Original Music by Tom Sykes

This page is home to original music by Tom Sykes, a Virginia songwriter whose songs and albums are built on reflection, storytelling, memory, and the kind of perspective you only get by actually living a little. Some songs look back. Some push forward. Most of them are trying to tell the truth without making too much of a fuss about it.

Tom Sykes on Spotify

Visit my Spotify artist page to hear the music, follow along, and find current releases, albums, and singles in one place.

Start Listening Here

New to Tom Sykes music? Start with these songs and albums.

Follow That Dream
A good first song if you connect with stories about staying with a dream longer than common sense recommends.

When I Leave This Town
A song about feeling worn down, trapped, and ready for a fresh start.

I Heard You Talking
A relationship song about overhearing the truth before anyone has the courage to say it out loud.

A Long Hard Road Album
The best album to start with if you want the larger Tom Sykes story in song form.

A Simpler Time
The album, with its lived-in storytelling, looks back without getting stuck in the past.

Albums, Singles, and Earlier Recordings

A Long Hard Road album by Tom Sykes – album cover

October 2023

A Long Hard Road Album

The songs reflect miles, setbacks, and hard-earned perspective. Having Grammy-winning artists record it gave the album the strength and soul it deserved.

January 2017

Boardwalk

The album emerged from my quest to rediscover my passion for songwriting. It reflects the enduring nature of creativity, even when life takes us on unexpected paths.

June 2016

A Simpler Time

The album, with its lived-in storytelling, looks back without getting stuck in the past. It finds meaning in the people, places, and moments it depicts.

Tom Sykes playing acoustic guitar on the cover of I Don’t Know for Sure Single

Jul 31, 2026

I Don't Know for Sure

A reflective song about living in a divided world, questioning certainty, and searching for compassion, understanding, and common ground.

January 2025

Follow That Dream

“Follow That Dream” is about staying committed to a dream even when other people doubt it, dismiss it, or think you should have moved on by now.

March 2025

I Heard You Talking

“I Heard You Talking” is about overhearing the moment a relationship is ending before anyone has the courage to say it face to face.

May 2025

When I Leave This Town

“When I Leave This Town” is about feeling trapped, worn down, and ready for a fresh start somewhere beyond the life you have been living.

2008 Out Of Print

No Boundaries

I wrote this album while living in Dallas and recorded it with the Texas Travelers Band. It’s a snapshot of that time — Texas players, road-tested songs, and me trying to figure out where my music was headed.

2003. NEVER RELEASED

Looking For A Miracle

Looking for a Miracle was written during my time in Los Angeles and features Michael DeTemple on guitar and mandolin. It captures that period of chasing songs, chasing chances, and trying to find a little light in the middle of it all.

1999 OUT OF PRINT

Something to Say

Something to Say was my second full album, made while I was trying to find my way back into recording. It captures that period of rebuilding confidence, chasing songs again, and remembering why I started making music in the first place.

1982 OUT OF PRINT

Pariah

Pariah was the first album I recorded. John Hammond thought it would be a good way for me to build my confidence, so we made it as a local album in Virginia Beach. It was rough around the edges in the right way — the sound of me taking the first real step into recording my own songs.

Music Videos

These videos give another way into the songs, with performances, story pieces, and visual ideas connected to the music.

What Were You Thinking
Everything Feels Broken (Song)
Follow That Dream
A Long Hard Road (Song)

Click the links below to follow along for new songs, videos, stories, and the creative road I’m on as the work continues to grow. And don’t forget to subscribe.