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.
Talking Vietnam Pot Luck Blues
Tom Paxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spoken:
"Ahhh...
Let's do that again
Do you believe that?"
Well, when I landed in Vietnam
They shaped us up and called the roll
and off we went on a long patrol
Swappin' lies, swattin' flies,
Firin' the odd shot here and there
The Captain called a halt that night
And we had chow by the pale moon light
A lovely dinner they'd planned for us
With a taste like a seat on a crosstown bus
Some of the veterans just left theirs layin' in the can
For the Viet Cong to find
Deadlier than a land mine
Hmmmm...
Naturally somebody told a joke
And a couple of the fellows began to smoke
I took a whiff as the a cloud rolled by
And my nose went up like an infield fly
The Captain, this blonde fellow from Yale looked at
me and said "What's a matter wit chu, baby?" (ghetto dialect)
Well I may be crazy, but I think not;
I swear to God that I smell pot!
But who'd have pot in Vietnam?
He said, "Whaddaya think you been sittin' on?"
These funny little plants...
Thousands of 'em.
Good God Almighty!
Pastures of plenty!
So we all lit up and by and by
The whole platoon was flyin' high
With a beautiful smile on the Captain's face
He smelled like midnight on St. Mark's Place
Cleanin' his weapon,
Chantin' sumpin' about Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna
The moment came,
As it comes to all
When I had to answer nature's call
I was stumbing around in a beautiful haze
When I met a little cat in black pj's
Rifle; ammo belt; BF Goodrich sandals
He looked up at me and said "What's a matter wit chu, baby?"
(sounding just like the Captain had)
He said we're campin' down the pass
And smelled you people blowin' grass
And since, by the smell, you're smoking trash
I brought you a taste of a special stash
Straight from Uncle Ho's victory garden
We call it Hanoi Gold.
So his squad and my squad settled down
Passin' lovely stuff around
All too soon it was time to go
The Captain got on the radio
Said "Hello headquarters?, Helloo, ahh, Headquarters?
We have met the enemy and he has been smashed!"
Tom Paxton's song "Talking Vietnam Pot Luck Blues" is a humorous and satirical take on the Vietnam War experience. The song begins with the singer's arrival in Vietnam where he didn't get to see much of Saigon before being sent out on a long patrol. As they marched, the soldiers shared stories and fired odd shots here and there. That night, they were treated to a special dinner arranged for them by their hosts, the Vietnamese allies. But the dinner turned out to be inedible and tasted terrible.
While the soldiers were joking around and smoking some weed, the singer smelled something strange and realized that there was pot around, which seemed surprising as he never thought one could find weed in Vietnam. He jokingly asked, "But who'd have pot in Vietnam?" when the captain replied, "Whaddaya think you've been sittin' on? These funny little plants..." Paxton's lyrics then document how the whole platoon gets high, with the Captain even smelling like midnight on St. Mark's Place. But the song takes a turn when the singer meets a Vietnamese boy who offers them some weed, and they realize that they've been smoking weed grown by their enemy, who calls it "Hanoi Gold" - a perfect irony.
Overall, the song serves as a commentary on the absurdity of war and how perspectives, goals, and objectives are severely distorted in wartime. Blended with Paxton's humor, the song becomes a great commentary on the Vietnam War experience, providing insight into the mindset of American soldiers during that period.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, when I landed in Vietnam
Tom Paxton begins the song by expressing his experiences in Vietnam.
I hardly got to see Saigon
Tom Paxton did not have much exposure to Saigon during his time in Vietnam.
They shaped us up and called the roll
Tom Paxton's platoon was lined up and the soldiers' names were called to confirm they were present.
and off we went on a long patrol
The platoon went on a long patrol after roll call.
Swappin' lies, swattin' flies,
The soldiers pass the time by telling tall tales and killing flies.
Firin' the odd shot here and there
Shooting sporadically while on patrol.
The Captain called a halt that night
The platoon stopped for the night when the Captain called for a halt.
And we had chow by the pale moon light
They ate dinner under the light of the moon.
A lovely dinner they'd planned for us
The meal had been thoughtfully prepared for the soldiers.
With a taste like a seat on a crosstown bus
The food was of poor quality and unappetizing.
Some of the veterans just left theirs layin' in the can
Some experienced soldiers did not bother to eat the food and left it in the can.
For the Viet Cong to find
Enemies could have found the abandoned food and used it as a sign of presence.
Deadlier than a land mine Hmmmm...
The food was so unappetizing that it was considered deadlier than a landmine.
Naturally somebody told a joke
Someone told a funny anecdote.
And a couple of the fellows began to smoke
Two soldiers started to smoke.
