“The Roving Gambler (The Gambling Man)”
Description
The singer freely admits his addiction to gambling, cards, and a roving life. But he also has an eye for the ladies. In one town he meets with a "pretty little girl" who takes him home and then decides to follow him wherever he goes
Cross references
- cf. "True-Born Irish Man (With My Swag All on My Shoulder; The True-Born Native Man)" (plot)
- cf. "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me (Been All Around This World)" (floating lyrics)
- cf. "Almost Done" (floating lyrics)
- cf. "The Gambler" (theme, floating lyrics)
- cf. "Sailing Out on the Ocean" (floating lyrics)
- cf. "I Met a Handsome Lady" (lyrics)
- cf. "The Soldier Boy (III) (The Texas Volunteer): (lyrics)
Recordings
- Frank Bode, "Roving Gambler" (on FBode1)
- Crockett's Kentucky Mountaineers, "Roving Gambler" (Crown 3159, 1931; Paramount 3302, 1932; Varsity 5082, Montgomery Ward M-3025, Homestead 23041, Continental 3012 [as Pete Daley's Arkansas Fiddlers], n.d.)
- Vernon Dalhart, "Rovin' Gambler" (Edison 51584, 1925) (CYL: Edison [BA] 5027 [as Vernon Dalhart & Co.], n.d.) (OKeh 40479 [as Tobe Little], 1925) (Columbia 15034 [as Al Craver], 1925) (Grey Gull/Radiex 4135 [as Jeff Calhoun], 1927)
- Hobart Delp & band, "Roving Gambler" (on Persis1)
- Kelly Harrell, "Rovin' Gambler" (Victor 19596, 1925; on KHarrell01) (Victor 20171, 1926; Montgomery Ward M-4367, 1933; on KHarrell01)
- Claude Moye, "Roving Gambler" (Champion 16118 [as Asparagus Joe], Supertone 9712 [as Pie Plant Pete], 1930; Superior 2643 [as Jerry Wallace], 1931; Champion 45063, Melotone [Can.] 45063 [both as Pie Plant Pete; as "Rovin' Gambler"], 1935)
- New Lost City Ramblers, "Roving Gambler" (on NLCR01)
- George Reneau, "Rovin' Gambler" (Vocalion 15148, 1925; Vocalion 5077, 1926)
- Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "The Roving Gambler" (Columbia 15447-D, 1929)
- Welby Toomey, "Roving Gambler" (Gennett 6005, Champion 15209 [as Herb Jennings], Silvertone 5006, Challenge 229 [as Clarence Adams], 1927; Silvertone 8151, Supertone 9252, 1928; Herwin 75532, n.d.; rec. 1926)
- Doug Wallin, "The Roving Gambler" (on Wallins1)
References
- Laws H4, "The Roving Gambler (The Gambling Man)"
- Belden, pp. 374-377, "The Guerrilla Boy" (4 texts, 1 tune, but only the first 2 texts are this piece)
- Randolph 835, "The Guerilla Man" (3 texts, 1 tune)
- Randolph/Cohen, pp. 323-325, "The Guerrilla Man" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 835A. Cohen notes that the printed melody fits only the first verse; there is probably an error in the transcription, causing a line to be omitted)
- BrownIII 49, "The Journeyman" (3 text)
- Brewster 87, "The Blue-Coat Man" (1 text, a curious version in which the gambler, upon seeing enemies, "willingly shot them down"; 1 tune)
- Gardner/Chickering 75, "The Roaming Gambler" (1 text)
- Fuson, p. 131, "The Gambling Man" (1 text, incorporating the "Pretty Little Foot")
- MHenry-Appalachians, pp. 98-99, "The Roving Gambler" (1 text; a number of his other texts also have verses probably from this song; see the references under "On Top of Old Smokey")
- Sandburg, pp. 312-313, "The Roving Gambler" (3 texts, 1 tune. The "A" and "C" texts, clearly go here; the "B" text is possibly distinct though mostly floating verses)
- Lomax-ABFS, pp. 150-151, "The Roving Gambler" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Logsdon 21, pp. 136-139, "The Buckskin Shirt" (1 text, 1 tune, a strange composite starting with "The Roving Gambler (The Gambling Man) [Laws H4]), breaks into a cowboy version of "Soldier Boy for Me (A Railroader for Me)," and concludes with a stanza describing the happy marriage between the two)
- Botkin-AmFolklr, p. 889, "The Roving Gambler" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 592, "The Wandering Steamboatman" (1 partial text)
- Darling-NAS, pp. 226-227, "The Roving Gambler" (1 text)
- Silber-FSWB, p. 54, "Rambling, Gambling Man" (1 text, with more than a little influence from the "I'm a Rambler, I'm a Gambler" texts of "The Wagoner's Lad"); p. 60, "Roving Gambler Blues" (1 text)
- Thomas-Makin', p. 122, "The Rustlin' Gambler" (1 text, probably a mix of this with other gambler songs)
- DT 645, ROVINGMB
- Roud #498
- BI, LH04