Tom Paxton - Lucy, The Junk Dealer's Daughter Lyrics

I learned to play guitar listening to this song in college. Forty years ago, on my 30th birthday, I saw Tom at a small local venue in Atlanta. At the break, I asked him if I could play it for him. Graciously, he invited me into the dressing room where he gave me one of his guitars and, together, we sang this song. He asked me what I did for a living (psychologist) and told me what a good profession to be in and that the life of a musician was very difficult. I think he knew how much I would have loved to have been one. Today, now retired, I play professionally for senior citizens and his songs are their favorites.

I sang this with a folk quintet called THE RHYTHM FOLK. The audience was always absolutely still during a performance of this song. It still has that effect on me. Just listen and remember.

2019 and I'm still listening.

Tom Paxton is an Army Vet.

gotta be thankful

This makes me weep for a unknown ramblin' pal that i never had. We all that one friend in life who makes our life special. They know you even more than your family. You can curse any time you like when your with them. You don't need to be poised and lady like. You can be yourself with them. But today we need this ramblin' friend, who takes life as it is. He believes in the policy that yesterday is dead tomorrow is blind and lives in the present. Such was friendship in the 60s and 70s. What a wonderful decade! Life was so simple and beautiful. I feel nostalgic after hearing about the glories of the era where I didn't live. Honestly, today's generation must learn the how to live our life wonderfully. Thankyou Mr. Paxton for the melodious song. Good day

life in a major key.

I used to sing this wonderful song in my busking days, and can’t hear enough of it!

Tom Paxton is a Cold War Vet. Like Me.

GreatTom
thank you I love your music👍❤️❣️💕💗🌸💘💖💞💯

I had forgotten how good a singer Tom was, in addition to being a top notch songwriter. Knew him briefly at Oklahoma U

Beautiful. Never heard the name Tom Paxton before, but will seach it out now.

If you hadn't heard the name Tom Paxton, perhaps you hadn't heard of Eric Bogle, or maybe John Prine. I think of those three names together and have often been disappointed how many people don't know such wonderful song writers, yet so much banal music is known everywhere.

@Frank Watt Eric Bogle I am very familiar with. John Prine not, but will search him out now you've pointed me to him. Thank You.

@Frank Watt Ah. You listen to the music, and the singers. I agree your comment about banallity. cheers.

I shall never grow tired of this wonderful song...........

Fantastic how good voice and guitar sound with no complicated production. Tom's a fine guitarist, but I think he had help: anyone else hear a second guitar in the left channel?

this old heart....I love you 2

isley brothers

nly hing tha beats him is....

pwter paul mary and tom

so well done yall

My mom used to sing this to me when i was a kid. i miss her so much. i want my parents back,

I want this song to be played at my funeral

For you Rudy Mcquire

Michael paris for rudy mcquire

Great. Song❤️❤️❣️💃💋💞💃💃💃

I’m from S.A and heard this the first time when I were 9yrs old and fell in love with it (bit of an old soul) 🤣 and low and behold when I met my husband, it was his favorite song too!! How awesome is that. Soul mates 🙏🏻

Great Singer Love him💃💃💃And his Great😊😊🥂🥂🍷Music damn he’s is 🥢🥂Sexy 💃💃💃😊❤️❤️

i love this song ....and heres to yyoou my ramblin boy

Thank you Max♥️♥️🍷❤️👍

Beautiful Song❤️❤️👍💃💃💃❤️❤️❤️🍷🍷🍷Great Singer💃💃💃🎸🎸🎸🎸👏👏👏

Love this guy...r u married?

Jungle camp=hobo camp

Heard him sing this in Dublin 1971, great night. My girl friend had bought the tickets, she later became my wife , great songs great times.

I may have something in my eye.

such a beautiful song.Reminds me of beautiful friends with that lifestyle,and ones who are no longer on this plane

WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a mad keen 74yo Aussie fan.

I remember this great man, as he looks here, singing with my father, in 1965/66,with a pair guitars, at the end of our dining table in Kiddermister UK

A great fav in the folk scene in Dublin 1960s ...were nearly all gone and ramblin is not on so much for us survivors!

Tom is a national treasure and this is a true classic.

