Collection Title:
The Tom Paxton Papers
Collection Number:
2019-007
Collection Processed By:
Kate Blalack and Stephanie Stewart
Collection Guide Prepared By:
Grace Asher, Mark Davidson, and Stephanie Stewart
Collection Date Range:
1954-2013 [bulk 1968-2002]
Collection Extent:
3 linear feet [2 record cartons, 2 document boxes]
Collection Provenance:
Received from Tom Paxton in 2019
Biographical Sketch:
Tom Paxton is an American folk singer-songwriter, writer, and activist. Born on October 31, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois, Tom Paxton moved to Bristow, Oklahoma in 1948, where he spent his formative years and graduated from Bristow High School. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he studied drama and deepened his knowledge of folk music, graduating in 1959. After college, he enlisted in the US Army in the Fall of 1959. He subsequently moved to Greenwich Village during the early 1960s folk music revival. During this time, he performed in local coffeehouses and clubs and at the Newport Folk Festival alongside contemporaries including Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Judy Collins, Peter Paul and Mary, Eric Andersen, and Dave Van Ronk.
He has remained an important and influential songwriter of his generation. Paxton used his songwriting and singing in his activism by addressing political and environmental issues and social justice in his lyrics. He was one of the first songwriters from the Village scene to write his own songs (rather than interpret traditional folksongs and ballads). Some of his best-known works include titles such as “The Last Thing on My Mind,” “Ramblin’ Boy,” “Bottle of Wine,” “Whose Garden Was This?” “Goin’ to the Zoo,” and “The Marvelous Toy.” Paxton created more than 60 albums over the course of his career, beginning with I’m the Man That Built the Bridges (live at the Gaslight Café, 1962). He recorded seven albums with Elektra Records, as well as albums and compilations with Folkways, Broadside, Reprise, Flying Fish, Appleseed, and numerous others. His body of work has been widely covered by other artists, demonstrating his impact on the folk music scene. In addition to his music, Paxton has written many children’s books and songbooks as well as an autobiographical book entitled, The Honor of Your Company (Cherry Lane Music, 2000).
In 2009, Paxton was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy during the 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards. He was nominated for GRAMMYs on numerous occasions including for Comedians and Angels (2007); Live in the UK (2006); and Looking for the Moon, and Your Shoes, My Shoes (2002). He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC in London.
Scope and Contents:
The Tom Paxton Papers consist of biographical materials, lyrics, notebooks, materials related to performances, songbooks, and photographs, documenting Tom Paxton’s enduring career as a folk singer-songwriter and performer. Lyrics make up the bulk of the collection and consist of handwritten and typed loose-leaf lyrics, sheet music, and lyrics contained in notebooks. The notebooks span from 1968 to 2013 and include lyrics for “Did You Hear John Hurt?”, “All Night Long,” “What Did You Learn in School Today?”, “Wish I Had a Troubadour,” and “The Death of Stephen Biko,” among many others. The notebooks also include journal entry-style writings, notes, and drawings. Several notebooks contain a handwritten list of lyrics on the front cover, serving as a table of contents. When available, the table of contents from the notebooks are transcribed here.
Related Materials:
The Izzy Young Folklore Center Libray Collection,Woody Guthrie Center
Harold Leventhal Collection,Woody Guthrie Center
The Oscar Brand Family Collection, Woody Guthrie Center
The NYPR Archive Collections,WNYC
Language of Materials:
English
Collection Access Restrictions:
The collection is open for research, pending approval of a research application.
Collection Use Restrictions:
Copyright is retained by the creators of materials in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Series 1: Biographical Materials
Box | Folder | Series | Date | Folder Description |
| B03 | F01 | Biographical Materials | 1959 May 31 | Diploma from University of Oklahoma |
| B03 | F09 | Biographical Materials | Biographical materials, including song list, song notes, and autobiographical essay |
