"The Young New Mexican Puppeteer" is a song written by Earl Shuman and Leon Carr, and released as a single by Tom Jones. The guitarist on the single is Big Jim Sullivan.
Song background
The song tells the story of a puppeteer from New Mexico, who uses puppets to encourage social and political change. The melody of the song's chorus is adapted from the score of the 1940 Disney film Pinocchio.
Chart performance
It reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart, and was a minor hit in the US, peaking at #14 on the Easy Listening chart and #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1972.
Cover versions
German Schlager singer Roberto Blanco released a German version of the song in 1972 with the title Der Puppenspieler von Mexiko. It reached the peak position 49 in the German charts.