I knew this song only from the Priscilla Herdman recording. We put the song in the Rise Again songbook, and it has has a good response. Here's the reference page we have on the song. I keep it updated with links to recordings and other information.
I had the job of getting the copyright license so we could print this song. We didn't know who Tom Gala was or how to contact him, but we had heard he was somewhere in New England. I googled Tom Galas in New England. There weren't many, so I started contacting them. One had a tree trimming service - didn't really sound like an author of profound songs, but I called. Tom's wife answered, and we had a nice chat. And yes, Tom the tree trimmer was the author of the song, and they were very pleased to have the song included in the book. -Joe-