After time in the Army Reserves, Paxton moved to New York City where he frequented the city's Greenwich Village coffeehouse circuit. His early success in Greenwich Village coffeehouses led to an ever-increasing circle of work. He made his professional debut at the Gaslight, the renowned folk haunt that also issued the singer's first album. In 1962 Gaslight Records would press 2,000 copies of his debut album, I'm The Man Who Built The Bridges.
Paxton also auditioned to join the Chad Mitchell Trio, but although he failed, the group enjoyed a 1963 hit with "The Marvelous Toy," one of Paxton's early songs. Paxton performed at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, a performance that would be recorded-and released-by Vanguard Records. Paxton would go on to record a second album with Vanguard-at the Newport Folk Festival the following year - but his association with that record company lapsed, and it would not be until the year 2000 that Vanguard once again released a Tom Paxton album, Tom Paxton: Best of the Vanguard Years. In 1964 Paxton was signed to Elektra Records for whom he recorded his best-known work. Then in 1965 he made his first tour of the United Kingdom - the beginning of a still-thriving professional relationship that has included at least one tour in each of the succeeding years.
He and his wife Midge have been married since 1963 and have two daughters, Jennifer and Kate. All three women have served as inspiration for many of Paxton's songs. He now has three grandsons, Christopher, Sean, and Peter.
In addition to songwriting, Tom Paxton has written many critically acclaimed children's books, some of which were inspired by his songs for children.
He has performed thousands of concerts around the world in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Scandinavia, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland and Canada. Paxton enjoys a strong relationship with fans throughout the world. His songs have experienced enduring appeal, including modern standards such as "The Last Thing on My Mind" (perhaps Paxton's best-known song, it has been recorded by dozens of artists, including Judy Collins, Sandy Denny, Dolly Parton, and Porter Wagoner), "Ramblin' Boy", "Bottle of Wine", "Whose Garden Was This", "The Marvelous Toy", and "The Hostage" (which recounts the 1971 uprising at Attica State Prison).
In February 2002, Tom Paxton was honored with the ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award in Folk Music. A few days later, he received three Wammies (Washington, DC, Area Music Awards); as Best Male Vocalist in the "traditional folk" and "children's music" categories, and for Best Traditional Folk Recording of the Year for Under American Skies (the duo album he made with Anne Hills in 2001). This was the first Paxton album to receive an award of any kind.
Paxton has been nominated four times for Grammy Awards in his career, all since 2002.
In 2004, the Martin Guitar Company introduced the HD-40LSH Tom Paxton Signature Edition acoustic guitar in his honor.
In 2005, Paxton received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting at BBC Radio 2's Folk Awards at London's Brewery Arts Centre.
In 2006, Paxton received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance.
On January 22, 2007, Paxton was honored with an official UK Parliamentary tribute at the British House of Commons at the start of his 2007 United Kingdom tour.
On May 3, 2008, Paxton was honored with a special lifetime tribute from the World Folk Music Association, and a concert was held at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus, in Alexandria, Virginia.
Bottle Of Wine
Tom Paxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Singin' for nickels and dimes
Times getting rough I ain't got enough
To buy me a bottle of wine
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine
When you gonna let me get sober
Leave me along, let me go home
Little hotel, older than Hell
Cold and as dark as a mine
Blanket so thin, I lie there and grin
Buy me little bottle of wine
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine
When you gonna let me get sober
Leave me along, let me go home
I wann'a go back and start over
Aches in my head, bugs in my bed
Pants so old that they shine
Out on the street, tell the people I meet
Won'ch buy me a bottle of wine
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine
When you gonna let me get sober
Leave me along, let me go home
I wann'a go back and start over
Teacher must teach, and the preacher must preach
Miner must dig in the mine
I ride the rods, trusting in God
And hugging my bottle of wine
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine
When you gonna let me get sober
Leave me along, let me go home
I wann'a go back and start over
Tom Paxton’s "Bottle Of Wine" is a mournful lamentation of a vagrant who is “rambling around” a “dirty old town” and singing “for nickels and dimes.” He is at his wits end as “times getting rough” and he does not have “enough to buy me a bottle of wine.” The singer of the song is addicted to alcohol, and the beverage has become his “fruit of the vine,” which he clings onto for solace. His despair is palpable, as he yearns to “go back and start over,” dreaming of a life free from addiction and poverty. The man’s life is filled with desperation as he suffers from aches in his head, bugs in his bed, and pants that are so old that they shine. The life he leads is sordid and hard, with a dim future ahead of him.
