659. I Wonder Where's the Gambling Man

659 I Wonder Where's the Gambling Man

["I Wonder Where's the Gambling Man" is a version "The Gambling Man" (Sharp) also titled "The Gambler's Dying Words" [Laws H22/Sh 152A/Me I-B102] and related to the Roving Gambler. Here is a related version from NC collected by Mellinger Henry: 

I Wonder Where's the Gambler (This is nearly identical to White's ANFS "The Gambling Man," attributed to L.V. Medlin; Durham publishing Co. No date given. Not sure of the source attributing Henry.)

Wasn't it a pity and wasn't it sad?
The mother of a gambler lost the only son she had,
He gambled all night long till about the break of day;
He took a pain around his heart and threw his cards away.

CHO:  I wonder where's the gambler and I wonder where he's gone (2)

He gambled all night long and about the break of day,
A 38 revolver fired to take his life away
They sent for his father and relations to come and carry him home,
For the bullet shot through his body wouldn't let him go alone.

They carried him a little distance, he said, "Lay me down to rest;
The aching pains through my body I can hardly get my breath."
They carried him home carefully and laid him on the bed,
He called for a pan of water to bind his aching head.

Come, mother, take my testimony; take it before I die,
And place it in the gamblers' hall, where all may read and people cry;
It was about the hour of midnight, near the hour of twelve,
When he said, "It's time for the little black train to come take a gambler down
to hell."

From Henry, Songs Sung in NC. Below is the listing in the Folk Index:

The Gambler's Dying Words [Laws H22/Sh 152A/Me I-B102]

Rm - Roving Gambler
Laws, G. Malcolm / Native American Balladry, Amer. Folklore Soc., Bk (1964), p241 (I Wonder Where's the Gambler)
Campbell, Blind James; and his Nashville Street.... Blind James Campbell and his Nashville Street Band, Arhoolie 1015, LP (1962), trk# B.07 (Gambling Man IV)
New Lost City Ramblers. Cohen, John, Mike Seeger & Hally Wood / Old Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1976/1964), p 82
Samples, Florence. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians II, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p204/# 152A [1917/08/13] (Gambling Man IV)
Seeger, Mike. Music From the True Vine, Mercury SRMI-627, LP (1972), trk# 12 (Gambling Man IV)]

659. I Wonder Where's the Gambling Man

'I Wonder Where's the Gambling Man.' Anonymous female singer. No place  or date given. For additional versions cf. NAB 261 ('I Wonder Where's the  Gambler') which refers to SSSA 96-7; also SharpK II 204, No. 152.

I'll tell you of a poor young man, who gam - bled

night and day. — And he was ta - ken ver - y sick,
He tried but could not say. —

 Tell me who's the gam - bling man.
Tell me where he's gone. —
Tell me who's the gam - bling man, Tell me where he's gone. — 
 


Scale: Mode III. Tonal Center: c. Structure: aba1bi (4,4,4,4). The tonal  center is the lowest tone.