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I am a roving gambler,
I gambled down in town,
Whereever I () for the sake of the cards I'll lie my money down

I had not been in Washington many more weeks than three,
When I fell in love with a pretty little girl and she fell in love with me

She took me in he parlor,
She cooled me with her fan,
She whispered low in her mother's ear I love a gamblin' man

Oh daughter oh dear daughter,
Why do you treat me so,
To leave your old dear mother and with a gambler go

Oh mother oh dear mother,
I know I love you well,
But the love I have for the gamblin' man no human song can tell

I've gambled down in Washington,
I've gambled down in Spain,
I'm going down to Georgia to gamble my last game

I hear the train a-coming,
A-coming round the curve,
A-whistling and a-blowing and staining every nerve

Oh mother oh dear mother,
I'll tell you if I can,
If you ever see me coming again I'll be with a gamblin' man

An old traditional song described on the record label as a "Mountaineer's Song with violin and guitar". Kelly Harrell made his living in the Virginia textile mills but sang on the side and recorded several sessions in the later 1920s. "Rovin' Gambler" was recorded on January 7, 1925. From the original 78rpm disk.

Author: Kelly Harrell
Date: 1925-01-07
Source: Original 78rpm disk digitized by old78collector
Keywords: oldtime; folk; country; appalachian