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Paul Simon Quotes
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Paul Frederic Simon is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Simon's musical career has spanned seven decades, with his fame and commercial success beginning as half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, which was formed in 1964 with Art Garfunkel. Simon was responsible for writing nearly all of the pair's songs, including three that reached No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts: "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", and "Bridge over Troubled Water".

The duo split up in 1970 at the height of their popularity and Simon began a successful solo career as a guitarist and singer-songwriter, recording three highly acclaimed albums over the next five years. In 1986, he released Graceland, an album inspired by South African township music, which sold 14 million copies worldwide on its release and remains his most popular solo work. Simon also wrote and starred in the film One-Trick Pony and co-wrote the Broadway musical The Capeman with the poet Derek Walcott. On June 3, 2016, Simon released his 13th solo album, titled Stranger to Stranger, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart and the UK charts.

Simon has earned sixteen Grammys for his solo and collaborative work, including three for Album of the Year , and a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2006 was selected as one of the "100 People Who Shaped the World" by Time magazine. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine named Simon as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists. In 2015, he was named as one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time by Rolling Stone. Among many other honors, Simon was the first recipient of the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007. In 1986, Simon was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees.

✵ 13. October 1941
Paul Simon photo
Paul Simon: 116   quotes 3   likes

Paul Simon Quotes

“Well I'm accustomed to a smooth ride,
Or maybe I'm a dog that's lost its bite,
I don't expect to be treated like a fool, no, no,
I don't expect to sleep long nights,
Some people say a lie is just a lie but I say,
Why deny the obvious child?”

Paul Simon

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

People , Lie , Dogs , Fools

“"Fools," said I, "you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence.”

Paul Simon

The Sound of Silence
Song lyrics, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. (1964)

Fools , Silence

“First thing I remember when you came into my life
I said I wanna get that girl, no matter what I do
Well I guess I've been in love before and once or twice have been on the floor
But I've never loved no-one the way that I love you.”

Paul Simon

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

Love , Life , Way , Girl

“I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail
Yes I would, if I could, I surely would
I'd rather be a hammer than a nail
Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would”

Paul Simon

El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
Song lyrics, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)

“Hang on to your hopes, my friend.
That's an easy thing to say,
But if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend that you can build them again.”

Paul Simon

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

Hope

“When the papa found out, he began to shout, and he started the investigation
It's against the law, it was against the law
What the mama saw, it was against the law.”

Paul Simon

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
Song lyrics, Paul Simon (1972)

Law

“Someone told me
It's all happening at the zoo.
I do believe it,
I do believe it's true.”

Paul Simon

At The Zoo
Song lyrics, Bookends (1968)

“[Rock 'n' roll] really is not given to thinking — and resents thinking. Which I believe is the big error of rock 'n' roll. It's always aspired to be the music of the working class. And it's never been looked upon as a vocabulary for art and artistic thinking… We have to be able to expand the vocabulary to express more complex thoughts.”

Paul Simon

Interview in Musician (March 1984), p. 66-68

Art , Music , Error , Thinking

“There was always some kind of strain, but it was workable. The bigger you get, the more of a strain it is, because in your everyday life, you're less used to compromising. As you get bigger, you have your own way. But in a partnership you always have to compromise. … When you get into a partnership, you're not the boss. There's no boss. That makes it hard.”

Paul Simon

Interview with Jon Landau for Rolling Stone (1972); republished in The Rolling Stone Interviews: 1967-1980 (1989) edited by Peter Herbst, p. 211

Life , Way , Partnership

“If you’ll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al.”

Paul Simon

You Can Call Me Al
Song lyrics, Graceland (1986)

“A winter's day
In a deep and dark
December;
I am alone,
Gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.
I am a rock,
I am an island.”

Paul Simon

I Am a Rock
Song lyrics, Sounds of Silence (1966)

Winter

“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

“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

“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

“In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving."”

Paul Simon

But the fighter still remains.
The Boxer
Song lyrics, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)

Anger

“Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
A nation turns it's lonely eyes to you
Ooo ooo ooo.
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?
"Joltin' Joe has left and gone away."”

Paul Simon

Hey hey hey, hey hey hey.
Mrs. Robinson
Song lyrics, Bookends (1968)

“This is near enough true bliss.”

Paul Simon

"Look at That" on You're the One (2000)

“It's a turn-around jump-shot,
It's everybody jump-start, it's,
Every generation throws a hero up the pop-charts,
Medicine is magical and magical is art,
Think of the boy in the bubble and the baby with the baboon heart…”

Paul Simon

The Boy In The Bubble
Song lyrics, Graceland (1986)

Art , Boy , Thinking , Heart

“She's a rich girl,
She don't try to hide it,
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes,
He's a poor boy,
Empty as a pocket,
Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose,
Sing ta-na-na, ta-na-na-na,
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes.”

Paul Simon

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
Song lyrics, Graceland (1986)

Shoe , Girl , Boy , Singing

“Once upon a time there was an ocean.
But now it's a mountain range.
Something unstoppable put into motion.
Nothing is different, but everything's changed.”

Paul Simon

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

Mountain , Change , Time

“Come on, take me to the Mardi Gras,
Where the people sing and play,
Where the music is elite and there's dancing in the street,
Both night and day.”

Paul Simon

Take Me To The Mardi Gras
Song lyrics, There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)

People , Music , Singing , Dance

“A man walks down the street
He says why am I soft in the middle now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard”

Paul Simon

You Can Call Me Al
Song lyrics, Graceland (1986)
Context: A man walks down the street
He says why am I soft in the middle now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard
I need a photo opportunity
I want a shot at redemption
Don’t want to end up a cartoon
In a cartoon graveyard.

Life

“Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you.”

Paul Simon

Bookends
Song lyrics, Bookends (1968)

Memory

“Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobblestones.
Looking for fun and Feelin' Groovy.”

Paul Simon

The 59th Street Bridge Song
Song lyrics, Parsley (1966)

“Just slip out the back, Jack, make a new plan, Stan
Don't need to be coy, Roy, just listen to me
Hop on the bus, Gus, don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee, and get yourself free.”

Paul Simon

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Song lyrics, Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)

“"The universe loves a drama," you know. And ladies and gentlemen this is the show.”

Paul Simon

I Don't Believe; Simon here quotes a comment by his wife, Edie Brickell, on the 2004 US presidential election.
Song lyrics, Surprise (2006)

Love , Universe

“And she said 'Losing love is like a window in your heart,
Everybody sees you're blown apart,
Everybody feels the wind blow.”

Paul Simon

Graceland
Song lyrics, Graceland (1986)

Love , Feeling , Heart

“A man walks down the street
He says why am I short of attention
Got a short little span of attention
And woe my nights are so long”

Paul Simon

You Can Call Me Al
Song lyrics, Graceland (1986)

Night

“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?"”

Paul Simon

Loves Me Like a Rock
Song lyrics, There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)

Boy , Fools , Thinking

“Homeless, homeless,
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake.”

Paul Simon

Homeless
Song lyrics, Graceland (1986)

Sleep