Series 2: Lyrics
Box | Folder | Series | Date | Folder Description |
| B03 | F02 | Lyrics | Handwritten and typed loose lyrics | |
| B03 | F03 | Lyrics | Flyers, sheet music, folk journal “Sing” from London (dated May-June 1954), and handwritten and typed loose lyrics | |
| B03 | F05 | Lyrics | Handwritten and typed loose lyrics and sheet music from “Lyrics Journal” | |
| B04 | F17 | Lyrics | Handwritten and typed loose lyrics, sheet music, draft essay, journal entries | |
| B04 | F20 | Lyrics | Handwritten and typed loose lyrics, drafts of prose | |
| B04 | F21 | Lyrics | Handwritten and typed loose lyrics, sheet music | |
| B04 | F22 | Lyrics | Handwritten and typed loose lyrics, concert program for “Harold Leventhal Presents: Tom Paxton” at Town Hall NYU on February 18, 1966, Broadside 138 and 139 |
Series 3: Notebooks
Box | Folder | Series | Date | Folder Description |
| B01 | F01 | Notebooks | 1968 October–November | 1. The Candidate 2. Shadowlands 3. All Night Long 4. No Sad Songs |
| B01 | F02 | Notebooks | 1968 | 1. All Night Long 2. Cafe Society 3. The Things I Notice Now 4. I Had To Shoot That Rabbit 5. She Has No Trouble With Men 6. How Come The Sun 7. Prayin’ For Snow |
| B01 | F03 | Notebooks | 1968 | 1. Buy A Gun For Your Son 2. Cracker Jacks And Candy 3. I Give You The Morning 4. If Not For the N.R.A. 5. Bishop Cody’s Last Request 6. The Sun Forgets 7. The General 8. Protest Songs 9. When I Went Home 10. I Ain’t Lyin’ 11. Wish I Had A Troubador 12. Mayor Daley |
| B01 | F04 | Notebooks | 1971 April | 1. I Couldn’t Wait To Tell You 2. We Can Make It 3. You Betta Believe It 4. Bird In The Sky 5. Bring You Back 6. Show Me The Way To Your Heart 7. Down In The City 8. Another Beautiful Day 9. It’s All Down To You, Now 10. The Harp Is Down 11. Too Good To Be True 12. Dance In The Shadows 13. Don’t You Get Down And Crying 14. Smile Like A Movie Star 15. Maybe It’s Today 16. Clowns 17. What Did I Do That Was Wrong 18. I’ve Forgotten What I Came For 19. Maybe Mrs. Johnson 20. Out Beyond The Bar 21. If We’re Gonna Get Home |
| B01 | F05 | Notebooks | 1972 July | 1. Right On, Woman 2. Faces And Places 3. Missions Will Feed You 4. When We Were Good 5. The Things These People Do 6. The Otherside of You 7. Nothing Left To Say 8. Katy 9. Silent Night 10. The Thought Stayed Free 11. Spend My Life With You 12. Engelbert The Elephant |
| B01 | F06 | Notebooks | 1974 February | 1. Gray Mares 2. November Lullaby 3. As She Rides By 4. Fiddlin’ Joe 5. Life 6. Marie, Marie 7. I’ve Got My Eyes On You 8. Freighters 9. She Says She Loves Me 10. Bring Back The Chair (L.S.) 11. Out Of Luck 12. I Got Loose 13. The Hard Ones 14. Morning Wonder 15. Wise Guys (L.S.) 16. Miss Alabama 17. Something In My Life 18. Hello, Again 19. Oh, Doctor, Doctor 20. I Could Not Stand The Pain 21. Motel Shot 22. Ghosts 23. Regretfully, Madam 24. Nobody Home |
| B01 | F07 | Notebooks | 1974 October | 1. And Then You Smiled 2. She’s Leaving Me 3. Don’t You Believe Me? 4. Hey, Get Up, Get Up 5. Wish 6. So You Got Yourself In Trouble 7. Jim 8. Presbyterian Bay 9. Bet On The Blues 10. I Want To Help You 11. Raining On Me 12. Yes/No 13. Bus Stop 14. Gentle My Love 15. Wish I May 16. I Am What I Am 17. Enchilada 18. The Last One To Know 19. I Get The Joy 20. I Don’t Want Your Pardon 21. E. Lollipop |
| B01 | F08 | Notebooks | 1975 February | 1. Melbourne Breakdown 2. Harmony’s Friends 3. Good King Buzz 4. We Need A Little Fun 5. You Can Eat Dog Food (L.S.) |
| B01 | F09 | Notebooks | 1975 May | 1. I Am I 2. Ta-Da! 3. Teacher, Teacher 4. Do You Want To Dance? 5. Go Find A Job 6. May God Bless This Wedding 7. Angela And Bill 8. I Close My Eyes 9. Synopsis Theme 10. The Jones Boy 11. Senior Citizen 12. Gray Hair Ain’t Nowhere 13. Twentieth Maine 14. If Dreams Are Born 15. Proud To Be Standing Where I Am 16. Did You Hear John Hurt? (L.S.) 17. Lucy, The Junk Dealer’s Daughter 18. Semi-Private Room |
| B01 | F10 | Notebooks | 1975 October | 1. Welcome To The Club 2. The Man Can Play 3. Something About Love 4. Allende (L.S.) 5. Oklahoma Boys 6. Stealing Your Love 7. You Work Hard 8. The Death Of Us 9. One Owner, Good Condition 10. Sugaree 11. Leave Me Alone 12. Make A Little Happy 13. We Wouldn’t Be Here In Heaven 14. Slipping Away From Me 15. If You Can’t Get Down 16. This Morning’s Coffee 17. There Goes The Mountain (L.S.-T) 18. Hard Times Are Here Again (L.S.-T) 19. Tom Paine 20. Birds On The Table (L.S.) 21. Steps In The Hall 22. Made For Each Other |
