The Travelling People Lyrics
The JohnstonsMusic Video
The Travelling People
We are freeborn clans of the travelling people
Got no fixed abode with nomads we are numbered
Country lanes and by-ways were always my ways
I never fancied being lumbered.
Oh, we knew the woods and the resting places
And the small birds sang when winter days were over
Then we'd pack our load and be on the road
Those were good old times for a rover.
Now I've known life hard and I've known it easy
And I've cursed the life when winter days are dawning
But we've laughed and sung through the whole night long
Seen the Summer sunrise in the morning.
There was open ground where a man could linger
For a week or two, for time was not our master
Then away you'd jog with your horse and dog
Nice and easy no need to go faster.
All you free born men of the travelling people
Every Tinker, Rolling Stone and Gipsy Rover
Winds of change are blowing, old ways are going
Your travelling days will soon be over.
Song Details
🎶 Songwriter: Ewan MacColl - British folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor.
🎙️ First broadcast: 1964
It was one of eight BBC Radio Ballads — a groundbreaking series that blended interviews, field recordings, and original songs to document working‑class life.
📝 Song Brief:
The song focuses on Britain’s nomadic communities: tinkers, travellers, and gypsy rovers whose traditions, skills, and independence were increasingly threatened by modernisation and restrictive laws.
MacColl’s lyrics honour the pride and hardship of a life lived on the move — the woods and resting places, the long nights of singing, the freedom of the open ground, and the growing sense that “old ways are going.”
📖 Glossary:- Tinker — A travelling mender of metal household utensils — traditionally repairing pots, pans, kettles, and other tinware.
- Rolling Stone — A restless or wandering person — someone who moves from place to place rather than settling in one community.
- Gipsy — A variant spelling of “Gypsy,” referring to a member of a traditionally nomadic ethnic group.
🎻 Genre: Folk
👥 Covers: The Dubliners, Liam Clancy, Bobby Clancy, Christy Moore, The Pogues, Johnny McEvoy, Dick Gaughan, Cherish the Ladies, and Patrick Clifford.
🎤 Featured Artists: The Johnstons
👩👩👧 The Johnstons original line-up: Family trio consisting of Adrienne, Lucy and Michael Johnston.
💿 Single:
A-side: Going Home
B-side: The Travelling People
Released: 1966
Country: UK
Format: 7" Vinyl, 45 RPM
Label: Pye Records
📅 Charts: Reached No. 1 on the Irish Charts in July, 1966
📀 Album: The Travelling People
Released: 1968
Country: UK
Format: 12" Vinyl, Compilation
Label: Marble Arch
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