Tom Paxton

[fox69]

"I've Got A Yo-Yo"

"I've Got A Yo-Yo"


I’ve got a yo-yo
It’s on a string
I make my yo-yo
Do anything
Out on the playground
Hours go by
We never quit
My yo-yo and I
My friends and I meet every morning
Before the morning school bell rings
And everybody brings a yo-yo
You can hear the humming strings
We stand around in one big circle
At the elementary school
We do our tricks for one another
But mostly we act really cool
I’ve got a yo-yo
It’s on a string
I make my yo-yo
Do anything
Out on the playground
Hours go by
We never quit
My yo-yo and I
If everybody had a yo-yo
From Billy Joe to Marianne
Then we could go to California
And we could visit the Yo-Yo Man
Then we could Walk the Dog together
And we could do it on TV
And all our moms and dads would see us
How really cool I know we’d be
I’ve got a yo-yo
It’s on a string
I make my yo-yo
Do anything
Out on the playground
Hours go by
We never quit
My yo-yo and I
Oh, I’ve got a yo-yo
It’s on a string
I make my yo-yo
Do anything
Out on the playground
Hours go by
We never quit
My yo-yo and I

 

[fox69]

"I've Got The Measles"

"I've Got The Measles"


My face has polka dots
My face is covered with spots
How many are there - lots
I’ve got the measles
I’ve really got ‘em now
They crept up on me somehow
I looked in the mirror, and WOW
I’ve got the measles
I’ve got the measles
And I don’t feel well
Mom took my temperature
And she said, “Well
You’re gonna stay in bed
Remember what the doctor said
When you turn spotty and red
You’ve got the measles”
I guess I’m sick, all right
I’ve lost my appetite
I could not eat a bite
I’ve got the measles
This isn’t much fun at all
My dog has to stay in the hall
I can’t go out and play ball
I’ve got the measles
I’ve got the measles
And I don’t feel well
Mom took my temperature
And she said, “Well
You’re gonna stay in bed
Remember what the doctor said
When you turn spotty and red
You’ve got the measles”
My sister’s really hot
She hasn’t got a spot
She’d love to have what I’ve got
I’ve got the measles
She’s healthy as she can be
She’s going to school, hee-hee
I’m going to watch TV
I’ve got the measles
I’ve got the measles
And I don’t feel well
Mom took my temperature
And she said, “Well
You’re gonna stay in bed
Remember what the doctor said
When you turn spotty and red
You’ve got the measles”
My face has polka dots
My face is covered with spots
How many are there - lots
I’ve got the measles
I’ve really got ‘em now
They crept up on me somehow
I looked in the mirror, and WOW
I’ve got the measles
I’ve got the measles
I’ve got the measles

 

[fox69]

"If I Pass This Way Again"

"If I Pass This Way Again"


I’m so glad to see you
Glad that I was passing through
Makes me smile to think of how
I just ran into you
Makes me happy every time
I make another friend
And I’ll be round to see you
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again
I will surely come and see you
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again
I will surely come and see you
If I pass this way again
Sure, the road gets dusty
Sure my feet get tired and sore
Sometimes I get to wondering
What I keep on wandering for
Then I meet somebody
Who will be there till the end
And I’ll be round to see you
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again (pass this way...)
If I pass this way again (...again)
I will surely come and see you (come and see you)
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again (pass this way...)
If I pass this way again (...again)
I will surely come and see you (come and see you)
If I pass this way again
Oh Lord, you know the road gets rough and rocky
Lord, you left some mighty hills to climb
Folks of flesh and bone cannot climb these hills alone
We’re gonna need each other every time
Got no way of knowing what
Is waiting round the bend
If the road be straight and long
Or if it has no end
Still we have each other
And on that we can depend
And I’ll be round to see you
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again (pass this way...)
If I pass this way again (...again)
I will surely come and see you (come and see you)
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again (pass this way...)
If I pass this way again (...again)
I will surely come and see you (come and see you)
If I pass this way again
Oh Lord, you know the road gets rough and rocky
Lord, you left some mighty hills to climb
Folks of flesh and bone cannot climb these hills alone
We’re gonna need each other every time
Got no way of knowing what
Is waiting round the bend
If the road be straight and long
Or if it has no end
Still we have each other
And on that we can depend
And I’ll be round to see you
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again (pass this way...)
If I pass this way again (...again)
I will surely come and see you (come and see you)
If I pass this way again
If I pass this way again (pass this way...)
If I pass this way again (...again)
I will surely come and see you (come and see you)
If I pass this way again

 

[fox69]

"If The Poor Don't Matter"

"If The Poor Don't Matter"


If the kids are hungry
But there's nothing to eat,
If the baby has a fever
But there is no heat,
If they're living in a Chevy
As the world walks by,
If the poor don't matter,
Then neither do I.