| B01 | F11 | Notebooks | 1976 January | 1. Poor Old Car 2. My Home Town 3. When The Snow Falls 4. You’re Beautiful (L.S.-T.) 5. Cotton-Eyed Joe (L.S.-T) 6. Mose 7. Southern Still Life 8. C.B. Thrills 9. T.V. Music 10. Turkey On The Table |
| B01 | F12 | Notebooks | 1976 May | 1. Let’s Call it A Day 2. Nice Warm Car 3. Never No Love 4. The Only Night In History 5. He Wanted To Be Bad 6. Long Hot Summer Day 7. King Of The Cat Cafe’ 8. What Happened To The Laughing Boy 9. Don’t Ask Me 10. September Sky 11. Grandad’s Louise 12. Golf Widow 13. It Was Only A Game 14. Elect A Democrat 15. Pandora’s Box 16. Born On The Fourth Of July |
| B01 | F13 | Notebooks | 1976 September | Contains writings |
| B01 | F14 | Notebooks | 1977 January | 1. A Matter of Time 2. Stay On Board The Train 3. God Knows The News Hits Hard 4. Sunshine 5. Shelter, Shelter 6. Millionaires 7. Bear In The Kitchen 8. Television |
| B01 | F15 | Notebooks | 1977 September | 1. A Day In The Country 2. Phil 3. Minnesota Strip 4. Anita O.J. 5. Did You give Up Smoking? 6. Billy Clubbed 7. Jonathan Livingston Sissy 8. Truck Driving Fool 9. The Death Of Stephen Biko 10. Hot Bibles 11. Self-Improvement 12. Winter Song 13. The Quarterback’s A Lady 14. The Hills Of Scotland 15. Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes 16. If You’re Such An Outlaw 17. I Am A Traveling Lawyer 18. Weight Watcher 19. I Haven’t Seen You Since What Might Have Been 20. Here In My Corner |
| B01 | F16 | Notebooks | 1979 January | 1. When All Else Fails 2. Tonight Will Be The Loneliest Night Of All 3. The Lonely Man 4. You Meant “Goodbye” 5. Get Your Nose Out Of That T.V. 6. Back Against The Wall 7. Jonestown 8. Dark Brown Coffee 9. The Words Wouldn’t Come 10. Dead Man’s Curve 11. You Come In Here 12. Open Letter To A Red-Headed Girl 13. It’s Gettin’ To Be A Habit 14. Right Where We Belong 15. Flower In Concrete (for Victor Jara) 16. High On Living 17. Grandpa Bass 18. Boss Of The Year 19. I Know What You Want 20. If I Had My Way 21. N.B.A. 22. Coffeeville 23. The Best Years Of Our Lives 24. That’s What I Like About You 25. Mary Ann 26. When I Could Fly 27. Skeet-A-Mo’s 28. The Last Time 29. Out On The Water 30. Sitting Here In Winnipeg 31. Listen To The River Rolling By 32. I Know I Love You 33. Jester Jackson’s War 34. Lullaby 35. Inch By Inch 36. The Man With The Violin 37. Honey Stay 38. We Didn’t Come This Far 39. The Jogger 40. The Tall Ships 41. Has Annie Been In Tonight? 42. Let The Sunshine 43. The Plane Overhead 44. All Celar In Harrisburg 45. I Cried Like A Baby 46. Baby Seal 47. Back Where It All Began 48. The Fugitive 49. If I Could Dance 50. Poor Pitiful Me 51. Hush, Old Man 52. A Morning of Surprises 53. The Fun House Mirror 54. An The Light Came 55. Don’t Forget Your Waitress 56. I Stood There Crying 57. My Navel Engagement 58. Emma’s Flowers 59. I Don’t Want Nuclear Poison In My Life 60. I Believed You When You Lied 61. It’s Terribly Hard 62. Country Water 63. If I Hadn’t Found You 64. Gas Line Romance 65. When I Knew What To Say 66. Love Made A Fool Of Me 67. The Presbyterian Hare Krishna Sidewalk Band 68. Just The Thought Of You 69. Up From Virginny 70. Let Me Know That I’ll Be Safe 71. That Was A Habit 72. Power |
| B01 | F17 | Notebooks | 1979 May | 1. My New Expression 2. Home For Me 3. Harriet 4. Less Of Me 5. Sweet Serenity 6. I Will Always Love You Now 7. Though I Be Ten Thousand Miles From Home 8. Give My Thanks To You 9. Wasn’t I Fun? 10. Bad Old Days 11. My Favorite Spring 12. Little Blue Dog 13. It Might Take A Miracle 14. Crossing The Border 15. Picnic 16. On My Way To The Sunshine 17. Korean Breakdown 18. Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John 19. Wakey, Wakey! 20. While The Swans Fly 21. A Gold Ball Often Has A Mind Of It’s Own 22. Supposing I Could Find A Way 23. Hot And Muggy Lazy Afternoon 24. The Love of Loving You 25. Vegetarian Rag 26. Emergency Coffee 27. A Good Time All ‘Round 28. You Ain’t Building That Plant 29. That’s The Way It Seems To Me 30. Marching Through Washington 31. Pete And Marlys 25 32. Lark In The Morning 33. I Don’t Want A Bunny-Wunny 34. Think Of Me Tonight 35. You Spoke Not A Word 36. September Sky 37. I Know What I Know 38. Happy To Be In Texas 39. Did You See The Smile That Mary Smiled? 40. Never Again 41. I Like This Tree 42. Sound As A Dollar 43. The Last Of The River Men 44. Openers 45. What About Me? 46. A Little White Ball 47. Get Your Hands Off 48. One Man’s Memory 49. Keepin’ It Simple 50. While Your Child Leaves 51. I Was Alone 52. Love Is Stronger Than Danger 53. The More I Know Of You 54. Bare Survival 55. I Miss You 56. He Told Me |
