Lyr/Chords Req: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)

Subject: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: John Lesca
Date: 06 May 97 - 05:29 PM

Need lyrics and chords to Come Along Home, aka, Tom's Song, by Tom Paxton, but arranged and sang by the Chad Mitchell Trio in the early '60's. Thanks.

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: COME ALONG HOME (Tom Paxton)
From:
Date: 11 May 97 - 03:06 AM

Howdy John (and folks concerned with what's on DT),

Here's the version of Come Along Home from the Oak Publication songbook "Ramblin' Boy and other songs" by Tom Paxton with a 1965 copyright and ISBN 8526-0007-3.

Considering all the discussion in other strands about which songs should be included in this forum of DT, I'd like to add a couple of remarks, and I do them here as I submit a song by a contemporary singer-songwriter.

I came into folk and traditional music because I was attracted by the songs of the folk revival singer-songwriters, not because I felt an urge to do the more traditional songs. My personal performing repertoire is still mostly made up of songs written by singer-songwriters going from the present and going back 40 (and up to 70 or more) years. But when I jam and perform with other folks, I use mostly more traditional material (and will soon publish my fourth public domain songbook using these songs). If it had not been for the material of the singer-songwriters of the great folk scare, I might never have learned (and shared) more folk music with others than what was available in elementary school music programs (and there are less of those these days with education funding cuts).

I often introduce people to folk-style music and begin to build some excitement in them for it, but continued exposure is needed. I see DT as a valuable vehicle for getting people exposed to this music and for keeping them excited about it. But there has to be a reason for them to look at DT to begin with, or we're only preaching to the converted (to overuse an overused expression). Thus, I will continue to help folks here with words to songs by singer-songwriters -- if I know them -- or to popular songs from whatever era -- if I know them (which isn't really likely) -- or to traditional and public domain songs. After all, many public domain songs that we think of as traditional these days are the popular songs of another era.

I've gone through just about every posting ever done here (and expect to keep doing so), and I haven't become too bogged down with inappropriate requests yet. Since I want the music to continue to live, I feel that it's worth our while to stay friendly and open to occasional other requests with the hope that we'll sometimes introduce others to the great stuff that is here. But I also think we should continue the effort to get all strands properly identified with title (and performer) first so that our purists won't have to waste time with songs they care nothing about (or don't even think of as music). Thanks for letting me make my thoughts known -- here's the song.

COME ALONG HOME
(Tom Paxton)

Last [G] night I heard a [C] sweet voice [G] callin'.
Come along, won't you [D7] come along [G] home.
Wind on the river and the [C] all [G] bawlin'.
Come along, won't you [D7] come along [G] home.

Chorus:
[G] Come along, won't you [C] come along [G] home now.
Night is fallin' and the [C] path is [D7] steep.
[G] Come along, won't you [C] come along [G] home now.
Water's runnin' and the [D7] river is [G] deep.

Wind goes "Whoosh!" And the trees are sighin'.
Come along, won't you come along home now.
Somebody's born and somebody's dyin'.
Come along, won't you come along home now. CHORUS

Every night the voice gets bolder.
Come along, won't you come along home now.
Song gets sweeter as I grow older.
Come along, won't you come along home now. CHORUS

Allinkausay,
Bill

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 29-May-02.

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 11 May 97 - 07:58 AM

Bill......Nice song, and a great post, too. My sentiments exactly. While I suspect it won't be the last post on the subject, it sort of sums up a lot of the earlier stuff. Reminds me a little of the over-or-under toilet paper debate......Tiger

Speaking of which,.....

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: rich r
Date: 13 May 97 - 10:29 PM

Thanks for the lyrics and the good sermonette. However, I think you may have dropped a word in the 3rd line: "wind on the river and the ?? all bawlin" At least the Mitchell Trio recording sounds like another word there and I have never been able to figure out exactly what it is. The best I ever came up with is "calves are bawlin'" which I was never totally happy with. The line as presented above really does not make grammatical sense ("folk songs" can be ungrammatical, but singer'song/writers would never stoop so low, right?). Perhaps you can check to see if a typo was involved. Thanks

rich r

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: Bill
Date: 14 May 97 - 03:16 AM

Howdy rich,

Of all the words to leave out, the one you've been wondering about. That's probably the way it would happen to me, too. I caught it later, but didn't want to chance a double posting with that diatribe or sermonette.

The word is indeed "calves" and Tom Paxton usually scans better than to leave out a word like that. My fault entirely.

Allinkausay, Bill

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: Angus
Date: 12 Jun 97 - 09:06 PM

Worth another read. And a great song to boot!

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: nutty
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 02:54 PM

I'm refreshing this thread in the hope that someone can supply me with a midi file (or noteworthy composer file) of the tune as unfortunately chords mean nothing to me
Can anyone out there help

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: Jeep man
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 04:18 PM

Refresh. I too, would like to hear it. Jeep

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: rangeroger
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 08:39 PM

Nutty and Jeep man, I have the same Tom Paxton book referenced above and if you want to PM me with a snail mail address I would be happy to send you copies of the music.

I have no way to transribe this to a Midi or noteworthy file but maybe you can if I send it to you.

rr

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: raredance
Date: 21 Oct 01 - 12:22 AM

The Chad Mitchell Trio, album "At the Bitter End" that contains the song has also been reissued on CD.

rich r

Subject: RE: Come Along Home (Tom Paxton)
From: ray bucknell
Date: 21 Oct 01 - 07:44 PM

If anybody's interested, the Chad Mitchell Trio's rendition of Come Along Home (Tom's Song) was also the first commercial recording of a Tom Paxton song. Tom had auditioned for the Trio and been accepted provisionally, but it soon became apparent that his voice didn't blend well with Chad's and Mike's. So, Joe Frazier was brought on board instead, but the Trio went on to record a number of Paxton songs over the life of their recording career. Of course, Paxton still has a recording career....

Ray