“Wanderin'”

Description

"My daddy is an engineer, My brother drives a hack, My sister takes in washin' An' the baby balls the jack, An' it looks like I'm never gonna cease my wanderin'." Tales of work and poverty, held together by the refrain "never gonna cease my wanderin'."

Notes

The total irrelevance of plot to this song is shown by the fact that Scott's version (which is mostly about the traveler's rambles, except for the line "If the Republicans don't get you, the Democrats must") shares only three lines, apart from the refrain, with the DT version. - RBW

Recordings

• Vernon Dalhart, "Wanderin'" (Columbia 1585-D, 1928)

References

1. Sandburg, pp. 188-189, "Wanderin'" (2 texts, 1 tune)
2. Scott-BoA, pp. 335-336, "Wandering" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Lomax-FSNA 218, "Wand'rin" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. Darling-NAS, p. 281, "Wandering" (1 text)
5. Silber-FSWB, p. 59, "Wandering" (1 text)
6. BrownIII 507, "I Got de Hezotation Stockings and de Hezotation Shoes" (1 short text, with a verse and chorus from "Hesitation Blues" and a verse from "Wanderin'")
7. DT, WANDERIN*
8. Roud #4399
9. BI, San188