| B01 | F18 | Notebooks | 1980 January | 1. I Am Changing My Name To Chrysler 2. And I Miss You 3. She Sits On The Table 4. My Toothache 5. Trouble In Paradise 6. You Ain’t Seen The Last Of Me 7. I’m Missing Miss America 8. You Joker, You 9. Day In And Day Out 10. Kings Of The Delta 11. Me And Lefty 12. Be A Sport, Afghanistan 13. I Thought You Were An Arab 14. The Last Days Of The Ballroom 15. You Can’t Hang Out With Heroes 16. Blood On The Border 17. Enough To Make You Feel 18. Sergeant, I Love You 19. You Get A Gun 20. Guess I’ll Eat Myself To Death Over You 21. He May Be Slow 22. They Tell Me That The Klan Is Back 23. All Of My Ladies 24. When All Of The Money Is Gone 25. I Can’t Change That 26. We Went To The Banker 27. The Things I Wish I’d Said 28. So You Thought You Were Alone 29. I Never Loved You More Than I Do Now 30. Woody’s House 31. Mary Got A New Job 32. If We Could Talk To Each Other 33. What Did You Learn In School? (Rewrite) 34. Cold Steel Jaws 35. We Are The Music 36. We Live On The Water 37. If You Could See These Hills 38. If We Could Get That Feeling Again 39. A Little Night Music 40. We All Sound The Same 41. All Clear In Harrisburg II 42. Put The Paint 43. Another ‘I Love Texas’ Song 44. When A Fellow Has A Brother 45. If I Could Open My Eyes |
| B01 | F19 | Notebooks | 1980 November | 1. The Long Way Round 2. Music Myself 3. Grandad’s Town 4. And The Voices Sang 5. On A Winter’s Night 6. Rosalynn’s In The White House 7. Little Bitty Gun 8. And Loving You 9. You’re Leaving Me 10. A Man Is No Man 11. Even A Gray Day 12. Two Blue Rails 13. The Shores Of My Home 14. This Must Be The Party 15. How Do I Feel 16. Hey, That Was My Love 17. Things Turning Out So Well 18. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You 19. Put Your Finger In The Beer 20. The Lessons Of Love 21. Burt 22. Who’s Been Chocking Out Dirty Books? 23. An Average Saturday Night 24. Who Speaks For Me? 25. Washington Between The Sheets 26. I Shot Him 27. A Truly-Needy Family Of Your Own 28. There Is An Old Woman 29. They Couldn’t Take The Music 30. The Wind That Brought The Winter In 31. I Want To Be There When You Need Me 32. Love Is Coming Our Way 33. If I Only Had Virginia 34. In The Moment Of Our Birth 35. You Bring Your Good times With You 36. The Man Can Play 37. I Wish That I Could Be With You Tonight 38. To Those Who Lie In The Prisons 39. They Tried To Warn Me 40. I Did Not Watch The Wedding 41. A Little White Lie 42. All I Know Is I Saw You |
| B01 | F20 | Notebooks | 1981 September–1982 September | 1. You Call It A Handicap 2. Melody 3. Just Like A Long-Lost Friend 4. I’m Hurtin’ 5. The Perfect Bomb 6. Let ‘Em Eat Ketchup 7. All Of My Life 8. When Pharoah Says: “Build A Pyramid” 9. Let’s Pick On Jody Foster 10. Johnson 11. Spinners, Weavers 12. Because I Love You 13. Fraggle Rock 14. Fraggle Rock II 15. Boo Hoo You 16. The Game Is Everything To Me 17. No Hope At All 18. Doozers Do 19. I’m Sorry I Like You 20. Lost And Found 21. It All Starts With You 22. I Am A Winner 23. Richard Allen 24. I Saw A Star 25. I Am Too Fat 26. Solidarity 27. Back On The Road 1982 28. I Have A Friend 29. Out Here In The Wilderness 30. The Day The Sun Wouldn’t Go Down 31. I’d Do Anything For You 32. Only A Game 33. Come To Me Now 34. When I Finally Lay Down These Tools 35. Spring 36. We Didn’t Have To Lose It 37. Sleepy Time 38. Corrymeela 39. I Never Had A Good Time 40. Edict Rock 41. We Can Only Live In Love 42. Every Color Of The Rainbow 43. I’ve Stopped Going Out In The Evenings |
| B01 | F21 | Notebooks | 1983 March | Contains song lyrics and notes |
| B01 | F22 | Notebooks | 1987 | Contains writings, song lyrics, and notes |
| B01 | F23 | Notebooks | 1990 February–1991 March | Contains song lyrics and notes |
| B01 | F24 | Notebooks | 1991 April–September | Contains writings, song lyrics, and notes |
| B01 | F25 | Notebooks | 1991 September–1992 July | Contains song lyrics, notes, and drawings |
| B01 | F26 | Notebooks | 1992 July–1993 February | Contains song lyrics and notes |
| B02 | F01 | Notebooks | 1993 March–May | Contains song lyrics and notes |
| B02 | F02 | Notebooks | 1993 June | 1. Gaslight Days 2. I Won’t Ask 3. The Hawk 4. This Is Note My Time 5. Out Of Here 6. Whoa, Babe 7. Bad Dreams 8. Please Pass The Blues 9. I Didn’t Ask 10. Just Another White Guy Wearing A Robe 11. Wearing The Time 12. Something For Everyone 13. Rich Man, Poor Man 14. Me And Michael Jackson 15. ‘Politician’ 16. I’m Tired From All My Traveling 17. Hook Pond At Sunset 18. A Summer Song 19. 20/20 20. This Is A Baby 21. Maybe I Lied 22. Come On Down To The Corner 23. Blue Down Here 24. How Chicago Won The War 25. My Enemy Has A Name 26. Until A song Is Born 27. They’re Not Haitians 28. Everybody Knows 29. It’s That Simple 30. Where In The World Are You? 31. Waiting In The Checkout Line 32. The Child I Was 33. Something Like Love 34. The Life Of A Troubador 35. Why Would I Go? 36. No Insurance 37. Modern Maturity 38. Along The Verdigris 39. I Need A Hospital 40. The Song Of The Interstate 41. Johnny Got A Gun |
| B02 | F03 | Notebooks | 1993 July | 1. Johnny Got A Gun 2. Passing Through Tulsa 3. It Wasn’t Just The Country Music 4. When Love dies 5. The Honor Of Your Company 6. Backin’ My Way Back To You 7. Anytime 8. One Country Star |
| B02 | F04 | Notebooks | 1993 October | 1. The Honor Of Your Company 2. The Leaves Are Dying 3. One Of Me Is Enough 4. When I Go To See My Son 5. When My Brother Came Home 6. Don’t Remember Me 7. The Ballad Of John Wayne Bobbitt 8. Her First Christmas Alone 9. She Was Beautiful 10. Losing My Friends 11. How Do You Like Your Job? 12. Spin Like A Red Top 13. A Sure Thing, Honey 14. In America 15. Let It Stay 16. I Will Care For You 17. Not My Affair 18. A Shiny River Then 19. You Beautiful Day 20. How Long Was I Gone? |
| B02 | F05 | Notebooks | 1995 February | 1. When I Try 2. The Evil That Men Do 3. After Midnight Thoughts 4. When I Left Home For The Last Time 5. Little Girl 6. Hello, Fred 7. The Bastard Mind 8. All I Ever Needed Was You 9. Storms Of Winter 10. I’ll Be There 11. Summer Nights On The Prairie 12. My Neighborhood 13. Go Tell Momma 14. They All Moved Back 15. This River Is Dying 16. God 17. Talk Radio 18. Time Fades Away 19. Christopher Paxton Sylvia 20. Midge’s Song |
| B02 | F06 | Notebooks | 1997–1998 | |
| B02 | F07 | Notebooks | 1998 April | |
| B02 | F08 | Notebooks | 1999 January | Contains song lyrics and notes |
| B02 | F09 | Notebooks | 1999 July–2000 January | Contains song lyrics and notes |
| B02 | F10 | Notebooks | 2000 January–November | Contains song lyrics, notes, and printed lists of lyrics |
| B02 | F11 | Notebooks | 2000 November–2001 December | Contains song lyrics and notes |
| B02 | F12 | Notebooks | 2002 January–2003 June | Contains writings, song lyrics, notes, and printed lyrics |
| B02 | F13 | Notebooks | 2003 July | 1. Peace Like A River 2. The Dog Of The Year 3. Suits Of Gray 4. Governor Of California 5. Mud Red River 6. No Turning Back 7. Lies, Lies, Lies 8. Crows In The Cornfield 9. In The Guard! 10. Goodbye, Nancy 11. A Thousand Candles 12. Where Are You Tonight? 13. The Glittering Prize 14. Baby’s Feeling Better 15. My Science Lesson In Kansas |
| B02 | F14 | Notebooks | 2004 December | 1. The Battle Of The Sexes 2. Thinking About Isaiah 3. Forty Years, As The Crow Flies 4. The Best We Can Do 5. Suits Of Gray, Hearts Of Stone 6. Mud Red River 7. No Turning Back 8. Lies, Lies, Lies 9. A Hero Of His Nation 10. Beneath The Bridge 11. Peace Like A River 12. How Beautiful Upon The Mountain 13. The Three Republicans 14. Pilgrim Road 15. The Village That Is No More 16. The Early Bird Special 17. I Don’t Know New Orleans 18. Pat Robertson + Jesus 19. Little Pigs 20. Pat Robertson 21. My Reason Why 22. William Bennett 23. Dick Cheney 24. Sunshiny Day 25. The Plane They Call ‘Tomorrow’ 26. FEMA 27. Jennifer + Kate 28. After The Funeral 29. Verizon Horizon |
