Tom Paxton

[fox69]

"Goodman, Schwerner And Chaney"

"Goodman, Schwerner And Chaney"


The night air is heavy, no cool breezes blow
The sounds of the voices are worried and low
Desperately wondering and desperate to know
About Goodman and Schwerner and Chaney
Calm desperation and flickering hope
Reality grapples like a hand on the throat
For you live in the shadow of ten feet of rope
If you're Goodman and Schwerner and Chaney
The Pearl River was dragged and two bodies were found
But it was a blind alley for both men were brown
So they all shrugged their shoulders and the search it went on
For Goodman and Schwerner and Chaney
Pull out the dead bodies from the ooze of the dam
Take the bodies to Jackson all accordin' to plan
With the one broken body do the best that you can
It's the body of young James Chaney
The nation was outraged and shocked through and through
Call J. Edgar Hoover; he'll know what to do
For they've murdered two white men and a coloured boy too
Goodman and Schwerner and Chaney
James Chaney your body exploded in pain
And the beating they gave you is pounding my brain
And they murdered much more with their dark bloody chains
And the body of pity lies bleeding
The pot-bellied copper shook hands all around
And joked with the rednecks who came into town
And they swore that the murderer soon would be found
And they laughed as they spat their tobacco

 

[fox69]

"Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes"

"Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes"


I was out for a stroll, just a-walking a pup
Checking the scene, seeing what was up
I wasn't bothering nobody, I was easing on down the road
Just behind me come a piddy piddy pat
I said "Good Lord, tell me what was that"
I turned and looked and my brain took an overload

Down the trail and around the farm
Come a thousand people with their underwear on
Picking 'em up, laying 'em down like mad
Puffing and groaning, their faces all red
Eyes rolled back in their sweaty heads
I never saw so many people look so bad

Crying "Come on, Harry! Come on, Sue
We're gonna do what the magazines tell us to
Get ourselves in shape the fashionable way
Twenty-five laps around the pond
Will make us tall and slim and blonde
Oh, hand me down my jogging shoes today"

The sound was strictly rolling thunder
My dog took off with his tail tucked under
I stood at the side of the road and watched 'em pass
Their shirts were nicely understated
They all looked terribly dedicated
Some looked strong and some looked low on gas

Some were built like land-locked whales
Some wore shorts from Bloomingdales
Some had legs that looked like six feet long
They clearly come to do or die
And as that herd went thundering by
So help me folks, they all broke into song

They said, "Come on, Harry! Come on, Sue
We're gonna do what the magazines tell us to
Get ourselves in shape the fashionable way
Twenty-five laps around the pond
Will make us tall and slim and blonde
Oh, hand me down my jogging shoes today"

I knew that they'd get fit or bust
I knew by the size of the cloud of dust
I knew by the sound of the blisters going "crack"
I thought I'd head back to the farm
When suddenly someone snagged my arm
And there I was in the middle of the seething pack

I was sweating like a fool; I was out of breath
I was trying to keep from getting tramped to death
I must have been an edifying sight to see
I cried, "You folks can jeer and scoff
But my legs are broken; they're falling off"
And by now you know what they turned and said to me

They said, "Come on, Harry! Come on, Sue
We're gonna do what the magazines tell us to
Get ourselves in shape the fashionable way
Twenty-five laps around the pond
Will make us tall and slim and blonde
Oh, hand me down my jogging shoes today"

Twenty-five laps around the pond
Will make us tall and slim and blonde
Oh, hand me down my jogging shoes today

 

[fox69]

"Harper"

"Harper"


Father, Father build me a cabin fine.
There I'll go at once and lay me down.
Build for me a bed of pine,
For I feel my time is a coming 'round.
Love of mine, love of mine.
Love of mine, love of mine.

No daughter of mine will suffer shame.
I'll build your cabin by the lake.
There I'll wait with you till Harper comes,
And his black and bloody life I'll take.
Love of mine, love of mine.
Love of mine, love of mine.

She lay down upon her bed of pain.
She was groanin' as her time drew nigh.
Father turn your face unto the wall,
For I see a murder in your eyes.
Love of mine, love of mine.
Love of mine, love of mine.

Now Harper he stepped up to the cabin door.
His horse he'd left in the woods nearby.
He stepped into the cabin carelessly,
And he heard a low and a deadly cry.
Love of mine, love of mine.
Love of mine, love of mine.

Oh you bloody awful man.
My daughter's pain is all because of you.
You would not take her for your wedded wife,
And now it's a terrible thing that I must do.
Love of mine, love of mine.
Love of mine, love of mine.

He fired his gun and Harper he fell down.
His blood fell on the dark and Earthen floor.
Lie there, lie there you faithless man,
You'll never break your vows no more.
Love of mine, love of mine.
Love of mine, love of mine.

 

[fox69]

"He May Be Slow"

"He May Be Slow"


Oh, I have a little brother named Jim
Sometimes I get a little worried about him
Jim's about the nicest kid I know but Jim is slow
He loves to follow me wherever I go
He thinks there's nothing in the world that I don't know
He doesn't smile like the other kids do
But the love shines through
The love shines through
He may be slow, but he's still in motion
He's got his own road; his own hill to climb
All he needs is a little devotion
He may be slow Lord, but he's right on time
When I take him down to wait for the bus
Those who know us have a smile for us
I zip his jacket and I straighten his hat
And he likes that
When they bring him back home around three
I can tell he's been looking for me
Then the wrestling and the tumbling begins
And he usually wins, he usually wins
He may be slow, but he's still in motion
He's got his own road; his own hill to climb
All he needs is a little devotion
He may be slow Lord, but he's right on time
He may be slow, but he's still in motion
He's got his own road; his own hill to climb
All he needs is a little devotion
He may be slow Lord, but he's right on time

 

[fox69]

"Hello Again"

"Hello Again"


There you go again
I know you'll be back
But only you know when
I'll be waiting
Like I always do
Hello, again - I love you
There you go again
Still unsure of why
You need to go again
Just come running
If it gets to you
Hello, again - I love you
I'm just warnin’ the whole wide world
They'd better take care of you
They'd better treat you right
Or I'm gonna show them a thing or two
Don't you turn a hair
You can go anywhere
There you go again
Looking for a dream
You need to know again
Please believe me
I hope your dream comes true
Hello, again - I love you
I'm just warnin’ the whole wide world
They'd better take care of you
They'd better treat you right
Or I'm gonna show them a thing or two
Don't you turn a hair
You can go anywhere
An’ there you go again
Looking for some dream
You need to know again
Please believe me
I hope your dream comes true
Hello, again - I love you
Oh please believe me
Hope your dream comes true
Hello, again - I love you
There you go again

 

[fox69]

"High Sheriff Of Hazard"

"High Sheriff Of Hazard"


Now the High Sheriff of Hazard is a hard-working man.
To be a fine sheriff is his only plan.
He digs in our pockets he takes what he can,
For he's the High Sheriff of Hazard.

He looked through my pockets, He's searched them with care,
But nary a nickel or penny was there.
So I got thirty days and some bumps in my hair.
God bless the High Sheriff of Hazard.

He caught me one evening and here's what he said:
"You look like a Russian, you look like a Red,
And if you are fond of your skin and your head,
Beware the High Sheriff of Hazard".

I thanked him politely, I thanked him for all,
And five minutes later I made a phone call,
To call a strike meeting at our union hall
And damn the High Sheriff of Hazard.

Now, men there are plenty who sweat out their lives,
To scratch out a living for children and wives,
They sweat for their pennies while the mine owner thrives
With the blessing of the High Sheriff of Hazard.

And when union men strike and the troubles come on,
The High Sheriff's word is the mine owner's bond,
He's a mine owner, too; you know which side he's on,
He's the wealthy High Sheriff of Hazard.

Well, it seems to be so since this world first began,
That some men are willing to scheme and to plan,
To gouge out a fortune from the poor working man,
For example, the High Sheriff of Hazard.