One of the special ones,always loved Toms music paddy connolly

Wonderful to hear the young Tom Paxton's beautiful voice. Excellent storytelling in song, lyrics poignant without being treacly.

This takes me back many many years ago. I am now 59 I was about seven when my eldest brother Arch used to sing this . How I miss those days. He and two of my younger brothers who used to sing with him are now in heaven. Miss you Arch Johan and Len.

Several years ago I found a piece of paper from my grandfather with a poem written on it. We were best buddies. His death still hits me just the same and it's been so long. I was always a rambler, and I still am. It's one of the things that's easiest to point out about me. Just a few moments ago I learned that there was a song that shared the same words. The letter was actually song lyrics. The penmanship was faint so we knew it was when he was towards the end. This was his goodbye to me. I love you Poppy.

Celestial Punkrock bullshit! 😑

Quelle extraordinaire chanson qui m'accompagne depuis mon adolescence....who could ask for more ? JE l'ai choisie aussi pour le jour de mon incinération , Love à tous ceux qui l'aime +++++

Thank you for posting this recording. The late Wally Leighton used to sing this song a lot at Kansas City's Foolkiller Community Theater in the late 1970s. Didn't know who wrote the song, could never remember all the words but loved it nonetheless. So it goes.

great song sung by a great singer.

I remember my mom singing this whenever us kids took to the streets for a day's play.

Francis John Muthig , Jr.   R I P

He gave a concert in Buxton in late Jan this year, 2017. Brilliant. Nothing more to say, really.

Check out Sandy Danny's version...

anybody else hear the resemblance between this song and "Washington Phillips - Mothers Last Words to her Son"?

Lucky to see Tom play this live when he came to England. Love the man. American legend.🇬🇧

what fockkkkk

Brings a tear to my eyes because it reminds me of the buddies I lost during my 3 tours in Vietnam.

My Uncle did multiple tours USMC. The War ended 3 weeks after my 17th birthday. I served USMC 77-81. Thank you Soldier. You are the people I respect.

Thank you. I was an Army Infantry captain but all three of my tours were in I Corps, the Marine AO. Developed great respect for the USMC.
A sincere "Semper Fi!" for you and you uncle!

Semper Fi!

Deepest sympathies Oldsoldier

Tom Paxton is a US Army Veteran.

I simply stated Tom Paxton served in the Army. I served in the Marines. One Veteran acknowledging another.

No problem with that pal. I have no problem myself with either those who were for or against that war. See them all as victims of the politicians. I am personally more inclined to the pacifist side and, like you, grew up in the 60's, but tend to think of these songs as more pacifist than pro military.

That doesn't matter much though - the songs have survived 50 years and that shows their quality

I am most certainly not a pacifist. Most Vietnam Vets do not feel like victims. Most Volunteered. Vietnam Veteran facts state %91 are proud to have fought and %74 would do it again even knowing the outcome. I have lost dozens of good friends to diseases from Agent Orange. Where I live in Florida the Veteran population is large. Many of us wear hats (Cover in the USMC) denoting our Service. We do so to Identify ourselves to each other. At the VA last week I met a guy who served in Iwakuni the same year I did.

Good for you - not sure that most volunteered for Viet -Nam rather than were conscripted or deployed. Glad to hear you had some choice.

Please also believe that I have every possible respect for those who fought in that awful war and sincere sympathy for those who have lost family, friends and colleagues in the process. I'm sure that TP's songs were very important to those in Viet Nam, but it's surely pushing things to imply that they were pro war given that he clearly and publicly divorced himself from it.

To me, it's more like his songs resonated with those in VN and those at home too. Doesn't make him a hawk. Listen to the words - sure he's a dove.

The fact that you see yourself as a hawk is fine by me -we just have different views.

However I take this more as a pacifist song than you seem to. I could well be wrong but so, equally could you.

Not into changing discussion of song into retro stuff rev VN. I am an old Scotsman, living a bit north of Aberdeen that respects vets but has also other agendas - many of which are musical.

2/3rds. of men and women who served in Vietnam were volunteers. In WW2 2/3rds. who served were drafted.

Ok who are the 7

Love it.