Paxton’s evocative lyrics capture the sense of hopelessness and despair that comes with addiction and poverty. The singer is a lonely and lost soul trapped in a cycle of addiction, and he is unable to break free. The melancholic melody and simple acoustic guitar compliment the lyrics perfectly, driving home the sense of sadness and regret present in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Ramblin' around this dirty old town
I am wandering aimlessly in this unpleasant city.
Singin' for nickels and dimes
I earn a meager living by singing on the streets for small change.
Times getting rough I ain't got enough
The situation is getting worse and I don't have enough money.
To buy me a bottle of wine
I can't even afford a simple pleasure like a bottle of wine.
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine
A bottle of wine which is made from grapes.
When you gonna let me get sober
When can I stop drinking and become sober?
Leave me along, let me go home
Please leave me alone and let me go back home.
I wann'a go back and start over
I want to return to the beginning and start again.
Little hotel, older than Hell
This small and dilapidated hotel is very old.
Cold and as dark as a mine
The hotel is extremely cold and dreary, like a dark mine.
Blanket so thin, I lie there and grin
The blanket is very thin, but I still try to remain cheerful.
Buy me little bottle of wine
Please buy me a small bottle of wine to lift my spirits.
Aches in my head, bugs in my bed
I have a headache and there are insects in my bed.
Pants so old that they shine
My pants are so old that the fabric has become shiny.
Out on the street, tell the people I meet
When I am on the street, I ask people I meet for help.
Won'ch buy me a bottle of wine
Would you buy me a bottle of wine, please?
Teacher must teach, and the preacher must preach
Teachers must teach and religious figures must preach.
Miner must dig in the mine
Miners must work hard to extract materials from the mine.
I ride the rods, trusting in God
I travel by freight train and put my trust in God.
And hugging my bottle of wine
While travelling, I cling to my bottle of wine for comfort.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: THOMAS R PAXTON, TOM PAXTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Slime Time
(According to google)
This house
She's holding secrets
I got my change behind the bed
In a coffee can
Throw my nickels in
Just in case I have to leave
And I will go if you ask me to
I will stay if you dare
And if I go I'm goin' shameless
I'll let my hunger take me there
This house
She's quite the talker
She creeks and moans
She keeps me up
And the photographs
Know I'm a liar
They just laugh as I burn her down
And I will go if you ask me to
I will stay if you dare
And if I go I'm goin' on fire
Let my anger take me there
The shingles man they're shaking
Back door's burning through
This old house she's quite the keeper
Quite the keeper of you
I will go if you ask me to
I will stay if you dare
And if I go, I'm goin' crazy
Let my darlin' take me there
If I go, I'm goin' crazy
Let my darlin' take me there
Spot On
probably the greatest folk writer/singer of our time
Gil Knutson
Definitely all the things you guys said!! Loved him for going on 60 years... he always impresses!! Thanks, Tom, for hundreds of hours of enjoyment over the years
Eric Starvo Gault
An American treasure.
Nancy Benefiel
Up there with Phil Ochs and Leonard Cohen
Tony Carey
I'll drink to that!
Randus Applecorn
hell yeah
auraine25
Excellent ! Merci Tom, c'est le meilleur de ma jeunesse
Eugenia Murphy
God I love Tom Paxton...story of my life. Thank you Tom!
Randus Applecorn
story of my wife lol
Newfie Stoner420
I’m 16 and I love this song