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Rambling, Gambling Willie 1 (Gamblin' Willie's Dead Man's Hand) Bob Dylan © 1962 Duchess Music Corp., 1965 Music Corp. of America (Official lyrics @ www.bobdylan.com)

Feb 1962 THE WITMARK DEMOS:     THE BOOTLEG SERIES Vol. 9 / 1962-1964 THE BOOTLEG (T-286) IN THE PINES (T-645)

Leeds Music demo, NYC - february 1962 Come around your rovin' gamblers an' a story i will tell About the greatest gambler, you all should know him well His name was Willie O'Conley an' he gambled all his life He had twenty seven children, yet he never had a wife. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows. Well he gambled in the White House an' in the railroad yards Wherever there was people, there was Willie an' his cards He had the reputation as the gamblin'est man around Wives would keep their husbands home when Willie came to town. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows. Sailin' down the Mississippi to a town called New Orleans They're still talkin' about that card game on that Jackson River Queen "I've come to win some money", gamblin' Willie says When the game finally ended up, the whole damn boat was his. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows. Up in the Rocky mountains in a town called Cripple Creek There was an all night poker game, lasted about a week Nine hundred miners had laid their money down When Willie finally left the room, he owned the whole damn town. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows. But Willie had a heart of gold an' this i know is true He supported all his children an' all their mothers too He wore no rings or fancy things, like other gamblers wore He spread his money far an' wide to help the sick an' the poor. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows. When you played your cards with Willie you never really new Whether he was bluffin' or whether he was true He won a fortune from a man who folded in his chair The man he left a diamond flush, Willie didn't even have a pair. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows. It was late one evenin' during a poker game A man lost all his money, he said Willie was to blame He shot poor Willie thru the head, which was a tragic fate Willie's cards fell on the floor, they were aces backed with eights. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows. So all you rovin' gamblers wherever you might be The moral of this story is very plain to see Make your money while you can before you have to stop For when you pull that dead man's hand, your gamblin' days are up. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.

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Rambling, Gambling Willie 2

24 Apr 1962 the bootleg series volumes 1-3 [rare and unreleased] 1961-1991 GREAT WHITE WONDER Part 2 (vinyl bootleg)

The Freewhelin' Bob Dylan session 1, Columbia Studio A, NYC - 24.apr.1962, take 4, CO70087-4 Come around your rovin' gamblers an' a story i will tell About the greatest gambler, you all should know him well His name was Willie O'Conley an' he gambled all his life He had twenty seven children, yet he never had a wife. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody knows. Well he gambled in the White House an' in the railroad yards Wherever there was people, there was Willie an' his cards He had the reputation as the gamblin'est man around Wives would keep their husbands home when Willie came to town. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody knows. Sailin' down the Mississippi to a town called New Orleans They're still talkin' about that card game on that Jackson Queen "I've come to win some money", gamblin' Willie says When the game finally ended up, the whole damn boat was his. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody knows. Up in the Rocky mountains in a town called Cripple Creek There was an all night poker game, lasted about a week Nine hundred miners had laid their money down When Willie finally left the room, he owned the whole damn town. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody knows. But Willie had a heart of gold an' this i know is true He supported all his children an' all their mothers too He wore no rings or fancy things, like other gamblers wore He spread his money far an' wide to help the sick an' poor. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody knows. When you played your cards with Willie you never really new Whether he was bluffin' or whether he was true He won a fortune from a man who folded in his chair The man he left a diamond flush, Willie didn't even have a pair. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody knows. It was late one evenin' during a poker game A man lost all his money, he said Willie was to blame He shot poor Willie thru the head, which was a tragic fate Willie's cards fell on the floor, they were aces backed with eights. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody knows. So all you ramblin' gamblers wherever you might be The moral of this story is very plain to see Make your money while you can before you have to stop For when you pull that dead man's hand, your gamblin' days are up. An' it's ride, Willie ride, roll, Willie roll Wherever you're a-gamblin' now, nobody knows.