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.
Wish I Had A Troubadour
Tom Paxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wish I had a troubadour a-sittin' by my knee,
Playing stately rhythms of the ancient balladry.
If I had a troubadour, I'd signal with my hand
And he would sing for you.
He would sing for you until you'd smile.
Wish I had a wind I'd bring it by.
A gentle western wind to dry your eye.
A southern wind to keep you from your cryin',
I'm still tryin'.
Wish I had a castle clown with bells upon his hat,
Doin' tricks and somersaults, you'd have to laugh at that.
If I had a castle clown, I'd call him to your side,
And he'd do tricks for you.
He'd do tricks for you until you'd smile.
(Cho:)
Wish I had a Royal Ballet, to summon at my will.
Dancin' by the candlelight, some lovely old quadrille.
If I had a Royal Ballet I'd signal with a nod,
And they would dance for you,
They would dance for you until you'd smile.
(Cho:)
(Repeat Verse 1)
In Tom Paxton's song, "Wish I Had A Troubadour," the singer expresses his desire for a troubadour to sit by his knee and play the rhythms of ancient balladry. The troubadour would be there to provide entertainment, specifically for the singer's muse or loved one. The singer imagines signalling with his hand and the troubadour singing for his loved one until she smiles. The repetition of the phrase "He would sing for you until you'd smile" emphasizes the singer's longing to bring joy to his loved one.
The chorus of the song adds to the singer's desire to please his loved one by wishing for a wind to dry her tears and keep her from crying. He also wishes for a castle clown with bells on his hat to perform tricks that would make her laugh. Lastly, he wishes for a Royal Ballet to dance for her, guaranteeing that she would smile.
"Wish I Had A Troubadour" is a song about the desire to please someone you love by providing them with entertainment and joy. The repeated line "He would sing for you until you'd smile" conveys the depth of the singer's longing to make his loved one happy.
Line by Line Meaning
Wish I had a troubadour a-sittin' by my knee,
I wish I had a musician who would play old-fashioned ballads while sitting near me.
Playing stately rhythms of the ancient balladry.
The musician would play slow and graceful music from the olden times.
If I had a troubadour, I'd signal with my hand
If I had a musician with me, I would call out to him with a gesture.
And he would sing for you.
The musician would perform and sing for you.
He would sing for you until you'd smile.
The musician would keep playing and singing until you feel happy.
Wish I had a wind I'd bring it by.
I wish I had a powerful wind to use for your benefit.
A gentle western wind to dry your eye.
I'd use the wind to gently dry your tears.
A southern wind to keep you from your cryin',
I'd direct a southern wind to stop you from crying.
I'm still tryin'.
I'm still trying to make you happy.
Wish I had a castle clown with bells upon his hat,
I wish I had a funny person who would entertain you, like a jester with bells on his hat.
Doin' tricks and somersaults, you'd have to laugh at that.
The jester would do silly things that would make you laugh.
If I had a castle clown, I'd call him to your side,
If I had a jester with me, I would make him come to where you are.
And he'd do tricks for you.
The jester would perform his tricks specifically for you.
He'd do tricks for you until you'd smile.
The jester would make you smile by continuously performing tricks for you.
Wish I had a Royal Ballet, to summon at my will.
I wish I had a ballet company that would come to perform at my command.
Dancin' by the candlelight, some lovely old quadrille.
I'd have the ballet company dance gracefully to old-fashioned music by the candlelight.
If I had a Royal Ballet I'd signal with a nod,
If I had a ballet company, I would make them aware of when to perform with a simple nod of my head.
And they would dance for you,
The ballet company would perform the dance for you.
They would dance for you until you'd smile.
The ballet company would keep dancing until you feel happy.
(Repeat Verse 1)
The first verse of the song is repeated, emphasizing the desire for a troubadour to bring happiness through music.
Contributed by Nora J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.