
Buck, he bolted and he fell on his side
Juanano's horse named Buck panicked and fell over.
My young wife lay dead in the moonlight
Dawn died tragically while Juanano was injured and helpless.
My heart died that night with my bride
Juanano was devastated by Dawn's death and felt his heart had died too.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRANK MILLER, LILLIAN BOS ROSS, RICHARD DEHR, SAM ESKIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind