Paul Simon: Trending quotes (page 5)

“And if I was the President, (was the President)
And if'n the Congress called my name (was the President)
I'd say "Now who do,
Who do you think you're fooling?"”

Paul Simon

Loves Me Like a Rock
Song lyrics, There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)
Variant: When I was a little boy, (when I was just a boy)
And the devil would call my name (when I was just a boy)
I'd say "Now who do,
Who do you think you're fooling?"

Fools , Thinking

“The monkeys stand for honesty,
Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly but
They're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.”

Paul Simon

At The Zoo
Song lyrics, Bookends (1968)

Change

“I have gone through different phases in my music writing. There was a time when I used a little exercise — incorporating all of the twelve notes in the chromatic scale — to get me going. I used this technique for a while, but I don't any longer because I am going back to simpler melodies. Originally I moved away from the simple songs because I thought they were too simple.”

Paul Simon

"Songwriting" in Making Music (1983) edited by George Martin, p. 70

Music , Exercises , Time

“Cecilia, you're breaking my heart
You're shaking my confidence daily
Oh, Cecilia, I'm down on my knees
I'm begging you please to come home.”

Paul Simon

Cecilia
Song lyrics, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)

Home , Confidence , Heart

“I'm sitting in the railway station.
Got a ticket to my destination.
On a tour of one-night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand.
And ev'ry stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band.”

Paul Simon

Homeward Bound
Song lyrics, Parsley (1966)

Night

“Then I learned to play some lead guitar, I was underage in this funky bar
And I stepped outside to smoke myself a j
When I came back to the room, everybody just seemed to move
And I turned my amp up loud and I began to play.”

Paul Simon

Late in the Evening
Song lyrics, One-Trick Pony (1980)

Learning

“Sonny sits by his window and thinks to himself,
How it's strange that some rooms are like cages,
Sonny's yearbook from high school is down from the shelf,
And he idly thumbs through the pages,
Some have died, some have fled from themselves,
On a struggle from here to get there,
Sonny wanders beyond his interior walls,
Runs his hands through his thinning brown hair.”

Paul Simon

The Obvious Child
Song lyrics, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990)

School , Thinking

“One and one half wandering Jews,
Free to wander wherever they choose,
Are travelling together in the Sangre de Christo,
The blood of Christ mountains of New Mexico,
On the last leg of a journey they started a long time ago,
The arc of a love affair,
Rainbows in the high desert air.”

Paul Simon

Hearts and Bones
Song lyrics, Hearts and Bones (1983)

Love , Travel , Mountain , Time

“And what is the point of this story?
What information pertains?
The thought that life could be better
Is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains.”

Paul Simon

Train In The Distance
Song lyrics, Hearts and Bones (1983)

Life , Heart

“Mountain passes slipping into stones,
Hearts and bones.”

Paul Simon

Hearts and Bones
Song lyrics, Hearts and Bones (1983)

Mountain , Heart

“Tonight I'll sing my songs again,
I'll play the game and pretend.
But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me.”

Paul Simon

Song lyrics, Parsley (1966)

Game , Singing

“The light through the stained glass was cobalt and red.
And the frayed cuffs and collars were mended by halos of golden thread.
The choir sang, "Once Upon a Time There Was An Ocean."
And all the old hymns and family names came fluttering down as leaves of emotion.
As nothing is different, but everything's changed.”

Paul Simon

Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean
Song lyrics, Surprise (2006)

Family , Light , Change , Time

“Zebras are reactionaries,
Antelopes are missionaries,
Pigeons plot in secrecy,
And hamsters turn on frequently.”

Paul Simon

At The Zoo
Song lyrics, Bookends (1968)

“Never been lonely,
Never been lied to,
Never had to scuffle in fear,
Nothing to dive to,
Born at the instant,
The church bells chime,
The whole world whispering,
You're born at the right time.”

Paul Simon

Born at the Right Time
Song lyrics, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990)

World , Fear , Time

“Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind…”

Paul Simon

Bridge over Troubled Water
Song lyrics, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)

Dreams , Way , Girl , Time

“I met my old lover on the street last night,
She seemed so glad to see me, I just smiled,
And we talked about some old times, and we drank ourselves some beers,
Still crazy after all these years,
Oh, still crazy after all these years.”

Paul Simon

Still Crazy After All These Years
Song lyrics, Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)

Smile , Lovers , Beer , Time

“I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around.”

Paul Simon

Bridge over Troubled Water
Song lyrics, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)

Pain , Parting

“I get all the news I need from the weather report.”

Paul Simon

The Only Living Boy in New York — released as a single in 1969
Song lyrics, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)

Weather

“Laughing on the bus, playing games with the faces,
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy,
I said, 'Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera.”

Paul Simon

America
Song lyrics, Bookends (1968)

Game

“Seasons change with the scenery;
Weaving time in a tapestry.
Won't you stop and remember me
At any convenient time?”

Paul Simon

A Hazy Shade of Winter
Song lyrics, Bookends (1968)

Change , Time , Season