Paul Simon: Down

“I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.”

Paul Simon

Bridge over Troubled Water
Song lyrics, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)
Context: When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

Water , Time

“A man walks down the street
It’s a street in a strange world
Maybe it’s the third world
Maybe it’s his first time around …
He looks around around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen and Hallelujah.”

Paul Simon

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

World , Angels , Time

“The Mississippi Delta was shining like a National guitar,
I am following the river down the highway
Through the cradle of the Civil War.”

Paul Simon

Graceland
Song lyrics, Graceland (1986)

War

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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)

“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