I took a whiff as the a cloud rolled by
Tom Paxton smelt the smoke as it drifted past him.
And my nose went up like an infield fly
He reacted strongly and was keen to know where the smoke was coming from.
The Captain, this blonde fellow from Yale looked at
The Captain, who was from Yale and blonde, made eye contact with Tom Paxton.
me and said "What's a matter wit chu, baby?" (ghetto dialect)
The Captain asked Tom Paxton why he was reacting so strongly to the smoke he smelled.
Well I may be crazy, but I think not;
Tom Paxton thinks that he may have gone mad, but he really didn't.
I swear to God that I smell pot!
Tom Paxton thinks he can smell marijuana.
But who'd have pot in Vietnam?
He was surprised that he could smell marijuana in Vietnam.
He said, "Whaddaya think you been sittin' on?"
The Captain made a lighthearted joke and implied that Tom Paxton must have been sitting on marijuana this whole time.
These funny little plants...
The Captain was referring to marijuana plants.
Thousands of 'em.
There were many of these plants in Vietnam.
Good God Almighty!
Tom Paxton is surprised by the amount of marijuana in Vietnam.
Pastures of plenty!
The amount of marijuana in Vietnam was so much that it resembled pastures of plenty.
So we all lit up and by and by
All the soldiers started to smoke marijuana.
The whole platoon was flyin' high
The marijuana had a strong effect on everyone in the platoon.
With a beautiful smile on the Captain's face
The Captain was pleased and had a smile on his face.
He smelled like midnight on St. Mark's Place
The Captain, after smoking marijuana, had the aroma of midnight on St. Mark's Place.
Cleanin' his weapon,
The Captain cleaned his weapon.
Chantin' sumpin' about Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna
The Captain was chanting something related to the religion of Hare Krishna.
The moment came,
Tom Paxton had to go to the restroom.
As it comes to all
The moment of needing the restroom comes to everyone.
When I had to answer nature's call
Tom Paxton had to use the restroom.
I was stumbing around in a beautiful haze
Tom Paxton was in a state of confusion due to being high from the marijuana.
When I met a little cat in black pj's
Tom Paxton came across a Vietnamese soldier in black pajamas.
Rifle; ammo belt; BF Goodrich sandals
The Vietnamese soldier had a rifle, an ammo belt, and was wearing BF Goodrich sandals.
He looked up at me and said "What's a matter wit chu, baby?"
The Vietnamese soldier repeated what the Captain had said earlier to Tom Paxton.
(sounding just like the Captain had)
The Vietnamese soldier spoke in the same manner as the Captain did earlier.
He said we're campin' down the pass
The Vietnamese soldier told Tom Paxton that they were stationed down the pass.
And smelled you people blowin' grass
He smelled the marijuana smoke from Tom Paxton's platoon.
And since, by the smell, you're smoking trash
The Vietnamese soldier believes that the marijuana Tom Paxton's platoon was smoking was of poor quality.
I brought you a taste of a special stash
The Vietnamese soldier offered Tom Paxton's platoon a sample of a special stash of marijuana.
Straight from Uncle Ho's victory garden
The marijuana that the Vietnamese soldier offered was grown in Uncle Ho's victory garden.
We call it Hanoi Gold.
The Vietnamese soldier referred to this special stash of marijuana as Hanoi Gold.
So his squad and my squad settled down
The Vietnamese soldier and Tom Paxton's platoon sat down together.
Passin' lovely stuff around
They passed around the marijuana that the Vietnamese soldier offered.
All too soon it was time to go
Their time together came to an end and they had to part ways.
The Captain got on the radio
The Captain used the radio to contact headquarters.
Said "Hello headquarters?, Helloo, ahh, Headquarters?
The Captain made a call to headquarters to report on their mission.
We have met the enemy and he has been smashed!"
The Captain reported that the enemy had been defeated.
Writer(s): Thomas R. Paxton
Contributed by Sadie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@british.scorpion
I haven't heard this for over 50 years, thanks for the reminder👍
@LJthaguy
My teacher showed me this and it took so long to find I'm glad to see it
@wmnoe
my father had the album the original is on, and I grew up loving this song. I miss my dad....
@ChrisJKing-se4dp
saw him live in 1970 in england he did this and all his best songs one the best live acts i'v ever seen Tom was a big influence on me as a teenager and inspired me to write songs so thanks for that Tom
@niddufaisan
I saw him performing many times in the UK - always a joy!
@drumscholar42
A favorite. Also love Forest Lawn.
@johnevans388
Saw him do this live in Southampton back around 1969.
@BluntforceJ
This man is a fucking legend and it took me 37 years to find him?!?!?
@tuckergary1516
me too still laughing
@tuckergary1516
potluck blues 20 years still funny.