| B02 | F15 | Notebooks | 2006 May | 1. Psalm 47 2. The N.S.A. Has Numbers 3. Tap, Tap, Tapping My Telephone Line 4. How Beautiful Upon The Mountain 5. Lost And Found 6. On The Border 7. Dick Cheney 8. South Wind 9. Hail To The Chief 10. And If It’s Not True 11. Jim And Marilyn 12. Tunnel To Nowhere 13. Poor Ralph Reed 14. In The Heat Of The Summer 15. I’m A Terrorist Target 16. Waiting For You 17. Reason To Be 18. It’s Hard To Be Famous 19. Comedians And Angels 20. In The Light 21. I Guess My Momma Raised A fool 22. The Witness 23. Lay Me Down 24. Smiling At Nothing 25. Elisah’s Skiels 26. LIttle Sandy 27. Sell This War 28. Now That You’ve Said ‘Yes’ 29. Spending Time With You Is Easy 30. What’s It Gonn Be Ma? 31. We Support Our Troops 32. Tom Cats In Boston 33. In Cindy’s Garden 34. Monkey See, Monkey Do 35. Love Your Music 36. Tom Delay 37. Mary Said ‘Yes’ 38. Fox News 39. Come On Home 40. Dancing Is Easy 41. Hard, Hard Times 42. Friday Nights For Football 43. In My Lady’s Eyes 44. When It Rains, It Pours 45. Pluto 46. Kings Of The Mountain |
| B02 | F16 | Notebooks | 2006 September–2007 May | Contains song lyrics and notes |
| B02 | F17 | Notebooks | 2007 May | Contains 2008 calendar, as well as lyrics 1. All We Should Have Known 2. I Get It 3. I Like The Way You Look 4. My Downfall 5. Forty Years As The Crow Flies 6. When I Was A Child 7. Reason To Be 8. My Body Pails 9. Yeah Right! 10. Out On The Ocean 11. Life Is A Hard, Hard Road 12. Everybody In Kansas City |
| B02 | F18 | Notebooks | 2008 April | Contains writings, handwritten and printed song lyrics, notes, and partial 2008 calendar |
| B02 | F19 | Notebooks | 2008 September–2010 June | Contains writings, handwritten and printed song lyrics, and notes |
| B02 | F20 | Notebooks | 2011 December-2013 September | Contains handwritten and printed song lyrics, notes, and correspondence |
| B02 | F21 | Notebooks | undated | Contains writings, song lyrics, and notes |
| B02 | F22 | Notebooks | undated | 1. My Daddy And Me 2. Talking Watergate |
Series 4: Performances
Box | Folder | Series | Date | Folder Description |
| B04 | F14 | Performances | 2002 January 18 | Grand Casino Biloxi, Biloxi, MS, January 18, 2002 Grand Casino Tunica, Tunica, MS, January 19, 2002 |
| B04 | F04 | Performances | 2002 February 2 | Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR |
| B04 | F13 | Performances | 2002 February 7 | Blue Heron Inn, Duncans Mills, CA |
| B04 | F16 | Performances | 2002 February 16 | Fiddler’s Green Concert Series, Atlanta, GA |
| B04 | F07 | Performances | 2002 February 17 | Michael Rose Theatre, Memphis, TN |
| B04 | F09 | Performances | 2002 March 1 | Foster, RI, March 1, 2002 and March 2, 2002 |
| B04 | F10 | Performances | 2002 March 8 | Northpark Presbyterian Church, Dallas, TX, March 8, 2002 Eureka Springs Auditorium, Eureka Springs, AR, March 10, 2002 |
| B04 | F01 | Performances | 2002 March 23 | Jean Rimsky Theater, Port Washington, NY |
| B04 | F12 | Performances | 2002 April 6 | Bonnie Doon Hall, Edmonton, AB, Canada |
| B03 | F13 | Performances | 2002 April 12 | The Barns Of Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA |
| B04 | F03 | Performances | 2002 April 19 | Throop Church, Pasadena, CA, April 19, 2002 Casa del Prado Theatre, San Diego, CA, April 20, 2002 |
| B04 | F15 | Performances | 2002 April 26 | St. John’s United Methodist Church, Baltimore, MD |
| B04 | F11 | Performances | 2002 May 4 | Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL |
| B04 | F08 | Performances | 2002 May 11 | Institute of Musical Traditions, Kensington, MD |
| B04 | F06 | Performances | 2002 May 16 | The Pinnacle Center, Hudsonville, MI, May 16, 2002 Western Reserve Folk Arts Association, Kent, OH, May 18, 2002 |
| B03 | F12 | Performances | 2002 May 21 | U.K. Tour, correspondence, tour schedule, and associated materials |
| B04 | F02 | Performances | 2002 June 18 | Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, PA |
| B04 | F05 | Performances | 2002 June 22 | Folk Project, Morristown, NJ, June 22, 2002 King of Prussia, PA, June 23, 2002 |
| B03 | F04 | Performances | 2002 September 10 | Library Of Congress Music Division, Coolidge Auditorium |
Series 5: Songbooks
Box | Folder | Series | Date | Folder Description |
| B03 | F07 | Songbooks | 1989 | The Authentic Guitar Style Of…Tom Paxton |
| B03 | F08 | Songbooks | 1988 | Tom Paxton Anthology |
| B03 | F10 | Songbooks | 1989 | Tom Paxton Politics |
| B03 | F11 | Songbooks | 1994 | Tom Paxton Wearing The Time |
| B04 | F19 | Songbooks | 1990 | Tom Paxton, I Can Read Now |
Series 6: Photographs
Box | Folder | Series | Date | Folder Description |
| B04 | F18 | Photographs | Photographic prints and contact sheets of Tom Paxton and others |
Addition of July 2023
Box | Date | Format | Item Description |
| B05 | 1999 November 23 | DAT | 2019-007_b05_01: likely a recording session of Tom Paxton’s song, Tinky Winky, and/or mixes from his album Your Shoes, My Shoes [safety copy] |
| B05 | 2002 | DAT | 2019-007_b05_02: recording session with tracks from Tom Paxton’s 2002 album of children’s songs, Your Shoes, My Shoes, produced by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. The track list on the label includes: 1) Pita 2) Pita, vocal and [illegible] 3) Chicken 4)”” Tom and kids lower 5) Pizza That Ate Chicago 6) Pizza, Tom loud [?] 7) Somebody Burped with kids 8) “” no kids 9) no kids, Tom [illegible] 10) Tom down with kids |
| B05 | 1999 November 23 | DAT | 2019-007_b05_03: likely a recording session of Tom Paxton’s song, Tinky Winky, and/or mixes from his album Your Shoes, My Shoes [original master] |
| B05 | 2002 | DAT | 2019-007_b05_04: recording session with tracks from Tom Paxton’s 2002 album of children’s songs, Your Shoes, My Shoes, produced by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. The track list on the label includes: 1) Your Shoes, My Shoes 2) Tom out on Rosa 3) Tom louder at intro 4) Peace Will Come 5) More Tom after break (?) 6) Tag lower hum 7) No Tom 2nd (?) bridge 8) Kids alone 9) It’s Arithmetic 10) Less Drums 11) more snare 12) My Giraffe 13) Acc delayed 10 ms. 14) #12 less drum 15) A Bull Named Bob 16) #15 lower vocal 17) Raisin in a Bowl 18) #17 less reverb on guitar 19) Time Out Time Again 20) “” Raised Band 21) #20 slightly raised band 22) Worms 23) Raisin Remix 24) # less reverb 25) Boogaloo Bob 26) “” more Eileen and Mark 27) #26 lower vocals and banjo 28) #27 less banjo, more Christine, 1st verse 29) #28 different banjo, last chorus 30) My Giraffe remix 31) #30 more kids, raised “fills” 32) #30 more Tom 33) Instrument 34) Your Shoes 35) #34 more Tom and kids [safety copy] |
| B05 | 2002 | DAT | 2019-007_b05_05: recording session with tracks from Tom Paxton’s 2002 album of children’s songs, Your Shoes, My Shoes, produced by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. The track list on the label includes: 1) The Kid Behind The Mirror 2) #1 more guitar 3) Skit TK 2 4) Skit TK 3 5) Barney Skit 6) More Tom 7) Barney Ate My Homework 8) #7 lower levels 9) #8 lower Marcy and Mand (?) backup [original master] |
| B05 | 2002 | DAT | 2019-007_b05_06: recording session with tracks from Tom Paxton’s 2002 album of children’s songs, Your Shoes, My Shoes, produced by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. The track list on the label includes: 1) Raisin remix 2) #1 less reverb 3) Boogaloo Bob 4) “” more Eileen and Mark 5) #4 lower vocals and banjo 6) #4 less banjo, more Christine, 1st verse 7) #6 different banjo, last chorus 8) My Giraffe remix; 9) #8 more kids, 2nd verse fills raised 10) #9 more Tom and kids 11) Your Shoes remix 12) #11 more Tom and kids 13) Skit TK I and II 14) The Kid Behind The Mirror 15) #14 more guitar 16) Skit TK 2 17) Skit TK 3 18) Barney Skit 19) More Tom 20) Barney Ate My Homework 21) #20 lower vocals 22) #21 lower Marcy and lower head Mand (?) 23) Kids Peace Will Come 24) Noise [24-bit II] |
| B05 | 2002 | DAT | 2019-007_b05_07: recording session with tracks from Tom Paxton’s 2002 album of children’s songs, Your Shoes, My Shoes, produced by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. The track list on the label includes: 1) Your Shoes, My Shoes 2) Tom cut on Rosa 3) Tom louder intro 4) Peace Will Come 5) more Tom after break 6) Tag lower hum 7) no Tom 2nd bridge 8) kids alone 9) It’s Arithmetic 10) less drums 11) more snare 12) My Giraffe (don’t use) 13) Acc delayed 10 ms. (don’t use) 14) #12 less drums (don’t use) 15) A Bull Named Bob 16) #15 lower vocal, raised (?) line at end of solo 17) Raisin In A Bowl 18) #17 less reverb on guitar 19) Time Out Time Again 20) “” raised band 21) #20 slightly raised band 22) Worms [24-bit I, original master] |
| B05 | 2002 | DTRS | 2019-007_b05_08: contains Tom Paxton recordings from Your Shoes, My Shoes and from a Pete Seeger tribute album. The track list on the label includes: 1) Paxton Seeger 2) To Everyone 3) Arrange 3) Draft Dodge Ray 4) 3 Doggies (?) 5) Barney 6) Arithmetic 7) 200 (?) |
