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".
The Sky Above and the Mud Below
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Sky above and the mud below
They walked into the Deacon's bar, they were Mexican by sight
The sky above and the mud below
They threw a horsehair bridle down, we trade this for whiskey rounds
The Deacon slams a bottle down, the two men start to drinkin'
Their hair was long and black, tied up behind their ears
Then someone whispered that beats all, their wanted posters on the wall
Twin brothers name of Sandoval, horse thieves from Boquillas
Now the bridle and the belts they wore were braided gray and black
The color of a roan horse once belonged to Deacon Black
The fastest horse for miles around, he'd been stolen from the old fairground
A month ago outside of town we tracked and never found him
Now the Deacon was a preacher who had fallen hard from grace
He owned the bar and a string of quarter horses that he'd race
Yea, Deacon he could drink and curse, though he still quoted sacred verse
He was sheriff, judge; he owned the hearse, a man you did not anger
The sky above, the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow
Two horse thieves from Mexico drinkin' hard and singin'
One brother he spoke English, Deac inquires as to their work
The man says mister we braid horsehair bridles, ropes and quirts
Yea, that fine bridle we did make, a roan horse killed by leg-bone break
He's horsehair rope now; horse-meat steak, we cleaned him to the bone
Well these gentlemen they were ignorant or didn't know just where they were
The Deacon's face grew darker as he measured every word
You horsehair braidin' sons o' witches stole my claim to earthly riches
Someone go and dig a ditch, there may well be a hangin'
One brother reached inside his shirt searching for his gun
Too late, for Deac had whipped around his sawed off Remington
The twins, they raised their hands and sneered, Deac was grinnin' ear to ear
He says court's in session, hear ye hear, yours truly is presidin'
Well the trial commenced and ended quick they didn't have a hope
Deac says we'll cut your hair now boys and you can braid yourselves a rope
The Old Testament, it says somewhere eye for eye and hair for hair
Covet not thy neighbors mare, I believe it's Revelations
Now the fancy horsehair bridle, it hangs on Deacon's wall
Next to that wanted poster of the brothers Sandoval
And he twisted rope so shiny black, the artifact that broke their necks
Their craftsmanship he did respect, they shoulda stuck to braidin'
The sky above the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow
The Deacon's hearse is rollin' slow in the first blue light of mornin'
The Sky Above and the Mud Below by Ramblin' Jack Elliott tells a story of two Mexican brothers named Sandoval who walked into the Deacon's bar on a rainy autumn night. They trade a horsehair bridle for whiskey rounds, catching the attention of the Deacon. The Deacon had a wanted poster of the Sandoval brothers on his wall, identifying them as horse thieves from Boquillas. They were wearing braided gray and black belts and horsehair bridles. The color of a roan horse once belonged to Deacon Black. The fastest horse for miles around was once stolen from the fairground and still not found by the authorities.
Deacon was a preacher who owned the bar, and he had fallen hard from grace. He owned the rest of the quarter horses that raced. Deacon was a sheriff, a judge, and owned the hearse. One of the brothers spoke fluent English responding to Deacon's inquiry of their work. The men explained that they braided horsehair bridles, ropes, and quirts. Deacon soon discovered that the roan horse for which they had fashioned the bridle had been killed, and the two brothers had braided the horsehair into a rope, and they had eaten the horse-meat.
Deacon decided to convict the Sandoval brothers for stealing the roan horse from him. After a short trial, Deacon sentenced them to death by hanging. The old testament says " eye for eye and hair for hair, covet not thy neighbors mare." The fancy horsehair bridle that the brothers had crafted was hanging on Deacon's wall, next to their wanted poster, as the Deacon expressed admiration for their craftsmanship.
