Goodnight, Mr. Tom
by: Michelle Magorian
The Soundtrack
By: Kevin Carbone
The Soundtrack
Goodnight, Mr. Tom
1. The Times They Are A-Changin‟ – Bob Dylan
2. This is the Time – Billy Joel
3. Vindicated – Dashboard Confessional
4. Mother – John Lennon
5. I Will Take You Home – Grateful Dead
6. Hold On – Sarah McLachlan
7. I am a Rock – Paul Simon
8. Fire and Rain – James Taylor
9. I‟m Movin‟ On – Rascal Flatts
“The Times They Are A-Changin‟”
Written and Performed by:
Bob Dylan
• “The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.”
• “Come on in,” repeated Tom harshly. “I ent got all day”.
Nervously, Willie followed him into a dark hallway. – pg 2
• Bob Dylan wrote about how time will change and how people should
beware of those changes. From the second that Tom met Willie,
both of their lives would change.
“This is the Time”
Written and Performed by:
Billy Joel
• “This is the time to remember, „cause it will not last forever. These are the
days to hold on to, „cause we won‟t although we‟ll want to.” – Billy Joel
• “He sank into an even deeper sleep that night with the knowledge that he,
Willie Beech, had survived a whole day with four other people of his own
age and he had made jam” pg. 95
• This song, written by Billy Joel, can be related to the moment when
Willie realizes that he has friends. He can now relate to other
people and get along with them. He experiences those moments
and they should be times to remember.
“Vindicated”
Written by: Christopher Carrabba
Performed by: Dashboard Confessional
• “And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well,
I am seeing in me now the things you swore
you saw yourself”
• Throughout the novel, Willie gains self-esteem and
grows both physically and emotionally. He gains
confidence, much like the subject of this song does. Mr.
Tom keeps encouraging Willie and he finally sees those
good qualities.
“Mother”
Written and Performed by:
John Lennon
• “Mother, you had me, but I never had you
I wanted you, but you never wanted me
So I, I just got to tell you good-bye”
• “ He ent got no father and his mother‟s deserted him” pg 221
• Will went back to London on his mother‟s request. She left him and
his little sister underneath the stairs in an alcove. It took Will a
while to overcome this trauma and with the help of Mr. Tom, he did.
“I Will Take You Home”
Written by: John Perry Barlow
Performed by: The Grateful Dead
• Ain't no fog that's thick enough to hide you
Your daddy's gonna be right here beside you
If your fears should start to get inside you
I will take you home.
I will take you home.
Gonna carry you back home
In my arms.
I will take you home.
• During the Rescue, Mr. Tom saved Willie from the Children‟s Ward.
He kidnapped him and in essence, saved him from the doctors.
“Hold On”
Written and Performed by:
Sarah McLachlan
• “ Hold on
Hold on to yourself.
For this is going to hurt like hell.”
• “Will clung to him fiercely. Tom put his arms round his soaking body and
held him firmly.” pg 237
• After Willie‟s ordeal under the stairs in London, Tom rescued him
and helped him deal with his demons. Willie would go to sleep and
waken in fright, with Tom being the support to help him get all out
his traumatic moments out of his system.
“I am a Rock”
Written and Performed by: Paul Simon
• “And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries”
• This song has a major theme of isolation. In the novel, Willie learns
his friend Zach dies in a bombing in London. Willie has a hard time
grieving for his friend and does not cry. “…he felt too numb even to
cry.” pg. 293
• Not only did he not cry, he refused to even act alive. Willie had his
own grieving process and refused to let Zach‟s death go.
“Fire and Rain”
Written and Performed by: James
Taylor
• “I've seen fire, and I've seen rain.
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end.
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend,
But I always thought that I'd see you again.”
• James Taylor wrote about his losing a friend. When Willie lost Zach
he did not mourn him, until he heard a song that his art mentor
played him. Willie felt Zach‟s presence and began to mourn for him.
It was the song that triggered Willie into “seeing” his friend again.
“I‟m Movin‟ On”
Written by: D. Vincent Williams & Phillip
White
Performed by: Rascal Flatts
• “I‟ve dealt with my ghosts and I‟ve faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I‟ve found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I‟m at peace with myself
I‟ve been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long
I‟m movin‟ on”
• At the end of the novel, Willie realizes he‟s growing up. “ Dad,”
repeated Will, in a surprised tone, “I‟m growing!” pg 318
• Will has taken a journey marred with tragedy and triumph and this
song seems like the perfect theme song that would be played at the
end of the movie.