| B05 | 1986 January 7 | Audio cassette | 2019-007_b05_09: A Paxton Primer, album by Tom Paxton, produced by Bob Gibson, commercial recording with the following tracks: Side 1: 1) Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound 2) Whose Garden Was This? 3) Ramblin’ Boy 4) Outward Bound 5) I Give You The Morning 6) What A Friend You Are 7) Did You Hear John Hurt? Side 2: 1) Peace Will Come 2) Wish I Had A Troubador 3) Hobo In My Mind 4) My Lady’s A Wild Flying Dove 5) Bound For The Mountains And The Sea 6) As She Rides By 7) This World Goes ‘Round And ‘Round |
| B06 | 2000 | Book | Tom Paxton: The Honor of Your Company, ed. Milton Okun, Cherry Lane Music Company, NY, 2000, blue cover, signed by Tom Paxton |
Addition of July 2024
Box | Date | Format | Item Description |
| B06 | 2000 | Book | Tom Paxton: The Honor of Your Company, green cover, ed. Milton Okun, Cherry Lane Music Company, NY, 2000 |
| B06 | 1990 | Book | Tom Paxton’s Children’s Songbook, signed by Tom PaxtonCherry Lane Music Company, NY, 1990 |
| B06 | 1991 | Book | Tom Paxton: A Car Full of Songs, Cherry Lane Music Company, NY, 1991 |
| B06 | 1988 | Book | Aesop’s Fables Retold in Verse, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Robert Rayevsky, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1988 |
| B06 | 1991 | Book | Androcles and the Lion and Other Aesop’s Fables Retold in Verse, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Robert Rayevsky, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1991 |
| B06 | 1990 | Book | Belling the Cat and Other Aesop’s Fables, retold by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Robert Rayevsky, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1990 |
| B06 | 1990 | Book | Engelbert the Elephant, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Steven Kellogg, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1990 |
| B06 | 1997 | Book | Engelbert Joins the Circus, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Roberta Wilson, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1997 |
| B06 | 1996 | Book | Going to the Zoo, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1996 |
| B06 | 1999 | Book | The Jungle Baseball Game, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1999 |
| B06 | 1996 | Book | The Marvelous Toy, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1996 |
| B06 | 2009 | Book & Audio CD | The Marvelous Toy [book with 4-song CD], by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Steve Cox, Imagine Publishing, NY, 2009 |
| B06 | 1996 | Audio CD | A Child’s Christmas, Tom Paxton, Laserlight Digital, Delta Music Inc., 1996 |
| B06 | 1997 | Audio CD | Goin’ to the Zoo, Tom Paxton, Rounder Kids CD, Rounder Records, Corp., 1997 |
| B06 | 2002 | Audio CD | Your Shoes, My Shoes, Tom Paxton (2 copies), Red House Records, Inc., 2002 |
| B06 | undated | Vinyl Recording | Ramblin’ Boy, Tom Paxton, Elektra Records, EKL-277 |
| B06 | undated | Vinyl Recording (cover only) | New Songs from the Briarpatch, Tom Paxton, signed by Tom Paxton, Vanguard, VSD-79395, 12″ vinyl LP [cover only] |
| B07 | 1993 | Book | The Animals’ Lullaby, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Erick Ingraham, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1993 |
| B07 | 1996 | Book | The Ant and the Grasshopper: An Aesop’s Fable Retold by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Philip Webb, Celebration Press, IL, 1996 |
| B07 | 1993 | Book | Engelbert, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Don Vanderbeek, Scott Foresman, Little Celebrations, IL, 1993 |
| B07 | 1995 | Book | Engelbert Moves the House, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Don Vanderbeek, GoodYearBooks, IL, 1995 |
| B07 | 2001 | Book | Jennifer’s Rabbit, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Elizabeth Miles, Harper Collins Publishers, 2001 |
| B07 | 1996 | Book | Meet Tom Paxton: An Interview with Tom Paxton (2 copies), GoodYearBooks, IL, 1996 |
| B07 | 1995 | Book | The Story of Santa Claus, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Michael Dooling, Harper Collins Publishers, NY, 1995 |
| B07 | 1996 | Book | The Story of The Tooth Fairy, by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Robert Sauber, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1996 |
| B07 | 1993 | Book | Where’s the Baby? by Tom Paxton, illustrated by Mark Graham, Morrow Junior Books, NY, 1993 |