If the poor don't matter,
If the poor don't matter,
If the poor don't matter,
Then neither do I.

If they're living in a cardboard
Or a packing case,
If they're gone by morning
And they leave no trace,
If nobody wonders
If they live or they die,
If the poor don't matter,
Then neither do I.

If the poor don't matter,
If the poor don't matter,
If the poor don't matter,
Then neither do I.

Push them back, sweep them out, anything to keep them out,
Keep them real branded out, standing with their hands out.
Knocking at the back gate, radio talking hate,
Wrong here, strong here, know they don't belong here.
My house, my car, living like a rock star,
Caviar, wet bar, bought another Jaguar.
Get it all payday, now its time to play-day,
Trouble not to think about, not to make a stink about...

If the poor don't matter,
If we chase them away,
We're gonna see them again, boys,
On the judgement day.
We're gonna see them again, boys,
On the day we die.
If the poor don't matter,
Then neither do I.

If the poor don't matter,
If the poor don't matter,
If the poor don't matter,
Then neither do I.

If the poor don't matter,
If the poor don't matter,
If the poor don't matter,
Then neither do I.

 

[fox69]

"If You Love That Politician"

"If You Love That Politician"


Someone had the right idea out in Iowa
Palo Alto County had its own straw poll
Folks who listened to their radio
Were told to flush their toilets so
Their candidate might win the Super Bowl
Folks in Emmetsburg have got things in perspective
And good common sense that they rely upon
When the beaming smiles and golden throats
Come shaking hands and begging votes
The folks in Emmetsburg head for the john
If you love that politician, pull the chain
Send the world of woe and trouble down the drain
It's the road to satisfaction
It's a natural reaction
If you love that politician, pull the chain
If you like the things he said, use your head
You can show the world you think he's thoroughbred
Choose a favourite son or daughter
With a little running water
If you like the things he said, use your head
Ah, do you get that familiar feeling
When you hear the things they say
When they hum their familiar tunes
Do your thoughts all turn to prunes
Are you headed for Hernando's Hideaway
If the man gets through to you, use your loo
If he's not number one, he's number two
He's the greatest guy on earth
Why don't you show him what he's worth
If the man gets through to you, use your loo
Ah, do you get that familiar feeling
When you hear the things they say
When they hum their familiar tunes
Do your thoughts all turn to prunes
Are you headed for Hernando's Hideaway
If you love that politician, pull the chain (pull the chain)
Send the world of woe and trouble down the drain
It's the road to satisfaction
It's a natural reaction
If you love that politician, pull the chain
When you see the ruling gentry
Why, the answer's alimentary
If you love that politician, pull the chain
When you see the rulin’ gentry
Well the answer’s elementary
If you love that politician, pull the chain

 

[fox69]

"Intro To Little Girl"

"Intro To Little Girl"


“Wiser minds than mine will have to explain the current wave of early-teenage pregnancies. I did read that the commonest
response from these child mothers, when asked why they had those babies, was that this was the only way they could think
of to find the unconditional love they’d craved but had never experienced.”

 

[fox69]

"Intro to Modern Maturity"

"Intro to Modern Maturity"


“Who are these people, and why do they start sending us this magazine when we turn 50? Do you know anyone who retires
when they’re 50? And if they were rich enough to retire that early, would they be remotely interested in saving money by
buying prescriptions by mail?”

 

[fox69]

"Intro To My Favorite Spring"

"Intro To My Favorite Spring"


It’s just a week or so, I think, till pitchers and catchers report for spring training and life begins again for some of us. So I wanna sing a song here in the dead of winter for one of my favourite games. Even though I spent the first ten years of my life in a city where they played no Major League baseball: Chicago (laughter from the audience). It was hard, it was hard; it does something to you permanently I think, to grow up in a city where bad baseball is played over and over and over. Anyhow, be that as it may, I love the game of baseball. We’re gonna do a song not so much about baseball as about people who love baseball: parents who enjoy having a game of catch with the kids before dinner - this is for you.

 

[fox69]

"Intro To No Time To Say Goodbye"

"Intro To No Time To Say Goodbye"


This is a song about losing a friend. It’s something I’m sure most of us have endured the loss of a friend years and years before it would naturally be their time to go.
This is a song for my friend, Peter.....

 

[fox69]

"Intro To On The Road From Srebrenica"

"Intro To On The Road From Srebrenica"


Well, Short Shelf Life songs come and go. Sometimes topical songs aren’t so funny, and shouldn’t be so funny. Right out of the newspapers - I’ve been trying to write a song for the last year about Bosnia Herzegovina. And, the name that kept sticking with me was Srebrenica, the town that was - to me Srebrenica looked like Guernica from the Spanish civil war. It’s a town that was devastated by war, where the people were expelled brutally, murderously - and this is a song called ‘On The Road From Srebrenica’...