Line by Line Meaning
Two men rode in from the south, a rainy autumn night
Two men arrived on horseback from the south on a rainy autumn night
The Sky above and the mud below
The scene was set under the rainy autumn night's sky and on muddy ground
They walked into the Deacon's bar, they were Mexican by sight
The two men, who were identified as Mexican, entered the Deacon's bar
The sky above and the mud below
The rainy autumn night sky and muddy floors remained constant throughout the scene
They threw a horsehair bridle down, we trade this for whiskey rounds
The two men traded a horsehair bridle for rounds of whiskey
The Deacon slams a bottle down, the two men start to drinkin'
The Deacon slammed a bottle down and the two men started to drink
Their hair was long and black, tied up behind their ears
The two men had long black hair pulled back behind their ears
Their faces were identical, like one man beside a mirror
The two men looked so much alike that they seemed like reflection of each other in a mirror
Then someone whispered that beats all, their wanted posters on the wall
Someone whispered in shock that the wanted posters of the Sandoval brothers were on the wall
Twin brothers name of Sandoval, horse thieves from Boquillas
The twins were identified as the Sandoval brothers, who were known horse thieves from Boquillas
Now the bridle and the belts they wore were braided gray and black
The bridle and belts the brothers wore were braided in the colors gray and black
The color of a roan horse once belonged to Deacon Black
The color of the braiding was similar to Deacon Black's stolen roan horse
The fastest horse for miles around, he'd been stolen from the old fairground
The roan horse was known for being the fastest around and was stolen from the old fairground
A month ago outside of town we tracked and never found him
Deacon Black had unsuccessfully tracked down the stolen horse a month earlier
Now the Deacon was a preacher who had fallen hard from grace
The Deacon was a former preacher who had lost his status due to his current lifestyle
He owned the bar and a string of quarter horses that he'd race
The Deacon owned the bar and a number of quarter horses that he raced
Yea, Deacon he could drink and curse, though he still quoted sacred verse
Although he drank and cursed, the Deacon still sometimes quoted sacred verses
He was sheriff, judge; he owned the hearse, a man you did not anger
The Deacon held multiple roles, including sheriff and judge, and his power was not to be taken lightly
The sky above, the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow
The weather played a significant role in the overall atmosphere of the scene
Two horse thieves from Mexico drinkin' hard and singin'
The two Mexican horse thieves continued to drink and sing throughout the scene
One brother he spoke English, Deac inquires as to their work
One of the brothers spoke English and the Deacon asked about their line of work
The man says mister we braid horsehair bridles, ropes and quirts
The man responded that they make horsehair bridles, ropes, and quirts
Yea, that fine bridle we did make, a roan horse killed by leg-bone break
The brothers claimed to have made a fine bridle from the roan horse that died from a broken leg
He's horsehair rope now; horse-meat steak, we cleaned him to the bone
The roan horse was now made into horsehair rope and horse-meat steak, with every last bit of him used
Well these gentlemen they were ignorant or didn't know just where they were
The brothers were either ignorant or unaware of the danger of their situation
The Deacon's face grew darker as he measured every word
The Deacon's expression and tone became serious as he spoke
You horsehair braidin' sons o' witches stole my claim to earthly riches
The Deacon accused the brothers of stealing his prized possession, the roan horse, and thus took away his earthly riches
Someone go and dig a ditch, there may well be a hangin'
The severity of the situation led the Deacon to call for a ditch to be dug, which may indicate a hanging
One brother reached inside his shirt searching for his gun
One of the brothers went for his gun, showing they were not entirely innocent
Too late, for Deac had whipped around his sawed off Remington
The Deacon was too quick, whipping out his sawed off Remington before the brother could get his gun
The twins, they raised their hands and sneered, Deac was grinnin' ear to ear
The twins put their hands up and sneered, but the Deacon just grinned in return
He says court's in session, hear ye hear, yours truly is presidin'
The Deacon called a makeshift court session, with himself as the judge presiding over the trial
Well the trial commenced and ended quick they didn't have a hope
The trial was very short-lived and the outcome was not hopeful for the brothers
Deac says we'll cut your hair now boys and you can braid yourselves a rope
The Deacon sentenced the brothers to have their hair cut and braid it into a rope to be used for their hanging
The Old Testament, it says somewhere eye for eye and hair for hair
The Deacon referenced the Old Testament's teaching of an eye for an eye, but translated it to hair for hair in this case
Covet not thy neighbors mare, I believe it's Revelations
The Deacon made a reference to the warning against coveting a neighbor's horse in the book of Revelations
Now the fancy horsehair bridle, it hangs on Deacon's wall
The horsehair bridle that was traded for whiskey now hangs on the Deacon's wall as a reminder of the incident
Next to that wanted poster of the brothers Sandoval
On the same wall as the bridle is the wanted poster of the brothers Sandoval
And he twisted rope so shiny black, the artifact that broke their necks
The Deacon ultimately admired the craftmanship of the brothers and twisted a very strong rope to be used to hang them
Their craftsmanship he did respect, they shoulda stuck to braidin'
The Deacon respected the brothers' craftsmanship, but they should have stuck to braiding rather than stealing
The sky above the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow
Despite the drama and violence, the weather remained constant throughout the scene
The Deacon's hearse is rollin' slow in the first blue light of mornin'
The Deacon's hearse is slowly moving on the muddy ground in the early light of morning
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TOM RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind