Help: Tom Paxton, Prophet

Subject: Tom Paxton, Prophet
From: DonMeixner
Date: 30 Nov 01 - 07:10 PM

Today as I was driving to and from the auto repair shop I rediscovered a tape I had of Tom's with Even a Gray Day on one side and Up and Up on the other. I haven't heard this tape in 15 years and one side I think I never heard. On the never heard side is a song Tom wrote about the Russian Invasion of Afghanistan and the Olympics. As heard this song for the first time I just roared. I knew itwas topical in 1980 but suddenly its topical again. Nearly perefct just like it is it would take little fine tuning to make it fit the current events.

When he began the bridge with "Rise and shine Afghanistan Rise and shine." I was laughing so hard I nearly clipped a mail box.

Don

Subject: RE: Help: Tom Paxton, Prophet
From: Amergin
Date: 30 Nov 01 - 07:34 PM

Arlo did a song, too...about a soldier going to afghanistan during that time...and now all of a sudden it is current again...

Subject: RE: Help: Tom Paxton, Prophet
From: BH
Date: 30 Nov 01 - 07:51 PM

I pulled it from the old vaults of vinyl the other day and played it on my program on WFDU (www.wfdu.fm)TRADITIONS. Blew me away when I heard it---though from a different era.

As the saying goes---it all comes around (sadly) again.

Bill Hahn Producer/Host TRADITIONS WFDU 89.1 FM Teaneck NJ

(3-6 PM EST)

Subject: RE: Help: Tom Paxton, Prophet
From: raredance
Date: 01 Dec 01 - 07:44 AM

Don,

Sounds like your tape is more diverse than you thought. "We Can Have The Olympics Over At Our House" is from Tom's album "One Million Lawyers and Other Disasters" (1985, Flying fish FF356). "Be A Sport Afghanistan" is from "The Paxton Report" (1980, Mountain Railroad MR-52796)

rich r

Subject: RE: Help: Tom Paxton, Prophet
From: Nancy King
Date: 01 Dec 01 - 08:55 PM

Can anyone post the words to "Be a Sport Afghanistan"? I don't find it in my Tom Paxton songbook, though there's a lot of other really great stuff in there!

Cheers, Nancy

Subject: RE: Help: Tom Paxton, Prophet
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 Dec 01 - 09:03 PM

I came across a page called the Music of Tom Paxton. Great discography, but no lyrics.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: ADD: When a Soldier Makes It Home (Arlo)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 Dec 01 - 09:11 PM

Well, here's the Arlo Guthrie song Amergin referred to. Yeah, it's powerful.
-Joe Offer-

---

WHEN A SOLDIER MAKES IT HOME
words and music by Arlo Guthrie

Halfway around the world tonight
In a strange and foreign land
A soldier packs his memories
As he leaves Afghanistan
And back home they don't know too much
There's just no way to tell
I guess you had to be there
For to know that war was hell

Chorus:
And there won't be any victory parades
For those that's coming back
They'll fly them in at midnight
And unload the body sacks
And the living will be walking down
A long and lonely road
Because nobody seems to care these days
When a soldier makes it home

They'll say it wasn't easy
Just another job well done
As the government in Kabul falls
To the sounds of rebel guns
And the faces of the comrades
Being blown out of the sky
Leaves you bitter with the feeling
That they didn't have to die

Chorus

Halfway around the world tonight
In a strange and foreign land
A soldier unpacks memories
That he saved from Vietnam
Back home they didn't know too much
There was just no way to tell
I guess you had to be there
For to know that war was hell

And there wasn't any big parades
For those that made it back
They flew them in at midnight
And unloaded all the sacks
And the living were left walking down
A long and lonely road
Because nobody seemed to care back then
When a soldier made it home

The night is coming quickly
And the stars are on their way
As I stare into the evening
Looking for the words to say
That I saw the lonely soldier
Just a boy that's far from home
And I saw that I was just like him
While upon this earth I roam

And there may not be any big parades
If I ever make it back
As I come home under cover
Through a world that can't keep track
Of the heroes who have fallen
Let alone the ones who won't
Which is why nobody seems to care
When a soldier makes it home

©1989 Arloco Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
All Rights Reserved. (copied from http://www.arlo.net/)

  C                  Em
  Halfway around the world tonight
  
       F           G       C
  In a strange and foreign land
   
    Am                Em
  A soldier packs his memories
  
        F             G
  As he leaves Afghanistan
   
      Am                   Em
  And back home they don't know too much
   
          F              G
  There's just no way to tell
   
    C                Em
  I guess you had to be there
   
         F                 G
  For to know that war was hell
   
  Chorus:
   
          F           Am       F
  And there won't be any victory parades
  
      C                   F
  For those that's coming back
   
          Am             Em
  They'll fly them in at midnight
   
        F             G
  And unload the body sacks
   
           Am            Em
  And the living will be walking down
  
    F               G
  A long and lonely road
   
          C               Em
  Because nobody seems to care these days
   
         F       G        C
  When a soldier makes it home