Lyrics

[Verse 1] You're gazing now on old Tom Moore, a relic of bygone days 'Tis a bummer, too, they call me now, but what care I for praise? "It's oft" says I, in the days gone by "It's oft" do I repine For the days of old when we dug out gold In the days of Forty-Nine [Verse 2] My comrades they all loved me well, a jolly saucy crew A few hard cases I will admit, though they were brave and true Whatever the pinch they ne'er would flinch They never would fret nor whine Like good old bricks they stood the kicks In the days of Forty-Nine [Verse 3] There's old "Aunt" Jess, that hard old cuss, who never would repent He never missed a single meal and he never paid a cent But old "Aunt" Jess like all the rest, at death did he resign And in his bloom, he went up the flume In the days of Forty-Nine [Verse 4] That Ragshag Jim, that roaring man, could outroar a buffalo, you bet He'd roar all day and he'd roar all night, and I guess he's roaring yet One night Jim fell in a prospect hole, 'twas a roaring bad design And in that hole Jim roared out his soul In the days of Forty-Nine [Verse 5] That Wily Bill, that funny man, who was full of funny tricks And when he was in a poker game he was always hard as bricks He'd ante you stud, he'd play you a draw, he'd go you a hatful blind In a struggle with death, Bill lost his breath In the days of Forty-Nine [Verse 6] There was New York Jake, that butcher boy, who was fond of getting tight And every time he got on a spree he was spoiling for a fight One night Jake edged against a knife in the hands of old Doc Stein And over Jake they held a wake In the days of Forty-Nine [Verse 7] There was Monte Pete, I'll ne'er forget the luck he always had He would deal for you both day and night as long as he had a scam It was a pistol shot that lay Pete out, it was his last resign It caught Pete sure right in the door In the days of Forty-Nine [Verse 8] Of all the comrades that I've had there's none that's left to boast And I am left alone in my misery like some poor wandering ghost And as I pass from town to town, they call me The Rambling Sign Since the days of old when we dug out the gold And the days of Forty-Nine