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.
Katy
Tom Paxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she's every bit mischievous as a kitten on a skate
With a bandage on her forehead and the bruises on her knees
You would swear she'd fought with buccaneers upon the seven seas
For it's up the stairs and down the stairs and in the room and out
Like a miniature tornado, she can blow the house about
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye
Oh, you might believe in miracles, you might believe in saints
But you'd never believe my Katy when she's playing with her paints
For there's red upon the window and there's green upon her face
In her hair, and in her eyes but on the paper, not a trace
When she's in her room and quiet, and there comes a bit of calm
You develop the sensation that you're sitting on a bomb
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye
And that's my Katy, little lady, and I love her
My Katy loves her games, you know, a thirty times a week
I find myself dragooned into a game of hide and seek
So, I find myself in closets, under beds I quietly creep
And I wait for thirty minutes till my brain has gone to sleep
Yes, I sit there in the closet and it seems like half a day
Till I find a friend has come to call and Kate's gone out to play
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye
That's my Katy, little lady, and I love her
And you might have heard of daddies who would dote upon their girls
Who get wrapped around their fingers by the tossing of the curls
Who respond to hugs and kisses till there's nothing they wouldn't do
Don't you ever believe a word if it, it simply isn't true
For I'd only jump the moon for her, I'd only jump the sea
For the hugs I get to give her and the kisses she gives to me
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye
That's my Katy, little lady, and I love her
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye
That's my Katy, little lady, and I love her
"Katy" by Tom Paxton is a sweet tribute to the love a father feels for his mischievous daughter. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of Katy's playful nature and her father's adoration for her despite her chaotic ways. Through the song, Paxton describes Katy as a rambunctious child who doesn't hold back from breaking things and getting into scraps like any little girl might.
As much as Katy is difficult to manage, her father's love for her knows no bounds. He shares that he loves all the chaos she creates and he speaks of how much he enjoys playing games with her even if it gets tiring at times. The song's repeated phrase of "Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye" shows how Paxton feels about his daughter, who can be both beautiful and mischievous at the same time.
Overall, "Katy" is a touching ode to the love between parent and child, and the ups and downs that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I have a little daughter and my daughter's name is Kate
The author introduces his daughter with her name.
And she's every bit mischievous as a kitten on a skate
The author compares his daughter's mischievousness to that of a kitten skateboarding.
With a bandage on her forehead and the bruises on her knees
The daughter is injured and has bruises on her knees.
You would swear she'd fought with buccaneers upon the seven seas
The daughter seems to have fought pirates on the high seas with the injuries she has.
For it's up the stairs and down the stairs and in the room and out
The daughter runs around the house, up and down the stairs and in and out of rooms.
Like a miniature tornado, she can blow the house about
The daughter is like a small tornado, creating chaos in the house.
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye
The daughter is both an angel and a devil, with a twinkle in her eye suggesting her mischievous nature.
And that's my Katy, little lady, and I love her
The author loves his daughter despite her mischievous nature.
Oh, you might believe in miracles, you might believe in saints
The author questions the believability of miracles and saints.
But you'd never believe my Katy when she's playing with her paints
The author's daughter gets paint on everything except for the paper when she paints.
For there's red upon the window and there's green upon her face
The author's daughter has smudges of paint on the window and on her face.
In her hair, and in her eyes but on the paper, not a trace
The paint is all over the daughter's hair and eyes but none of it is on the painting.
When she's in her room and quiet, and there comes a bit of calm
The author's daughter is usually loud and chaotic, but when she is quiet, it feels unusual.
You develop the sensation that you're sitting on a bomb
Being around the author's daughter when she's calm is suspenseful, as her mischievous nature might burst out at any moment.
My Katy loves her games, you know, a thirty times a week
The daughter loves playing games and does so around thirty times a week.
I find myself dragooned into a game of hide and seek
The author gets involved in his daughter's games of hide and seek, even if he doesn't want to.
So, I find myself in closets, under beds I quietly creep
The author looks for hiding places in the house to play hide-and-seek with his daughter.
And I wait for thirty minutes till my brain has gone to sleep
The author has to wait for his daughter to find him during the game and the waiting is tedious.
Yes, I sit there in the closet and it seems like half a day
Waiting in the closet feels like a really long time.
Till I find a friend has come to call and Kate's gone out to play
Once the author's daughter has a friend over, she goes out to play and the game of hide-and-seek is over.
And you might have heard of daddies who would dote upon their girls
The author refers to daddies who overly spoil their daughters.
Who get wrapped around their fingers by the tossing of the curls
These daddies can't resist their daughters' charms and get manipulated by them.
Who respond to hugs and kisses till there's nothing they wouldn't do
These daddies give in to their daughters' love and affection quite easily.
Don't you ever believe a word if it, it simply isn't true
The author tells the listeners not to believe this stereotype of doting fathers.
For I'd only jump the moon for her, I'd only jump the sea
Even if the daddy doesn't get manipulated, there's no limit to how much he loves his daughter.
For the hugs I get to give her and the kisses she gives to me
The author cherishes the love and affection he shares with his daughter, and that's all he needs.
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye
The author repeats the chorus, reiterating that his daughter is an angel and devil at the same time, with a twinkle in her eye.
That's my Katy, little lady, and I love her
The author loves his daughter dearly despite her naughty habits.
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