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.
The Marvelous Toy
Tom Paxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
When I was just a wee little lad full of health and joy,
My father homeward came one night and gave to me a toy.
A wonder to behold, it was, with many colors bright,
And the moment I laid eyes on it it became my heart's delight.
(Cho:)
And "whirr" when it stood still.
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
The first time that I picked it up, I had a big surprise,
For right on its bottom were two big buttons that,
Looked like big green eyes.
I first pushed one and then the other, and then I twisted its lid,
And when I set it down again, this is what it did:
(Cho:)
It first marched left and then marched right,
And then marched under a chair.
And when l looked where it had gone, it wasn't even there.
I started to sob and my daddy laughed, for he knew that I would find,
When l turned around, my marvelous toy, chugging from behind.
(Cho:)
Well, the years have gone by too quickly, it seems,
I have my own little boy.
And yesterday I gave to him my marvelous little toy.
His eyes nearly popped right out of his head,
And he gave a squeal of glee.
Neither one of us knows just what it is,
But he loves it, just like me.
It still goes "zip" when it moves, "bop" when it stops,
And "whirr" when it stands still.
I never knew just what it was,
And I guess I never will.
I never knew just what it was,
And I guess I never will.
The Marvelous Toy is a whimsical song by Tom Paxton that tells the story of a little boy and his beloved toy. The song is nostalgic and has a childlike wonder to it that takes the listener back to a simpler time. The lyrics tell of how the toy was a mystery to the boy, with its many colors and buttons that made it move and make sounds. When he first played with it, it would march left and right before disappearing only to reappear behind him, causing him to sob and his daddy to laugh. The toy was so marvelous that the boy grew up to give it to his own little boy, who was just as enamored with it as he was.
The song can be interpreted in many ways, but the underlying theme is the beauty of simplicity and the magic of childhood. The toy represents the innocence and wonder of childhood, and how even the simplest things can bring joy and happiness. The song also carries a message of passing down cherished memories to the next generation, with the father finding joy in seeing his own son love something that he once loved as a child.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a wee little lad full of health and joy,
As a young boy, I was filled with vitality and happiness.
My father homeward came one night and gave to me a toy.
One evening my father returned home and gave me a toy.
A wonder to behold, it was, with many colors bright,
This toy was truly a marvel to see, with its striking colors.
And the moment I laid eyes on it it became my heart's delight.
I was immediately filled with joy when I saw it and it became my favorite thing.
It went "zip" when it moved and "bop" when it stopped,
When the toy moved, it made a "zip" sound, and when it stopped, it made a "bop" sound.
And "whirr" when it stood still.
When the toy stood still, it made a "whirr" sound.
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
Though I played with it often, I never really knew what the toy was or how it worked.
The first time that I picked it up, I had a big surprise,
The first time I picked up the toy, I was surprised by what I found.
For right on its bottom were two big buttons that,
On the bottom of the toy, there were two large buttons that,
Looked like big green eyes.
resembled the shape and color of two large green eyes.
I first pushed one and then the other, and then I twisted its lid,
I experimented with the buttons by pushing them both and then twisting the lid.
And when I set it down again, this is what it did:
When I put the toy back down, it did something unexpected.
It first marched left and then marched right,
The toy started to move in unexpected ways, first going left and then going right.
And then marched under a chair.
It continued to move and even went under a chair.
And when l looked where it had gone, it wasn't even there.
When I looked to see where it had gone, it had vanished from sight.
I started to sob and my daddy laughed, for he knew that I would find,
I began to cry, but my father laughed because he knew I would soon discover what had happened to the toy.
When l turned around, my marvelous toy, chugging from behind.
When I turned around, I saw the toy chugging along behind me all along.
Well, the years have gone by too quickly, it seems,
Time has passed too quickly, it seems to me.
I have my own little boy.
Now, I have my own son.
And yesterday I gave to him my marvelous little toy.
Recently, I gave my son my beloved toy to play with and enjoy.
His eyes nearly popped right out of his head,
My son was pleasantly surprised and his eyes grew wide.
And he gave a squeal of glee.
He expressed his excitement and joy with a squeal.
Neither one of us knows just what it is,
Neither my son nor I understand what the toy truly is or how it works.
But he loves it, just like me.
Nonetheless, my son is enamored with it just like I was.
And I guess I never will.
Despite having played with it throughout my childhood and seeing my son play with it now, I still don't understand what this marvelous toy is or how it works.
Contributed by Liliana N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.