Rambler

I guess every 22 year old singer-songwriter goes through a phase of writing about being a broken down middle-aged man. But looking at this song from a certain perspective these many decades later, I can't help but crack the hell up.

I mean, when I wrote the line, "Left my home and my woman about four years ago" -- it was in my mind that that seemed like a really long time ago.

Or maybe I was trying to suggest how fast this guy's descent was, I can't really tell you anymore. At any rate, I do remember I was trying to write a counterpoint to what seemed like a rash of songs on the radio at the time (1973ish) that celebrated ramblin' and gamblin' -- though I can only think of one or two, offhand, now.

I wanted to show, you know, the dark side of ramblin' and gamblin'...

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Left my home and my woman
about four years ago
mostly don't know when to quit
but then I packed up my losses
and stumbled out on the road

Well I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler
I'm just a shambles of a man
I'm stumbling; my lifes crumblin
I'm just another loser on the lam

If the stakes are low then the time is right
I'm a fool for a penny-ante game
May be gambling with my life
but it's just small change all the same

Well I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler...

I've been beaten, I've been cheated
I've been shot at from Arkansas to Vietnam
I been shafted, I been laughed at
I been out-casted but I still don give a damn

Well I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler
I'm just a shambles of a man
I'm stumbling; my lifes crumblin
I'm just another loser on the lam

(C) 1973 TK Major