Tom's story: 1998
106 pieces on this page. Click a picture or "See the whole card" to open the card.
1998 — Tom was 19 and 20
106 pieces on this year: 1 dated to this year · 105 from a range of years, shown here in the middle.
DATED TO 1998
1984beginnings of a song/poem
November 23, 1998 (age 20)
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
A printed 1998 email from Tom headed beginnings of a song/poem, carrying his first lines Hey baby, come for a ride and I'll take you home - the start of his song COME FOR A RIDE (song list 6, track 7) - with one word added by hand.
the card says: written at age 19 or 20
See the whole card → 1 picture
ABOUT 1998: FROM A RANGE OF YEARS, SHOWN HERE IN THE MIDDLE
1517Boston Red Sox Ticket Stubs (group 1517)
about 1995-2001 (age 16 to 23) PROVED
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
A group of Tom's Boston Red Sox ticket stubs.
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1537Red Sox And Concert Ticket Stubs - The Who And Toronto Blue Jays
about 1995-2001 (age 16 to 23) PROVED
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
A group of Tom's Red Sox and concert ticket stubs, including The Who and a Toronto Blue Jays game.
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picture kept private
1536Boston Red Sox / Fenway Park Ticket Stub Collection
about 1995-2002 (age 16 to 24) PROVED
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
A large group of Tom's Boston Red Sox Fenway Park ticket stubs spanning several years, with concert tickets including Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Jimmy Page with the Black Crowes.
the card says: dated from age 16 to age 24
See the whole card → pictures kept private
1518RED SOX TICKET STUBS - SECOND GROUP
about 1996-2001 (age 17 to 23) PROVED
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
A group of nine of Tom's Boston Red Sox ticket stubs from Fenway Park, 1996 to 2001, including games against the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers.
the card says: dated from age 17 to age 23
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358RATED R · on the adults-only pages
no picture on the card yet
1098I got a plan to get us through when we're down
about 1996-2000 (age 17 to 22) LIKELY
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten two-line lyric I GOT A PLAN TO GET US THROUGH WHEN WE'RE DOWN in black ink on a sheet of lined loose-leaf - you trust in me, I'll trust in you.
Its title is on line I5 of Tom's early yellow binder index. Dated from this piece's own words, the dated books and the pieces around it; likely, not yet proved.
16THE WHOLE WORLD'S A FIGHT
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric THE WHOLE WORLD'S A FIGHT on a torn spiral-notebook strip in five colors of ink (black, orange, red, purple and green), dated 9/30, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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34GETTING JUICED
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line G1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten cursive poem GETTING JUICED ("Smashed is the equality, livin' in this world of sin"), about power and getting away with things, on a loose-leaf sheet - listed at G1 in his early yellow binder and the words of GETTIN' JUICED (set list 13, track 2).
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53TOM'S THEME SONG
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line W3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten four-line TOM'S THEME SONG ("My heart is beating far too fast"), on a torn-edge lined sheet - from his early yellow binder (age 18 to 23).
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63Well the doctor's in and he'll take your money
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line R1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem "Well the doctor's in and he'll take your money," a sharp take on doctors and nurses, on a lined loose-leaf sheet marked 21 at the top - listed at R1 in his early yellow binder (age 18 to 23).
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64How can you live with yourself?
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line H1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten full lyric "How can you live with yourself? / Do you pretend to be someone else?", about twenty-six lines on a lined sheet - the words that became the song HOW CAN YOU (song list 6, track 9).
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65I've done something I've told myself I'd never, ever do
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line L1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric of the song LET DOWN (song list 2, track 7), "I've done something I've told myself I'd never, ever do," on a hole-punched loose-leaf sheet with the vowels and consonants written out at the top as a rhyming aid.
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67When I was a boy daddy dressed me in white
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line D1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem "When I was a boy daddy dressed me in white," a childhood memory of Sunday clothes and a mother who kept them clean, on two loose-leaf sheets - from his early yellow binder (age 18 to 23).
