The Rambling Silver Rose

© 1992 Stephen Savitzky. CC-by-nc-sa.

Very loosely inspired by Cindy McQuillin's songs of spaceships, spaceport bars, and hard-drinking, independent-minded women.

Recordings:

[ogg] [mp3]

Lyrics [pdf] [txt] [cho]

	C	Csus2	F	C
``	She's just a piece of	space-junk,'' they told	Rosie at the	yard;

	Csus2	F	G
``Her ports are etched, her	linings cracked--	she wouldn't get you	far.

	C^*	F
	Unlucky, and a	killer, too--the life support's been holed;

	C	Csus2	C	F	G	C
She's	not worth half her	mass in	scrap.'' She	quickly	told them, ``	Sold!''

Refrain(inst.)

	C	Csus2	F	C
She was	just an old tramp	freighter on the	belt-to-Saturn	run,

	Csus2	F	G6
Hauling heavy metals	outward, ice and	methane toward the	Sun,

	C^*	F
But with	cargo tankage	empty she pulls 2.7 g--

	C	Csus2	F	G	C
Rosie	fitted her for	charter, to run	fast and	fleet and	free.

F(D\up3) C F

And she always knew that she was born to follow a wandering star;

C F G

She's had a love in every port, a dr ink in every bar,

C^* F C F

But the lady's well contented with the w andering l ife she chose;

C F G C

She'll go where her wild heart takes her in the {\it Rambling Silver Rose}.

	C	Csus2	F	C
Now if	Rosie walked in	to the room you	might not look her	way,

	Csus2	F	G6
But if she caught you	with her eye, you'd	beg for her to	stay;

	C^*	F
By	morning you might	sell your soul to keep her past the dawn,

	C	Csus2	F	G	C
But the	wandering star is	calling, and the	Rambling	Rose is	gone.

F(D\up3) C F

And she always knew that she was born to follow a wandering star;

C F G

She's had a love in every port, a dr ink in every bar,

C^* F C F

But the lady's well contented with the w andering l ife she chose;

C F G C

She'll go where her wild heart takes her in the {\it Rambling Silver Rose}.

	C	Csus2	F	C
They'll	drink her health this	evening in a	hundred spaceport	bars

	Csus2	F	G6
As she drifts out in the	darkness, sleeping	wrapped in shining	stars,

	C^*	F
But	freedom is worth	more to her than either love or life;

	C	Csus2	F	G	C
She may	take a hundred	lovers, but she'll	never	be a	wife.

F(D\up3) C F

And she always knew that she was born to follow a wandering star;

C F G

She's had a love in every port, a dr ink in every bar,

C^* F C F

But the lady's well contented with the w andering l ife she chose;

C F G C

She'll go where her wild heart takes her in the {\it Rambling Silver Rose}.

C F G C

She'll go where her wild heart takes her; she's the Rambling Silver Rose.

I like to think that this was largely inspired by the strong, independent women in Cindy McQuillin's songs, but the horrible truth is that the original ``Rambling Silver Rose'' was Colleen's silver minivan. Now you know.