Chris Roberts

great music and very fond memories

Siempre formará parte de mis recuerdos

thank you for bringing back memories of a time when we could ramble a very different world.

yes...the world in which you were young......

Yes, I remember hitching around the USA. I would meet all sorts of nice folks back then.

yes my friend, but are you sure it was possible ???

Gerdes Folk City 1964

Yes, I agree. Still GREAT after all these years!

My mum loved it and taught it to us when we were kids - we loved the chorus!

So glad i came across this masterpiece

Thanks for the bottom of the heart for posting this so beautiful song. Tom Paxton was a genius of melody and lyrics.

I REMEMBER WHEN I LIVE IN WESTON CONNECTICUT WITH MY HUSBAN MAX AND HIS HOLLY MOTHER MILLY, LET ME CRY NOW

fits with fallout 4s theme

_I remember a young lady holding my hand tightly during the singing of this song in a folk club in the late 60's....I've never forgotten her to this very day_

And you never will. Cherish the memory. :)

clarebannerman I have similar memories that go back to the sixties, never loose these memories my friend. All the best

you lucky man - God bless you both.

I rember my early days leaving England and travelling in Europe 1975 with some money a backpack, the 'hitchikers guide to Europe' and some Tom Paxton songs in my head which I would sing to myself as the mood struck me, later I was to sing them in front of old friends, new friends and strangers in the pub in Spain I worked in and other places. Great times in a care-free world back then. God bless you Tom!

what's her name?

This song is really nice.

I was in the eighth grade when I first heard this song. What a great year for music.

+Theresa Brown I'm in 9th hearing this

Even better

Hearing this takes me back fifty years to when I was 17 and lived in one room, yet the song is still as fresh as it was then. My prized possessions then were a record player and my records, Tom Paxton and Woody Guthrie took me away from the Beatles and I never went back.

stillpeter
Same here. I still play and sing it. ❤️

This song was one of the club staples from the late 60's and 70's. My pal Joe and I sang this all over the place.
Joe has passed on now and so this song reminds me of those halcyon days of our youth. Now nearly 50 years have passed and I love it as much now as I did then.
Keep ramblin' Joe, I'll meet with you one day.........unless you went to heaven that is, then I'll be on the lower floor!

@The Glastonbury Ferryman Thanks for your story. I like the song too.

Anne and Tony Carey I wish I could visit a folk music club...the greenwich village....washington square park....at leaat once in my lifetime..I'd die happy..love all the way from India

I learned guitar by listening to his songs, THANK YOU TOM

Same here. I still sing these songs, especially that was the last thing on my mind.

This song never grows old, even if I do.

Great singer, great song!  Brings back memories of my young days!  Love him!

Great song

Don't stop folk is unappreciated sure it shares tunes but noone argues whether Dylan or Behan wrote the songe that are so similar - its the peoples music for sharing.

73 Shadow Paxton wrote Rambling Boy and some many of our best loved folk songs. He often does not get the credit for songs that he wrote that were covered by other performers.

Thank you for sharing....I love you for this.

He was a man and a friend always
He stuck with me in my hard old days
He never cared if I had no dough
We rambled round in the rain and snow

And here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your ramblin' bring you joy
Here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your ramblin' bring you joy

In Tulsa town, we chanced to stray
We thought we'd try to work one day
The boss said he had room for one
Says my old pal, we'd rather bum

And here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your ramblin' bring you joy
Here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your ramblin' bring you joy

Late one night in a jungle camp
The weather it was cold and damp
He got the chills and he got them bad
They took the only friend I had

And here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your ramblin' bring you joy
Here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your ramblin' bring you joy

He left me here to ramble on
My ramblin' pal is dead and gone
If when we die, we go somewhere
I'll bet you a dollar, he's ramblin' there

And here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your ramblin' bring you joy
Here's to you my ramblin' boy
May all your ramblin' bring you joy


Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/tom-paxton/ramblin-boy-lyrics/#ExEL2I0vdyDdpRMM.99

All my friends that are gone and my best friend my brother fred

Wonderful

Nice, thanks.

Brilliant !!

An absolute golden treasure

Pure gold.

thanks for uploading

superb.

Saw Tom performing this live, back in 1965. It brought tears to the eyes then, and is still as potent today.