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69CALL IT FATE
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder lines C2 and B2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric CALL IT FATE, the words of the song BREAKING HER HEART (song list 6, track 11), on two sheets - three verses under a decorated title, and a second blue-ink sheet with the alphabet written across the top.
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70A cop asked the witnesses did you see the driver of the car?
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten blue-ink cursive poem "A cop asked the witnesses did you see the driver of the car?", a story of a girl on the run told in twenty numbered lines across two loose-leaf sheets - the words of COP ASKED THE WITNESSES (set list 7, track 10).
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71Dead End
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line D2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten cursive lyric of the song DEAD END (song list 2, track 1), "I know who you are and who you want to be," on an aged cream loose-leaf sheet with a four-line closing verse on a second sheet - from his early yellow binder.
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72She finds a bottle of pills and she holds them in her hand
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line C3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten cursive poem "She finds a bottle of pills and she holds them in her hand," a two-voice piece for a troubled girl and her parents, on two aged loose-leaf sheets with an alphabet header and the parts labeled in the margin, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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73Darkness has slowly become my best friend
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten cursive lyric of the song MAYBE SOMEDAY (song list 4, track 7), "Darkness has slowly become my best friend," on two loose-leaf sheets - one of the first poems in his early yellow binder (age 18 to 23).
See the whole card → 3 pictures
74Ode to Jason
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line O1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten blue-ink cursive poem ODE TO JASON (A FALLEN HERO), the story of a boy lost in a snowstorm searching for his runaway dog, on a single loose-leaf sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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75RATED NC-17 · on the adults-only pages
132Beats Growing Corn
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten comic poem BEATS GROWING CORN ("I'm just a farmer, growing marijuana"), on a lined sheet - listed at M4 in his early yellow binder (age 18 to 23).
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146Your Name
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line Y2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric YOUR NAME, about a pen too tired to write, tied to the song WORTH THE WAIT (song list 5, track 2 of the 34 albums), on torn spiral notebook paper.
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157RATED NC-17 · on the adults-only pages
159I just felt it - a revelation
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line F4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten untitled poem 'I just felt it - a revelation', about a sudden sensation from a higher power, in cursive on a cream 3-hole-punched loose-leaf sheet.
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160They locked him in the closet and then they lost the key
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line R1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song REHAB (set list 4, track 6 of the 34 albums), beginning 'They locked him in the closet and then they lost the key', on a clean loose-leaf sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
See the whole card → 1 picture
162Would it really matter one slip of the knife?
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line O4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric 'Would it really matter one slip of the knife?', about a girl left alone with no one around, in cursive on loose-leaf with the rhyme notes 'Lilt / Guilt' below, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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164LIVING IN SIN?
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line B4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem LIVING IN SIN?, beginning 'I'm gonna buy me a guitar / Maybe someday I'll learn how to play', written in green ink on loose-leaf under a faint outlined title.
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169Whenever you feel down
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line O4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song ONE SLIP OF THE KNIFE (song list 4, track 5 of the 34 albums), beginning 'Whenever you feel down', in pink-red ink on a plain white sheet with a printed newspaper baseball graphic on the back.
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182Chameleon
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line I2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric Chameleon, about a woman who changes the color of her eyes, in blue ink on a full loose-leaf sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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186THE END OF THE ROAD
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line E4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric THE END OF THE ROAD, the song END OF THE ROAD (song list 3, track 11 of the 34 albums), on two 3-hole-punched lined pages with ADD MORE written in the margin of page two.
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191All it takes is a fool like you
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric for the song PUSHING THE BUTTON (set list 10, track 2 of the 34 albums), beginning 'All it takes is a fool like you / To push the button', on a torn-top lined sheet, together with a spiral-torn sheet titled Only for not Lonely for.
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193Tomorrow
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line T4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem Tomorrow, beginning 'So much to say so little ink', in cursive on both sides of a lined sheet, kept with a torn note slip in his hand reading 'I would argue this is my first poem'.
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196They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line Y2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric beginning 'They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder', part of the song WORTH THE WAIT (song list 5, track 2 of the 34 albums), in cursive on a lined sheet torn from a spiral notebook.
