The rambling man is one of bluegrass’s deepest characters. The canon list covers the well-known examples (“I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow,” “On the Road Again,” “Highway 40 Blues”) but the catalog goes much further. These lesser-known rambling songs cover hobo material (“Big Rock Candy Mountains,” “The Hobo Song,” “500 Miles”), runaway songs (“Free Born Man,” “Walk On Boy”), and songs about the wear of the road (“Summer Wages,” “Goodnight Irene”). Merle Haggard’s “Ramblin’ Fever” is the genre’s manifesto. Jimmie Rodgers’s “Brakeman’s Blues” is its deep root.

Each song’s page on Picker’s Guide has chord charts, lyrics, recordings, and song history.