Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)

Subject: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jul 14 - 10:15 AM

I'm looking for the lyrics to two old Tom Paxton songs from the 70's. One is called "Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes Today", a typical Paxton satire about the jogging craze. I believe a video of Tom performing that song in concert is on YouTube. The other one is called "Never No Love". Thanks much to anyone willing to help!

Subject: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes
From: Jason Xion Wang
Date: 13 Jul 14 - 11:21 AM

The lyrics to the first two verses are on the Internet, copied below:

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 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 have the "Heroes" CD, but my English is not good enough to transcribe the last verse precisely since I'm not a native speaker. Anyway, I'll try my best:

I knew that they get feet all [[unknown]],
I knew by the size of the cloud of dust,
I knew by the sound of the blisters going cracked.
I thought I'd head back to the farm,
While suddenly someone snagged by arm
And there I was in the middle of the [seizing 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 [[unknown]] sight to see.
I [[unknown]]
But my legs are broken, they're falling off (sic)
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."

Subject: Lyr Add: HAND ME DOWN MY JOGGING SHOES (Tom Paxton
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Jul 14 - 03:53 PM

Here are the corrected lyrics, verified by me by listening to the recording on Spotify:

HAND ME DOWN MY JOGGING SHOES
As sung by Tom Paxton on "Heroes" (1978), "Best of the Vanguard Years" (2006), and the various-artists collection "Country Magic for a Honky Tonk Nation" (2012).*

1. I was out for a stroll, just walkin' the pup,
Checkin' the scene, seein' what was up.
I wasn't botherin' nobody; I was easin' on down the road.
Just behind me come a pitty-pitty-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,
Pickin' 'em up, layin' 'em down like mad,
Puffin' and groanin', their faces all red,
Eyes rolled back in their sweatin' heads.
I never saw so many people look so bad.

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

2. The sound was strictly rollin' thunde
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'd clearly come to do or die,
And as the herd went thunderin' by,
So help me folks, they all broke into song.

CHORUS: They said: "Come on, Harry! ...

3. 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 by arm,
And there I was in the middle of the seething pack.
I was sweatin' like a fool; I was out of breath.
I was tryin' to keep from gettin' tromped to death.
I must have been an edifyin' sight to see.
I cried: "You folks can jeer and scoff,
But my legs are broken; they're fallin' off."
And by now you know what they turned and said to me:

CHORUS: They said: "Come on, Harry! ...


* Also recorded by Ronnie Gilbert & Holly Near on "Singing with You" (1986) and by the Shaw Brothers on "Follow Me" (1974) and "Shaw Brothers Collection" (1986).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Jul 14 - 04:04 PM

Several online discographies say that NEVER NO LOVE was on Tom Paxton's album "Saturday Night" (1976); however that album is out of print and is not available through Spotify, and it appears that the song has not been included on any compilations.

I did find a song called NEVER NO LOVE performed by Southern Mouthpiece, but it's a rap song, and surely not the one that was wanted.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 25 Jul 14 - 09:49 AM

Thank you, Jason and Jim. That's an enjoyable song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: Jason Xion Wang
Date: 15 Aug 14 - 10:07 AM

Thanks so much, Jim, for correcting the lyrics!

As for "Never No Love", I have a second-hand copy of the album it was on, but my English is not good enough to transcribe the lyrics. Anyway, HERE is an mp3 link to the song.

Jason

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: Jason Xion Wang
Date: 15 Aug 14 - 10:16 AM

There are five songs on album "Saturday Night" that wasn't included on any other album: Do You Want to Dance, Jones Boy, Good King Buzz, Never No Love, King of the Cat Cafe.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: GUEST,LynnH
Date: 15 Aug 14 - 01:29 PM

My initial reaction to the song title was,"Oh, an update of Cleoma Falcon's 'Hand me down my walking cane'!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: Mysha
Date: 15 Aug 14 - 07:39 PM

Hi,

Well. "snagged my arm" seems to make more sense.

So, how many relatives does this song have?
- Walking cane
- Walking shoes
- Jogging shoes
- Golden shoes (?)
What else is there to be handed down? (Hm, sounds like of a song about hand-me-downs.)

Bye
                                                                  Mysha

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 08:15 AM

I think the last laugh is with the joggers...and not Tom!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hand Me Down My Jogging Shoes (Paxton)
From: Mysha
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 08:30 AM

Hi,

I guess that depends on whether they are all good sports about it.

Bye
                                                                  Mysha

Subject: Lyr Req: Saturday Night (Tom Paxton album)
From: Jason Xion Wang
Date: 18 Aug 14 - 07:05 AM

I'm also looking for the lyrics to the songs from Tom's "Saturday Night" album.

The album is out of print and not available through stream sites, so I've uploaded the rest 4 songs as well.

King of the Cat Cafe.mp3
Good King Buzz.mp3
Never No Love.mp3
Jones Boy.mp3
Do You Want to Dance.mp3

I won't delete them until the lyrics are transcribed. A big thanks to anyone willing to help.

Jason