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197They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line Y2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten short lyric 'They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder', five lines toward the song WORTH THE WAIT (song list 5, track 2 of the 34 albums), on a loose-leaf sheet with a torn left edge.
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199I know you're thinking
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line W3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric 'I know you're thinking', about finally quitting drinking and putting down the bottle, on a spiral-torn lined sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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200Some day I'll be famous, and everyone'll know my name
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten political poem 'Some day I'll be famous, and everyone'll know my name', a full page in cursive written on the back of a printed Salem State College argumentation lecture handout, published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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220HERESY SPEAK NO EVIL
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line R2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed page of Tom's lyric HERESY SPEAK NO EVIL, opening with a definition of heresy, continued in his handwriting with 'Yet so many are more concerned with the theft of identity', published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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227MY WILL
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric MY WILL, which became the song HAVE NOT (set list 1, track 5 of the 34 albums), eight lines beginning 'You only live once', on a lined notebook sheet.
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264Theres no parking spaces
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten short lyric 'Theres no parking spaces / Only unhappy faces', nine lines in black ink on a loose-leaf sheet.
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327You drown all of your sadness
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line K5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten blue-ink lyric You drown all of your sadness, with a rhyme alphabet written across the top, which became the song LAST MAN STANDING (song list 1, track 13), on a lined sheet with frayed edges.
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340LOW ROAD HIGH ROAD
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem LOW ROAD HIGH ROAD (I took the low road and dredged through the mud), under a bubble-letter title on a lined notebook sheet, published in his poem anthologies.
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344As If You Were My Children I Sacrifice for You
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line F1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric As If You Were My Children I Sacrifice for You (my soul crawls across the paper), on a hole-punched lined sheet, published in the 34 albums.
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352If My Heart Was Empty
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line D3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric If my heart was empty then this paper would be blank, about twenty lines under a rhyme alphabet on a loose-leaf sheet, which became the song DREAMLAND (song list 5, track 8).
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356I've Been Lookin' For Love In All The Wrong Places
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line L2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric I've been lookin' for love in all the wrong places (stabbed by a smile), three verses under a rhyme alphabet on loose-leaf, with a second lyric in black and blue ink beginning 'I'm not on welfare so ya know I'm gettin' paid', which became the song LOOKING FOR LOVE (song list 3, track 2).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
357The Hard Stuff's in the Freezer
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line W3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten blue-ink poem The hard stuff's in the freezer (the 30 packs are in the fridge), on a stained lined sheet, published in Poems By Tom.
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364When Its Time to Sink or Swim Its Already Too Late
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line B1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric When its time to sink or swim its already too late, on a white loose-leaf sheet, which became the song BOTTOM OF THE LAKE (song list 2, track 9).
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366She's like a girl I'd seen
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line E2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten early lyric She's like a girl I'd seen..., written on aged, torn paper with part of the top missing and more lines on a second side, published in the 34 albums.
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368From some pains you can never run away
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line O4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten seven-line lyric From some pains you can never run away (the scars will always stay), on a lined sheet, which became the song ONE SLIP OF THE KNIFE (song list 4, track 5).
See the whole card → 1 picture
371My friends ask me just what it is that I'd like to do best
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line C4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
One of Tom's very early handwritten poems, My friends ask me just what it is that I'd like to do best (to touch the crescent moon), on a lined sheet kept with a napkin labelled VERY EARLY POEM in red, which he later reworded as the poem CRESCENT MOON (in his books of 2011, 2012 and 2013).
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374RATED R · on the adults-only pages
376RATED R · on the adults-only pages
377I've Lived the Life of a Rock Star and I Don't Even
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line K3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric I've lived the life of a rock star and I don't even sing (just a plain jester who thought he was king), the whole of KING IN A HOUSE OF CARDS, published in the 34 albums; photographed with it under the same number, a separate poem on a second lined sheet, the whole of MEN ON MY SHOULDER, beginning When my baby said, You've got to choose.
