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".

Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics

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I was standing by my window on one cold and cloudy day.
Was I saw that herst come rolling for to take my mother away.

undertaker under taker undertaker please drive slow
Because the body that you are carrying lord I hate to see her go.

will the circle be unbroken by and by lord by and by.
Ther's abetter home awaiting is the sky lord in the sky

Oh, I followed close behind her
Tried to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in the grave

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord, by and by
There's a better home a-waiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky

I went back home, my home was lonesome
Missed my mother, she was gone
All of my brothers, sisters crying
What a home so sad and lone

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord, by and by
There's a better home a-waiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky

We sang the songs of childhood
Hymns of faith that made us strong
Ones that Mother Maybelle taught us
Hear the angels sing along

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord, by and by
There's a better home a-waiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord, by and by

There's a better home a-waiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky

Overall Meaning

The song "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" by Ramblin' Jack Elliott tells the story of a person's sadness and grief upon losing their mother. The first few lines describe the moment when the undertaker arrives to take the mother's body away. The singer of the song requests the undertaker to drive slowly, since they are carrying the body of their deceased mother, which makes it hard for them to deal with her departure. The lyric "will the circle be unbroken by and by" expresses the singer's wish for their family to remain united despite the loss they have suffered. The song is filled with longing and hope that there is a better home in the sky waiting for us when we pass away.

In the later verses, the song describes how the singer struggled to keep up a facade of being strong in front of others but could not help feeling the sorrow of losing their mother. The song speaks volumes about how a mother's loss can affect a family and leave them feeling incomplete. The singer's pain is evident as they describe going back home and feeling a sense of loneliness and their siblings crying. The final verse talks about how the family remembers their mother through the songs she taught them, and they use music as a channel to express their sorrow and lament her death.

Line by Line Meaning

I was standing by my window on one cold and cloudy day.
The singer was looking outside through the window on a day when the sky was overcast and the weather was wintry.

Was I saw that herst come rolling for to take my mother away.
The singer saw a hearse moving towards his home to take away his mother who had passed away.

undertaker under taker undertaker please drive slow
The author requests the driver of the hearse to drive slowly out of respect for the deceased person being carried.

Because the body that you are carrying lord I hate to see her go.
The author expresses his sorrow at seeing the body of his mother being taken away, since he hates to see her go.

will the circle be unbroken by and by lord by and by.
The author wonders if the cycle of life, death and rebirth will be unbroken in the future, and addresses the Lord while doing so.

Ther's abetter home awaiting is the sky lord in the sky
The author believes that there is a better home waiting in heaven, as he refers to the Lord and says it is in the sky.

Oh, I followed close behind her
The author followed the hearse that was carrying his mother's body.

Tried to hold up and be brave
The author tried to be strong and not show his emotions when following his mother's hearse.

But I could not hide my sorrow
Despite his best efforts to remain strong, the author's sorrow and grief were too much for him to conceal.

When they laid her in the grave
The author witnessed the burial of his mother as her casket was placed in the ground.

I went back home, my home was lonesome
After his mother's burial, the author returned home, which now felt empty and lonely without her presence.

Missed my mother, she was gone
The author missed his mother, who was no longer alive.

All of my brothers, sisters crying
The author's siblings were also mourning the loss of their mother and were crying.

What a home so sad and lone
The author's home felt especially gloomy and desolate after his mother's death.

We sang the songs of childhood
The author and his family sang the songs that they learned in childhood.

Hymns of faith that made us strong
The songs that they sang were hymns of faith that provided them with strength and comfort.

Ones that Mother Maybelle taught us
The author's mother, named Maybelle, had taught the family these songs.

Hear the angels sing along
The author felt that the angels were joining in and singing these hymns with them.

Will the circle be unbroken
The author repeats his earlier question in the hope that the cycle of life, death and rebirth will remain unbroken.

By and by, Lord, by and by
He again addresses the Lord while pondering about the future.

There's a better home a-waiting
The author continues to believe in the concept of an afterlife, and holds on to the hope that there is a better place awaiting them beyond this life.

In the sky, Lord, in the sky
He invokes the Lord again and suggests that this better place is in the sky, further emphasizing his belief in heaven.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Alvin Pleasant Carter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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