the one and only official web site: www.thenewchristyminstrels.com as well as The NCM Foundation web site: www.newchristyminstrelsfoundation.org
Formed by Founder Randy Sparks in 1961, The New Christy Minstrels®, Under the Direction of Randy Sparks had several Top 40 folk music hits, including "This Land Is Your Land", "Green, Green", "Today" and "Ramblin'". Current members of the group include Founder, Randy Sparks, along with Dolan Ellis, Pete Henderson, Becky Jo Benson, Eddie Boggs, Jennifer Lind, Dave Deutschendorf (John Denver's Uncle), and Greg O'Haver tour in concert throughout the year. For touring Schedule: http://www.thenewchristyminstrels.com/#Schedule
The New Christy Minstrels' film score for the 1964 comedy movie, Advance to the Rear, featuring Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens, was the first complete soundtrack ever made in the folk music style. The score is notable for the hit standard "Today" and several others, including "This Old Riverboat" and "Company of Cowards" (the original title). The soundtrack album has been re-released on CD as Today. In 2007 the group recorded "RECYCLED" The New Christy Minstrels® Greatest Hits CD and in 2011 have plans to record "RECYCLED II" and "Land of Giants II". The NCM CDs are available at their live concerts and from THE STORE located on their web site: www.thenewchristyminstrels.com In 2009 Randy Sparks and The New Christy Minstrels® received a Star on The Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Most of their concerts end up being sold out, in the group's current performance Schedule, so if they are in your area you should buy tickets early.
Homeward Bound
The New Christy Minstrels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got a ticket to my destination.
On a tour of one-night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand.
And ev'ry stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band.
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Ev'ry day's an endless stream
Of cigarettes and magazines.
And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories
And ev'ry stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be,
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my music's playing,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Tonight I'll sing my songs again,
I'll play the game and pretend.
But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me.
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my music's playing,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Silently for me.
The New Christy Minstrels's song "Homeward Bound" is a beautiful song that speaks to the heart of anyone who has ever been on the road for work or otherwise. The song speaks to a poet and a one-man band who is on a tour of one-night stands with his suitcase and guitar in hand. The lyrics are vividly descriptive, touching on the endless stream of cigarettes and magazines, and every town looking the same to him, but in the midst of it all, he longs to be Homeward Bound. There's a strong sense of loneliness as he travels from place to place, evident in the line "each stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be."
In the second verse, the words are melancholic, as he admits to playing the game and pretending. He wishes that he had found someone to comfort him, admitting that his words come back to him in shades of mediocrity, and that he needs someone to comfort him. It's clear that he's tired of being on the road and longs for the comfort of his home, where his thoughts can escape, his music can play and his love lies waiting silently for him.
In conclusion, this song is a reflection on the longing for home, and the sense of restlessness that comes with being away from it. It speaks volumes to anyone who has ever been on a journey far from home, seeking something new, but missing the comfort of what they left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sitting in the railway station.
I am currently waiting at a train station.
Got a ticket to my destination.
I have a ticket for where I am headed.
On a tour of one-night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand.
I am on a tour with only brief stops, carrying my guitar and suitcase with me.
And ev'ry stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band.
Each stop on this tour has been meticulously planned to allow for my performance as both a poet and musician.
Homeward bound,
I long to return home.
I wish I was,
I have a strong desire to be home.
Home where my thought's escaping,
My mind finds peace and solace at home.
Home where my music's playing,
My music can be heard and experienced in my home.
Home where my love lies waiting
My beloved awaits me patiently at home.
Silently for me.
My loved one is patiently waiting for my return with quiet anticipation.
Ev'ry day's an endless stream
The monotony of daily life is never-ending.
Of cigarettes and magazines.
My days consist of smoking cigarettes and reading magazines.
And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories
Every town I visit on my tour seems identical, filled with movie theaters and factories.
And ev'ry stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be,
The sight of every unfamiliar face makes me ache for home.
Tonight I'll sing my songs again,
This evening I will perform my music again.
I'll play the game and pretend.
Despite my longing for home, I must continue to put on a show and pretend all is well.
But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity
My own songs feel dull and uninspired to me.
Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me.
Despite performing and creating music, I feel empty and crave comfort from another.
Silently for me.
My loved one is still anxiously awaiting my return.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JERRY LANDIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Craig Gardiner
on The Cotton Pickers' Song
Springfield Fair by Randy Sparks & Nick Woods
Soldier, soldier come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau when I got no shoes to wear?
i'll go down to the cobbler shop and get you the finest there.
They'll look so neat upon your feet
as we go down to the Springfield Fair, we go down to the fair.
Soldier, soldier come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau when I got no suit to wear?
I'll go down to the tailor shop and get you the finest there.
You'll look so cute in your brand new suit
as we go down to the Springfield Fair, we go down to the fair.
Soldier, soldier come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau when I got no hat to wear?
Well, I'll go down to the hatter's shop and get you the finest there.
Imagine that, a fine silk hat,
now we'll go down to the Springfield Fair we'll go down to the fair.
Now you're dressed from head to toe
and I just can't wait to go.
Soldier, soldier come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau, when I got no way to get you there,
down to the Springfield fair.
Well, I'll go down to the carriage house and get you the finest there,
Side by side is how we'll ride as we go down to the Springfield Fair
we go down to the fair.
Soldier, please come with me, we'll go down to the fair.
Oh, how can I go and be your beau when my wife and fourteen kids are there
the wife and the kids are there.