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380The Darkness Fades as Sun Sets In
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line H3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten blue-ink poem The darkness fades as sun sets in (metaphors are my only friends), on a lined sheet - an early draft of HIDING THE DIRT (Tom's Anthology, July 25, 2012; 180 Good Poems, 2012).
See the whole card → 1 picture
381This woman I'd been dating for nearly a year
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line K2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten ten-line lyric This woman I'd been dating for nearly a year (told me to get out with words so clear), on a lined sheet with a torn spiral edge, published as KICKING THE CAN in Tom's Anthology, September 18, 2011 and the 34 albums.
See the whole card → 1 picture
391Rehab
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line R1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten dark-comic poem Rehab (they locked him in the closet and then they lost the key), on a lined sheet, published in Poems By Tom (2007), 200 Poems Waiting For Music and the 34 albums.
See the whole card → 1 picture
395The whole worlds a fight
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten lyric The whole worlds a fight / I can't get no peace, on two lined sheets in pencil and blue ink (a short version and a longer torn one), which went into the song PERFECT WORLD (set list 20, track 10).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
400They Say That Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line Y2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten verse They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder (but honey, I wasn't waiting around much longer), on a torn strip of lined paper with two scribbled-out lines, published in his poem anthologies.
See the whole card → 1 picture
442A Perfect World
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Tom's handwritten poem A Perfect World (The whole world's a fight I can't get no peace), written across two sheets, with his own note that it was inspired on an acid trip a year earlier, published in Poems By Tom and 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
513I won't make you rich but I can
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I won't make you rich but I can make you famous, on a lined sheet in black ink, with a green-ink three-hole sheet beginning I wake up in the early morning, published in 200 Poems Waiting For Music.
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516Face yourself before you face the sea
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line B3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten line Face yourself before you face the sea, alone on a legal sheet, with a loose-leaf sheet of the song He loved her like I loved you with chorus brackets, published in Poems By Tom.
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535I Just Got Off the Phone With a Girl, She Still Loves Me
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line W2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten black-ink lyric I just got off the phone with a girl, she still loves me (we'll be family again), tied to the song ANOTHER HISTORY LESSON (set list 10, track 12), on hole-punched loose-leaf.
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542Looks like tonight I won't be sleeping
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line Y2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten blue-ink poem Looks like tonight I won't be sleeping, but at least I'll still be dreaming, on a legal sheet, published in Poems By Tom.
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555ODE TO STEVE
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line O3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's previously unpublished handwritten poem ODE TO STEVE (Sounds of gurgling fill the midnight air), on a lined notebook sheet.
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667Well I've been learning about myself
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line I2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten song lyric WELL I'VE BEEN LEARNING ABOUT MYSELF, fifteen lines in blue ink on a torn-edged sheet of lined notebook paper, about yearning for someone to erase the heartache, which became WITHIN REACH (song list 9, track 9) in his 34 albums.
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673Here it comes - early morning light
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line O5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short lyric HERE IT COMES - EARLY MORNING LIGHT, one paragraph in faint blue cursive on a cream three-hole-punched sheet of lined notebook paper, about being up all night, published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
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705Help I've fallen and I can't get up
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line H4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem HELP I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP, with a bridge about the gap between sons and fathers, on three-hole lined paper with an alphabet row across the top, from his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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717I know you love me so that's why I let you go
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line H4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem I KNOW YOU LOVE ME SO THAT'S WHY I LET YOU GO, six short lines in blue ink on a sheet of lined notebook paper with a folded corner, from his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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719Free and easy is the only way for me
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem FREE AND EASY IS THE ONLY WAY FOR ME, eleven lines on three-hole-punched lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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729I don't know why they left it to me
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line F3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY LEFT IT TO ME, in blue ink on a sheet of lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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745I've wrote too many sad, sad songs
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line W1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric to his guitar, beginning "I've wrote too many sad sad songs", in ink on lined notebook paper, from his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23); the lyric is in the 34 Albums.
