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.
Homebound Train
Tom Paxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fishing with my uncle on Lake Champlain,
He got a call real late one night,
Took me down to a homebound train.
He said, ‘Son, your daddy´s not well.
He needs you home, and he needs you now.'
He knew much more than he would tell,
It made no difference, anyhow.
I sat all night on the homebound train,
I saw my daddy in my mind.
And how it happened, I can´t explain,
I saw him wave and leave me behind.
Just ten years old on a homebound train,
I said my prayers, as children do,
Like a song you sing to an old refrain,
‘Please, God, please, God, it´s up to you.'
I dreamed the train had dropped me off,
Broken clouds and the glimpse of a star.
There stood Momma and there stood Sue,
And there was Daddy in the car.
I dreamed he held me while I cried,
Saying, "It´s alright, son I'm still here",
His big arm around my shoulder,
His shirt sleeve to dry my tears.
Train pulled in, I climbed down,
Clouds so low, no sign of a star.
There stood Momma, and there stood Sue,
I sat there alone in the back of the car.
It started to rain as we pulled away,
Rained so hard with the wind so cold,
Streets so empty and the sky so gray,
Daddy was gone and I was ten years old.
The song "Homebound Train" by Tom Paxton is a heart-wrenching account of a boy who is forced to return home at a moment's notice to see his sick father. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of how the young boy felt as he sat on the homebound train, unsure of what to expect when he arrived home. He is filled with anxiety, worry, and fear as he thinks about his ill father, and the lyrics “Please, God, please, God, it's up to you” emphasizes the boy's desperation for everything to be okay.
As he continues his journey, he dreams of being reunited with his father and holding him tightly while he cries. In this dream, his father reassures him that he is still here and that everything will be alright. However, when the train finally arrives, the boy is met with a cold, dark reality. His father has passed away, and he is left feeling alone and confused. The rain and the cold wind reflect the sadness the boy feels about losing his father.
Overall, "Homebound Train" is a powerful song about loss, love, and the journey that life takes us on. It is a reminder to hold onto those you love and to cherish every moment because life is unpredictable.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a boy, just ten years old,
The storyteller reminisces about when he was a child of just ten years old.
Fishing with my uncle on Lake Champlain,
He spent time fishing with his uncle at Lake Champlain.
He got a call real late one night,
His uncle received a phone call very late at night.
Took me down to a homebound train.
The boy was taken to a train that would take him home.
He said, ‘Son, your daddy´s not well.
The boy's father was ill.
He needs you home, and he needs you now.'
The boy's father needed him to come back home immediately.
He knew much more than he would tell,
The boy's uncle knew more information than he shared with the boy.
It made no difference, anyhow.
The uncle's decision not to share the information did not change the situation.
I sat all night on the homebound train,
The boy sat on the train for the entire night.
I saw my daddy in my mind.
The boy imagined his father in his mind while riding the train.
And how it happened, I can´t explain,
The boy is not able to explain how he saw his father in his mind.
I saw him wave and leave me behind.
In his imagination, the boy saw his father wave goodbye and leave him.
Just ten years old on a homebound train,
The boy was only ten years old when he was on the train.
I said my prayers, as children do,
The boy prayed, as many children do.
Like a song you sing to an old refrain,
The boy's prayer was like a song with a repetitive stanza.
‘Please, God, please, God, it´s up to you.'
The boy's prayer was for God to take control of the situation.
I dreamed the train had dropped me off,
The boy had a dream that the train had taken him to the right place.
Broken clouds and the glimpse of a star.
In the boy's dream, there were broken clouds and a glimpse of a star.
There stood Momma and there stood Sue,
In his dream, he was greeted by his mother and his sister, Sue.
And there was Daddy in the car.
In the dream, his father was there waiting for him in the car.
I dreamed he held me while I cried,
In his dream, his father comforted him while he cried.
Saying, "It´s alright, son I'm still here",
His father reassured him that everything was okay and that he was still there for him.
His big arm around my shoulder,
The father had his arm around the boy's shoulder in the dream.
His shirt sleeve to dry my tears.
In the dream, the father used his shirt sleeve to wipe away the boy's tears.
Train pulled in, I climbed down,
The train arrived at its destination and the boy got off.
Clouds so low, no sign of a star.
There were low clouds and no stars when the boy disembarked from the train.
There stood Momma, and there stood Sue,
His mother and sister were there waiting for him.
I sat there alone in the back of the car.
The boy felt alone while sitting in the back of the car.
It started to rain as we pulled away,
As they drove away, it began to rain.
Rained so hard with the wind so cold,
The rain was heavy and the wind was cold.
Streets so empty and the sky so gray,
The streets were empty and the sky was gray.
Daddy was gone and I was ten years old.
The boy's father had passed away and he was still only ten years old.
Writer(s): Tom Paxton
Contributed by Tyler O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.