There is no other life of which I'm fonder...

... It's just the gypsy on my soul. So said songwriting duo Moe Jaffe and Clay Boland in a 1937 composition.
"Although the song did not become a big hit at the time ... it has become a classic over the decades, particularly in the jazz repertoire, as it has been recorded by over 100 artists."(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org)
The song, Gypsy in My Soul, touches something deep inside me.
If science were ever to analyse my genes I think the bespectacled observers would focus on some gypsy DNA.
"There is no other life of which I'm fonder" than that I now have, sharing my love of great music like Jaffe and Boland's masterpiece with people who have lived in its era. 
The gypsy in me is "having my way" visiting nursing homes and retirement villages where I can display the influence of the world's musical and poetic geniuses on my life.
A life with "No cares, no strings" eludes me but the song's quirky melody takes me to a very nice place - as it has done over the past eight decades for millions or even billions of musicians and billions more in audiences.
This melody is so beautiful it brings a smile to young and old.
My research turned up  a fabulous version by Lisa Minelli, whose mother Judy Garland introduces her daughter. 
Lisa works up the song, almost tentatively feeling her way, then lets loose with the energy that pushed her to the top of her field.
Wow, I can't match that. My old guitar stacked up against a jazz orchestra  of the highest level! As for any other criteria, I can only say I always do my best, and the smiles and tapping feet tell me there's a gypsy in a lot of souls.
Probably one of the most musically influential gypsies has been Django Reinhardt.
Although a lot of search results link Django with the tune I couldn't find any freely available recordings.
Going a bit 'out there' I really enjoyed this version by guitarist Barney Kessel but again it's nothing like mine :)

Image: From the front page of the Daily Mirror of July 25, 1967 - posted at http://lennoncaravan.blogspot.com.au/, which tells of John Lennon's fascination for the gypsy caravan and its part in the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's album.