See the whole card → 2 pictures
757When there's nothing left to do because everything's been done
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem WHEN THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO DO BECAUSE EVERYTHING'S BEEN DONE, in blue ink on lined notebook paper with the alphabet across the top, published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 3 pictures
759The truth about turtles
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line T3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten, never-published poem THE TRUTH ABOUT TURTLES ("To live one day outside this glass"), on a torn sheet of lined loose-leaf, listed at T3 in his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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761The path is twistin', the path is turnin'
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten full poem THE PATH IS TWISTIN', THE PATH IS TURNIN', in neat cursive on a sheet of lined notebook paper in good condition, one of the first poems in his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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773I work my fingers to the bone
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line F5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten lyric beginning "I work my fingers to the bone and sacrifice what is now for what will be", under a full alphabet line on lined loose-leaf, one of the first poems in his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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778I write about what the day brings then I
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line E3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric I WRITE ABOUT WHAT THE DAY BRINGS, about his own writing routine, in dark ink on ragged-edged spiral notebook paper, the words that became the song WITHIN REACH (song list 9, track 9, in the 34 Albums).
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812If I was a carpenter and you
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line C5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten comic short poem IF I WAS A CARPENTER AND YOU WERE A LADY, a sharp-tongued twist on the old song, in blue ink on a small top-bound notepad sheet, one of the first poems in his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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816Night falls its time to go to bed
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line N4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten short poem NIGHT FALLS ITS TIME TO GO TO BED, on a small torn sheet of lined cream-colored notebook paper, from his early yellow binder (written between ages 18 and 23).
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884Did God create us or did we create him
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line D5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN POEMS BY TOM
Tom's handwritten two-line poem "Did God create us or did we create him, / does he really give us hope and deliver us from sin," on a single sheet of lined notebook paper with arithmetic notes and a green marker drawing on the back; published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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893The Innocence of a child
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line I3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten poem "The Innocence of a child - I wish it was all around," dreaming of being Holden Caulfield, the catcher in the rye, with a row of consonants across the top, in ink on a hole-punched sheet of lined notebook paper; published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
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967Car broken down by the side of the road
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line C5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric "Car broken down by the side of the road," five lines in black ink script on a sheet of lined loose-leaf, which became the song WORTH THE WAIT (song list 5, track 2) in the 34 Albums, published in Finished Song Lyrics (2011) and Only The Best (2018).
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984My heart is now my best friend
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line B1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten lyric MY HEART IS NOW MY BEST FRIEND on a torn-off spiral notebook page, ranked first in letter B of his yellow binder index, which became the song BOTTOM OF THE LAKE (song list 2, track 9) in the 34 Albums and was published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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1002I like early morning when its just the birds and I
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line I4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
LOOSE LYRICS, ONE-LINERS AND RHYME WORD BANKS
Tom's handwritten couplet I LIKE EARLY MORNING WHEN ITS JUST THE BIRDS AND I on a sheet folded into quarters, kept together with his typed marketing class notes; the couplet is the opening of the poem I LIKE THE EARLY MORNING, printed in Tom's Anthology (September 2011) with slightly different words.
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1003I feel uncertain where do I go from here?
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line H4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten four-line poem I FEEL UNCERTAIN WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? in ink on lined paper, about finally being free after a breakup; from his early binder, written when he was between 18 and 23, and published in the Tom Jensen Poem Anthology (2013).
See the whole card → 1 picture
1027I think my baby's gonna leave me
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short poem I THINK MY BABY'S GONNA LEAVE ME, handwritten in faint blue cursive on three-hole lined paper, about never seeing the writing on the wall; among the first poems in his early binder, written when he was between 18 and 23, and published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
1049Stuck in a rut caught in a jam
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line J3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's short poem STUCK IN A RUT CAUGHT IN A JAM, handwritten in dark ink on lined notebook paper, about being left behind when his right-hand man skipped town; among the first poems in his early binder, written when he was between 18 and 23, and published in Shorter Lyrics (2013).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
no picture on the card yet
1100[name kept private]'s Purpose
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line I1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's handwritten love song [name kept private]'S PURPOSE in blue ink on two sheets, the title in bubble letters and five numbered stanzas, with a draft page of his planning notes; it became the song MELODY OF SORROW (song list 6, track 6) in the 34 Albums.
