Several sources trace its origins to the English folk song "The Derby Ram" (Roud 126). In 1888, it was published as a work song from Texas, with the chorus "Didn't he ramble? Didn't he ramble? / Oh, he rambled till the butcher cut him down!". The chorus was then adapted by leading African American songwriters, the Johnson brothers and Cole, jointly credited as the songwriter "Will Handy" (but not associated with W. C. Handy), and published in 1902 as "Oh, Didn't He Ramble". It quickly became a standard in the repertoire of New Orleans jazz bands.[1] In its originally copyrighted version, the song had seven verses, telling the story of Buster Beebe, whose adventures led him to a jail sentence and the loss of his money through gambling. However, the verses are now rarely performed.[2]
The tune is now traditionally played at the end of a New Orleans jazz funeral. "In contrast to the slower, sadder spirituals that are played on the way to a burial... it’s a joyous tune that suggests the deceased should have no regrets because he "rambled all around, in and out of town"". The words are usually set out as: "Oh! didn’t he ramble, ramble? / He rambled all around, in and out of town, / Oh, didn’t he ramble, ramble, / He rambled till the butchers cut him down."[2]
"Traditionally, at New Orleans jazz funerals, brass bands play slow, mournful hymns as the deceased’s body is carried out of the church and placed in a hearse or horse-drawn carriage. The band continues to play in this fashion until the procession reaches the cemetery. Once the priest or minister finishes performing his benediction and the congregation begins to leave the cemetery, the band strikes up a more up-beat selection of songs in celebration of the deceased’s life."[3]
^Hal Rammel, Nowhere in America: The Big Rock Candy Mountain and Other Comic Utopias, University of Illinois Press, 1990, p.117
^ abCon Chapman, "The Curious History of “Oh, Didn’t He Ramble”, Syncopated Times, February 26, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2022
^Mark Braud, "Didn't He Ramble", Preservation Hall Foundation Brass Bandbook. Retrieved April 30, 2022
^"Oh! Didn't He Ramble", The Lester S. Levy Shee Music Collection, Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved April 30, 2022
^"Oh! Didn't He Ramble", Secondhand Songs. Retrieved April 30, 2022
December 20, 2023
didn, ramble, orleans, jazz, standard, copyrighted, 1902, rosamond, johnson, james, weldon, johnson, cole, frequently, used, jazz, funerals, songwritten1902genredixieland, jazz, jazz, standardcomposer, rosamond, johnsonjames, weldon, johnsonbob, coleseveral, s. Oh Didn t He Ramble is a New Orleans jazz standard copyrighted in 1902 by J Rosamond Johnson James Weldon Johnson and Bob Cole It is frequently used at the end of jazz funerals Oh Didn t He Ramble SongWritten1902GenreDixieland jazz jazz standardComposer s J Rosamond JohnsonJames Weldon JohnsonBob ColeSeveral sources trace its origins to the English folk song The Derby Ram Roud 126 In 1888 it was published as a work song from Texas with the chorus Didn t he ramble Didn t he ramble Oh he rambled till the butcher cut him down The chorus was then adapted by leading African American songwriters the Johnson brothers and Cole jointly credited as the songwriter Will Handy but not associated with W C Handy and published in 1902 as Oh Didn t He Ramble It quickly became a standard in the repertoire of New Orleans jazz bands 1 In its originally copyrighted version the song had seven verses telling the story of Buster Beebe whose adventures led him to a jail sentence and the loss of his money through gambling However the verses are now rarely performed 2 The tune is now traditionally played at the end of a New Orleans jazz funeral In contrast to the slower sadder spirituals that are played on the way to a burial it s a joyous tune that suggests the deceased should have no regrets because he rambled all around in and out of town The words are usually set out as Oh didn t he ramble ramble He rambled all around in and out of town Oh didn t he ramble ramble He rambled till the butchers cut him down 2 Traditionally at New Orleans jazz funerals brass bands play slow mournful hymns as the deceased s body is carried out of the church and placed in a hearse or horse drawn carriage The band continues to play in this fashion until the procession reaches the cemetery Once the priest or minister finishes performing his benediction and the congregation begins to leave the cemetery the band strikes up a more up beat selection of songs in celebration of the deceased s life 3 The song was performed by George H Primrose 4 and first recorded by Arthur Collins in 1902 Later recordings include those by Fiddlin John Carson 1932 Jelly Roll Morton 1939 Kid Ory 1945 Louis Armstrong 1950 Peggy Lee 1955 the Preservation Hall Jazz Band 1988 and Dr John 1992 5 References edit Hal Rammel Nowhere in America The Big Rock Candy Mountain and Other Comic Utopias University of Illinois Press 1990 p 117 a b Con Chapman The Curious History of Oh Didn t He Ramble Syncopated Times February 26 2021 Retrieved April 30 2022 Mark Braud Didn t He Ramble Preservation Hall Foundation Brass Bandbook Retrieved April 30 2022 Oh Didn t He Ramble The Lester S Levy Shee Music Collection Johns Hopkins University Retrieved April 30 2022 Oh Didn t He Ramble Secondhand Songs Retrieved April 30 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Oh Didn 27t He Ramble amp oldid 1144855756, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