But the answer is simple, the answer is clear,
Let's all get together with nothing to fear,
And throw the old bastard right out on his ear,
Farewell to the High Sheriff of Hazard.

 

[fox69]

"Hold On To Me Babe"

"Hold On To Me Babe"


As my aching head is begging for a sleep that will not come,
I rise and walk the morning street again.
I keep wondering how you're doing and I wonder where you are
And I know I'll be all right, but I don't know when.

Hold onto me, babe, wherever you may be.
Hold onto me, babe, I'm with you always.

There was something locked inside you like a secret burning pain
In a prison where you would not let me go.
I was sure we'd find an answer, till I woke and found you gone.
Now just what it was, I guess I'll never know.

I keep hanging onto something, but I don't know what it is,
But at least I know the sound of my own name,
And I work as hard as ever and I see the same old friends,
But there's something deep inside that ain't the same.

Hold onto me, babe, wherever you may be.
Hold onto me, babe, I'm with you always.

 

[fox69]

"Home To Me"

"Home To Me"


Tell the rose not to bloom, the stream to flow
Tell the rain not to fall, the tree to grow
Tell the high summer sky to lose its blue
But don't tell that I don't belong with you

You could send me away and I would go
I would go but I would not go too far
You could send me home but you would know
Home to me is anywhere you are

When I met you there was nothing to decide
It was simply something inside
I felt strange for a minute, then I knew
That I finally felt complete when I found you

You could send me away and I would go
I would go but I would not go too far
You could send me home but you would know
Home to me is anywhere you are

There are those who really never know their minds
They're confused and they're not the stayin' kind
They don't know what they're really lookin' for
I don't suffer from that problem any more

You could send me away and I would go
I would go but I would not go too far
You could send me home but you would know
Home to me is anywhere you are

 

[fox69]

"Home, Sweet Oklahoma"

"Home, Sweet Oklahoma"


Down by the Canadian River early one morning in spring
I wondered what I might give her to go with a gold wedding ring
The land that my granddaddy fought for
The land where my two parents lie
A piece of my sweet Oklahoma
A home for my sweetheart and I

Here in home sweet Oklahoma how sweet it can be
And home sweet Oklahoma is a home sweet home to me

Granddaddy came down from Kansas back in those Cimmaron days
He met my Grandma in Guthrie and gave up his roustabout ways
He bought him some land by the river
Raised him some cattle and corn
Built him a house in the cottonwood grove
And that's where my daddy was born

Here in home sweet Oklahoma how sweet it can be
And home sweet Oklahoma is a home sweet home to me

Now I wake up after midnight and quietly slip from my bed
I go out and stand in the meadow and gaze at the stars overhead
The moon is high in the heavens
So bright that the stars disappear
I thank God for my sleeping family
I thank God for putting me here

Here in home sweet Oklahoma how sweet it can be
And home sweet Oklahoma is a home sweet home to me

 

[fox69]

"I Believe, I Do"

"I Believe, I Do"


I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I believe exactly what they tell me to
I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I’m a simple guy, I believe
Oh, the building inspector came around
And he poked his head inside my door
Just as the plaster missed his head
Then he smiled and said
“Well the building looks quite safe to me”
And I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I believe exactly what they tell me to
I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I’m a simple guy, I believe
The politician told me just the other day
That he really didn’t want the job at all
But he would make this sacrifice for me
If I would only place my trust in him
And I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I believe exactly what they tell me to
I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I’m a simple guy, I believe
And the labour leader told his membership
That his limousine was no extravagance at all
His cocktail parties at Miami Beach
Merely helped him roll the Union on
And I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I believe exactly what they tell me to
I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I’m a simple guy, I believe
The Commissioner of Public Safety called
On the people to support their local cops
Who never ever use any extra force
When a kindly word would do as well
And I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I believe exactly what they tell me to
I believe, I do; I believe it’s true
I’m a simple guy, I believe