1763wilted rose
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Tom's printed lyric sheets starting with wilted rose, the lyric that became the song MAYBE SOMEDAY (song list 4, track 7, in 34 Albums), a dark piece about a girl alone with her pain, kept with other printed lyrics of his such as FALSE ALARM and POLITICIAN BLUES; also in Poems By Tom (2007) and Only The Best.
See the whole card → 10 pictures
1853MARRIED TO SOMETHING ELSE
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's take-home health exam from March 28, 2001, marked Excellent, on living sober as an alcoholic, together with his typed lyric MARRIED TO SOMETHING ELSE, labelled case study #1 - the song that became set list 4, track 1 of his 34 albums.
See the whole card → 6 pictures
1860WELLNESS PLANNING
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line D2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed WELLNESS PLANNING paper (February 9, 2001) on facing his drug and alcohol addiction, stamped Scanned, with his typed lyrics ALISON'S AIRPLANE, BREAKING THE CHAINS and DEAD END set into it.
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1864A PERFECT WORLD
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's poetry worksheet from March 18, 2001, where he answers questions about his own poem A PERFECT WORLD, with the typed poem (one word changed by hand) and its alternate verses - the poem behind his song PERFECT WORLD (set list 20, track 10).
See the whole card → 4 pictures
1874WELLNESS
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed essay WELLNESS by Tom Jensen with the verse Cannot fix the flaw - only patch the hole, the seed of his song PATCHING THE HOLE (set list 18, track 8).
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1970Politician Blues
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed copy, two pages, of Tom's poem Politician Blues - someday I'll be famous and everyone'll know my name - from his early binder, sung as PARDON ME (set list 10, track 8) and first published in Poems By Tom (2007).
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1971CLINICAL DEPRESSION
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line C3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed copy, two pages, of Tom's poem CLINICAL DEPRESSION, written as a dialogue between grieving parents and the daughter they lost to suicide, from his early binder and sung as CLINICAL DEPRESSION (set list 12, track 12).
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1972Another Cigarette (Chairman of the Bored)
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
A printed copy of Tom's early poem Another Cigarette (Chairman of the Bored), about a sleepless rainy night spent asking himself why, from his early binder.
See the whole card → 1 picture
1973THIS SLICE OF HEAVEN
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line T1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
Printed copies of Tom's song THIS SLICE OF HEAVEN, one in a decorative script font and one in plain type, on creased and yellowed sheets; a love poem about taking someone to a seaside paradise, published in Poems By Tom (2007); four lines of its first verse were reused in the different song WHAT WE SHARE.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
1974DEAD END
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line D2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
A printed copy of Tom's song DEAD END - I know who you are and who you want to be - a warning to a friend headed down the wrong road, from his early binder and song list 2, track 1.
See the whole card → 1 picture
1976FALSE ALARM
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line F4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
A printed copy of Tom's early poem FALSE ALARM, about a moment that felt like a revelation from a higher power and turned out to be a heart attack he survived, from his early binder.
See the whole card → 1 picture
1977A COP ASKED THE WITNESSES
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed copy of Tom's early poem A COP ASKED THE WITNESSES, about a rainy November night, a hit-and-run and a child whose father did not live, from his early binder and sung as COP ASKED THE WITNESSES (set list 7, track 10).
See the whole card → 1 picture
1978MAYBE SOMEDAY
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line M2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
SONGS - WORDS THAT BECAME SONGS (IN THE SONG LISTS)
A printed copy, two pages, of Tom's song MAYBE SOMEDAY - maybe someday my wounds will mend - about depression and hoping for better days, from his early binder and song list 4, track 7.
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1979WITH HER I'LL MAKE IT
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line W1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
A printed copy, two pages, of Tom's early love poem WITH HER I'LL MAKE IT, which opens I've wrote too many sad, sad songs and pleads for a lost love to come back, from his early binder.
