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.
Georgie on the Freeways
Tom Paxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh pity would it show
George Chester's office air conditioner
Would no longer go.
As pools of sweat rolled off his brow
He had one reverie.
He saw himself with his wife and kids
In his cottage by the sea.
He paid for his car at the parking lot
Which gave the poor man chills.
The attendant laughed and walked away
Thumbing a roll of bills.
He started his engine with trembling hands
At the end of a long, hard day.
And placing himself in the hands of God
He drove to the long freeway.
The traffic stretched far as the eye can see
As bumper to bumper they sped.
They drove at supernatural speeds
Which filled his heart with dread.
Sometimes they stopped for an hour or more
And a thousand horns would blow.
George Chester's eyes rolled back in his head
And his poor brain started to go.
He came at last to the turnpike gate
And he laid his money down.
He took the fist turn to the right
And he followed the curve around
He took each bend of the clover leaf,
He followed every sign,
And when he came back to the same toll gate
He gave them another dime.
His hands were tight on the steering wheel,
His lips and throat were dry.
He swore by all that he held dear
He'd make it through or die.
He took the first turn to the right
The clover leaf to go through.
He was quite sure of his success
Till the toll gate rose in view.
And now they say when the moon is full
And the clover leaf is still,
The sound of an engine can be heard
Laboring up the hill.
A dime drops in the toll machine
In the cool of a summer's night.
And eternally that poor car
Takes the first turn to the right.
Tom Paxton's song "Georgie on the Freeways" is a tale of a man named George Chester who commutes to work every day in California during the summer season. On one particularly hot day, George's air conditioner breaks down, making his journey in his car unbearable. The only thing that keeps him going is the thought of his family waiting for him at their cottage by the sea. He makes his way to the parking lot, only to have the attendant rip him off by asking for more money than required. Despite his frustrations, George gets behind the wheel and heads to the freeway, guided by his faith in God.
As he merges onto the freeway, he is hit by the overwhelming sight of a seemingly endless stretch of cars moving bumper to bumper at supernatural speeds. He is stuck in traffic for hours at a time, as the horns blare incessantly all around him. Despite his best efforts, George takes the wrong turn, goes in a full circle, and ends up at the toll booth again. He tries again and again, each time taking the first turn to the right, but he never gets beyond the toll booth. Eventually, his car's engine dies, and he is left stranded in the middle of the freeway.
The song is a commentary on the soul-crushing monotony of the daily grind, and how easily our lives can spiral out of control if we lose sight of what's important. George is a modern-day Sisyphus, doomed to repeat the same journey over and over again, never getting any closer to his ultimate goal.
Line by Line Meaning
The summer sun was beating down
The scorching sun rays of summer were shining bright
Oh pity would it show
It was obvious to feel sorry for George Chester
George Chester's office air conditioner
The air conditioner at George Chester's workplace
Would no longer go.
Stopped working
As pools of sweat rolled off his brow
He was sweating profusely
He had one reverie.
He had one dream or imagination
He saw himself with his wife and kids
He imagined himself with his family
In his cottage by the sea.
Living in a house near a body of water
He paid for his car at the parking lot
He paid the parking fee for his vehicle
Which gave the poor man chills.
That made him feel dreadful
The attendant laughed and walked away
The parking attendant chuckled and went away
Thumbing a roll of bills.
Rubbing or flicking a bundle of money
He started his engine with trembling hands
He started the car with shaky hands
At the end of a long, hard day.
After working long hours
And placing himself in the hands of God
He put his trust in God
He drove to the long freeway.
He drove towards a highway
The traffic stretched far as the eye can see
The vehicles extended into the distance
As bumper to bumper they sped.
Cars were traveling very close to each other
They drove at supernatural speeds
Vehicles moved faster than is considered normal
Which filled his heart with dread.
He was terrified
Sometimes they stopped for an hour or more
At times they halted for over an hour
And a thousand horns would blow.
A lot of horns honked
George Chester's eyes rolled back in his head
He became dizzy and disoriented
And his poor brain started to go.
He started to lose his mental faculties
He came at last to the turnpike gate
He reached the entrance to the toll road
And he laid his money down.
He paid the toll fee
He took the first turn to the right
He took the initial right turn
And he followed the curve around
He drove around the bend
He took each bend of the clover leaf,
He navigated each curve of the highway interchange
He followed every sign,
He obeyed all the highway signs
And when he came back to the same toll gate
When he returned to the previous toll road entrance
He gave them another dime.
He paid an additional ten cent fee
His hands were tight on the steering wheel,
He gripped the steering wheel firmly
His lips and throat were dry.
His mouth and throat were parched
He swore by all that he held dear
He pledged on everything important to him
He'd make it through or die.
He would either survive or perish
The clover leaf to go through.
He intended to drive around the loop of the highway interchange
He was quite sure of his success
He was confident of succeeding
Till the toll gate rose in view.
Until the toll road entrance emerged into sight
And now they say when the moon is full
It is claimed that when the moon is full
And the clover leaf is still,
And the highway interchange is silent and idle
The sound of an engine can be heard
The noise of an engine can be perceived
Laboring up the hill.
Struggling to ascend the slope
A dime drops in the toll machine
A ten cent coin falls into the toll booth device
In the cool of a summer's night.
During the chill of a summer's evening
And eternally that poor car
Forever that unfortunate vehicle
Takes the first turn to the right.
Attempts to take the initial right turn of the highway interchange
Contributed by Alexandra A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.