rover

Oh there's sober men and plenty
And drunkards barely twenty,
There are men of over ninety
That have never yet kissed a girl.
But give me a ramblin' rover
Frae Orkney down to Dover,
We will roam the country over
And together we'll face the world.

There's many that feign enjoyment
From merciless employment,
Their ambition was this deployment
From the minute they left the school,
And the save and scrape and wander
While the rest go out and squander
See the world and rove and wander
And they're happier as a rule.**

Oh there's sober man and plenty
And drunkards barely twenty,
There are men of over ninety
That have never yet kissed a girl.
But give me a ramblin' rover.
Frae Orkney down to Dover
We will roam the country over
And together we'll face the world.

I've roamed through all the nations
In delight of all creations,
And enjoyed a wee sensation
Where the company it was kind.
And when partin' was no pleasure
I've drunk another measure
To the good friends that we treasure
For they always are in our minds.

Oh there's sober men and plenty
And drunkards barely twenty
There are men of over ninety
That have never yet kissed a girl.
But give me a ramblin' rover
Frae Orkney down to Dover
We will roam the country over
And together we'll face the world.

If you're bent wi' arthiritis
And your bowels have colitis,
Your gallopin' with balacitis
And your thinkin' its time you died.
If you been a man of action,
While your lying there in traction
You will get some satisfation
Thinkin' 'Jesus at least I tried'.

Oh there's sober men and plenty
And drunkards barely twenty
There are men of over ninety
That have never yet kissed a girl.
But give me a ramblin' rover
Frae Orkney down to Dover.
We'll roam the country over and together we'll face the world.
(repeat)

** I know there are at least two versions of this song; I have heard them both preformed by the same person. I have presented here the original (as far as I can tell) version, but I have heard it sung with the first and second verses reversed. Take your pick.

Back to Various Authors

Back to the Lyrics Homepage