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1981Postal Worker's Payback
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line P2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
A printed copy of Tom's early comic poem Postal Worker's Payback, told in capital letters by a mail carrier in his little jeep who works six days a week through rain, sleet and snow, from his early binder.
See the whole card → 3 pictures
1982CLINICAL DEPRESSION
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line C3: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed copy of Tom's poem CLINICAL DEPRESSION, a dialogue between grieving parents and the daughter they lost to suicide, with one letter corrected by hand; from his early binder, sung as CLINICAL DEPRESSION (set list 12, track 12).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
1985A PERFECT WORLD
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed copy of Tom's poem A PERFECT WORLD - the whole world's a fight, I can't get no peace - signed by Tom in his own hand, with a printed page explaining the title and each stanza; from his early binder, sung as PERFECT WORLD (set list 20, track 10).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
1986AROUND THE KING'S TABLE
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A4: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed copy of Tom's poem AROUND THE KING'S TABLE, marked Poem 2, about guests raising a toast to the man at the head of the table, on a sheet with a torn left edge.
See the whole card → 1 picture
1987A PERFECT WORLD
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line A1: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
A printed copy of Tom's poem A PERFECT WORLD with his handwritten byline and notes about when he was born and editing his biography, with a printed page explaining the title and each stanza; from his early binder, sung as PERFECT WORLD (set list 20, track 10).
See the whole card → 2 pictures
1989Ten of my better poems created in this class (December 5, 1999)
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line C2: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS IN THE 34 ALBUMS
Typed pages dated December 5, 1999, in which Tom handed in Ten of my better poems created in this class, with his notes on each - Symphony in My Head, Call It Fate, The Truth About Turtles, Patching the Hole and Winter of the Dead - and those last two titles written by hand.
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2000Ravished By Your Beauty
about 1996-2000 (age 18 to 22) - yellow binder line R5: one of the poems Tom started the yellow binder with (a ranked head line), so written before the binder began, about summer 2000 BEST GUESS
POEMS NOT YET RELEASED
Tom's handwritten early love poems - the acrostic Ravished By Your Beauty, whose first letters spell a name and MY LOVE, and a blue-ink poem beginning Rant and rave, tell me to - on white and lined paper, one sheet written on the back of a February 2000 sports printout; from his early binder.
See the whole card → 6 pictures
1603Typed Love Letter With Tom-a-Roake Poster
about 1996-2000 (age 17 to 22) BEST GUESS
ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS (NOT LYRICS)
Tom's typed letter on cream paper to a woman named [name kept private], an open, no-holds-barred declaration of his love and his thoughts on the relationship, kept with printed sheets including a TOM-A-ROAKE poster; never before published.
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1525Salem State College Diploma (Paper Copy)
about 1998-1999 (age 20) BEST GUESS
SCHOOL AND GROWING-UP KEEPSAKES
A printed paper copy of Tom's Salem State College diploma, marked PAPER COPY on an attached label.
the card says: made at age 20
See the whole card → 1 picture
A WIDE GUESS: MORE THAN 10 YEARS, SHOWN HERE IN THE MIDDLE
1552Large Ticket Stub Spread - Red Sox, Museum Visit And Triple-A All-Star Game
about 1989-2008 (age 10 to 30) - a wide guess PROVED
OBJECTS AND KEEPSAKES (TICKETS, POSTERS, SIGNS, SHIRTS, A GUITAR)
A large spread of Tom's ticket stubs, including Red Sox games, a museum visit and a Triple-A All-Star game.
See the whole card → 5 pictures
MEMORABILIA FROM THIS STORY
Every card on this page is a real piece — 106 pieces.
IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY:
What the words mean: PROVED a date or a dated book proves it. BEST GUESS our best reading, not yet proved. TOM SAID Tom's own word. LIKELY strong clues, not yet proved. NOT PROVED an estimate from the pieces around it. NOT SURE the sources disagree. No word: the card gives none yet. "About 1996-2002" means somewhere in those years; the piece is shown once, in the middle year.