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.
Home to Me
Tom Paxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell the rain not to fall, the tree to grow,
Tell the high summer sky to lose its blue,
But don't tell me that I don't belong with you.
CHORUS:
You could send me away and I would go.
I would go but I would not go too far.
Home to me is anywhere you are.
When I met you there was nothing to decide,
It was simply something happening inside.
I felt strange for a minute, then I knew
That I finally felt complete when I found you.
(Chorus)
There are those who never really know their mind.
They're confused and they're not the staying kind.
They don't know what they're really looking for.
I don’t suffer from that problem anymore.
(Chorus)
In Tom Paxton's song Home to Me, the singer expresses his deep attachment and devotion to his loved one. He uses stunning metaphors to convey his feelings, such as requesting nature to stop functioning by urging the rose not to bloom, the stream not to flow, the rain not to fall, and the tree not to grow, and the sky to lose its color. He believes that his life's purpose is fulfilled when he is with the person he loves. The singer is willing to do anything for his loved one, including leaving his homeland, but he never wants to be too far apart from them.
Furthermore, in the second verse, the singer reveals that when he met his partner, he knew immediately that he was meant to be with them. He experienced an internal transformation when he met his partner, which he calls "something happening inside," and after that, he felt whole. He uses this experience to demonstrate that love can transform an individual's life positively. In the last verse, he shows the singer's maturity by saying that he does not suffer from the same confusion that others do in choosing a stable lifetime partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell the rose not to bloom, the stream to flow,
Even though it's impossible to stop nature, I feel much more disconnected from myself when you're not here.
Tell the rain not to fall, the tree to grow,
You have become a fundamental part of my life. Losing you would be as unimaginable as the idea of stopping something as natural as growth or rain.
Tell the high summer sky to lose its blue,
Even if the impossible were to happen - the sky turning colorless - it wouldn't hurt me as much as simply being away from you.
But don't tell me that I don't belong with you.
The one thing that would truly devastate me is hearing that we don't belong together. Please don't ever tell me that.
CHORUS: You could send me away and I would go.
If you asked me to leave, I would do it. But it would be really difficult to be far from you.
I would go but I would not go too far.
Even though I would be gone, my thoughts and feelings would stay close to you.
You could send me home but you would know
Even though wherever you are feels like home to me, I would move physically if you asked me to.
Home to me is anywhere you are.
I feel the most complete and comfortable whenever I'm with you. Home isn't a physical place, it's a feeling that you give me.
When I met you there was nothing to decide,
I knew from the moment I met you that you were the one for me. It wasn't a decision I needed to make - it was a feeling I already had.
It was simply something happening inside.
My heart and mind were aligned in knowing that we were meant to be together. It was a feeling I couldn't have ignored even if I tried.
I felt strange for a minute, then I knew
At first, the idea of finding love with someone was odd and unfamiliar to me. But once I met you, it all clicked and I knew it was right.
That I finally felt complete when I found you.
You fill a void that I had always known was there but could never quite identify. With you, I feel whole and complete.
There are those who never really know their mind.
Some people don't know what they want or what is best for them.
They're confused and they're not the staying kind.
These people often struggle with commitment and sticking to a decision or a person.
They don't know what they're really looking for.
Without a clear sense of what they want, they're prone to making bad choices and being dissatisfied with their lives and relationships.
I don’t suffer from that problem anymore.
Finding you gave me a sense of clarity and direction that I didn't have before. I know what I want and who I want to be with, and that is you.
CHORUS: You could send me away and I would go.
I would do anything for you, even if it means giving you space or leaving for a while.
I would go but I would not go too far.
Even if I'm physically not with you, my heart and thoughts would always be close to you.
You could send me home but you would know
While it feels like you're my home, I understand that there may be times where you need your space or need me to be somewhere else.
Home to me is anywhere you are.
As long as I'm with you, I feel like I'm in the right place. You make any environment feel like home.
Contributed by Violet N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.