Songwriters: Paul Simon

I think Paul Simon is the best songwriter of all time. Mouthful isnt it? But that is my honest opinion and has been for a long ol' time. Ever since I was a kid, I have adored Simon and Garfunkel but as I got older I began to have a deeper appreciation for the songwriting and the realization hit me that this guy has written more fantastic songs than anyone I can think of!

For our five year anniversary (nearly 7 years ago!) my husband bought me the Simon and Garfunkel 4 disc cd anthology and, needless to say, I have listened to it until it's pretty ragged-especially for a cd set. From the sometimes politically charged folk songs of Wednesday Morning 3am to the quiet beauty of Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme and the swelling impetus of Bridge Over Troubled Water, they never made a mistake-at least not in my book. Of course, it was Paul Simon who made this group what it was. Garfunkel had a lovely voice that blended perfectly w/ Simon's own vocals but without Paul's gift of melody and lyric, the group would have become another flash in the pan. Even his instrumentals like the beautiful guitar piece Angie are phenomenal for the simple and understated way they build without your realizing it.

As a solo artist, Simon has also succeeded magnificently. Some of my favorite of his tunes were written after the breakup of Simon and Garfunkel and this in itself is a proclamation of his great talents as a writer. His voice has never been spectacular but the songwriting, once again, has buoyed his career into legend-hood. Some consider his album Graceland to be one of the best of all time-and I'm, of course, one of them. It's a totally original piece of work that is full of amazing melodies and gorgeous lyrics.

Paul Simon will always be a huge part of me since his songs have been with me thru my whole life . And he's still going strong! His newest album Surprise was released in 2006 to critical acclaim and several nominations, including an oscar nomination for the track father and daughter. That makes me proud, I must say. Not sure why.

(Oh, and I bet if any of you have some young pictures of Bill Bouldin, they probably look a LOT like that one of Paul that I have posted. Those of you who know Bill, can't possibly deny the resemblance...LOL!)

Here are a few examples of Paul's wonderful poetry which , when coupled with their great melodies, make for some of my absolute favorite songs:

The Dangling Conversation

It's a still life watercolor/ on a now late afternoon/ as the sun shines through the curtain lace/ and shadows wash the room.
And we sit and drink our coffee/ couched in our indifference/ like shells upon the shore/ you can hear the ocean roar.
In the dangling coversation/ And the superficial sighs/ are the borders of our lives.

And you read your Emily Dickinson/ and I my Robert Frost. / And we note our place with bookmarkers/ that measure what we've lost. /Like a poem poorly written,/ We are verses out of rhythym/couplets out of rhyme/ in syncopated time/ Lost in the dangling conversation/ And the superficial sighs/ are the borders of our lives.

Yes we speak of things that matter/ with words that must be said./ 'Can analysis be worthwhile?' / 'Is the theater really dead?' / And now the room has softly faded,/ And I only kiss your shadow, / I cannot feel your hand/ you're a stranger now unto me./ Lost in the dangling conversation/ And the superficial sighs/ are the borders of our lives.
_______________________

America

Let us be lovers /we'll marry our fortunes together./ I've got some real estate here in my bag./ So we bought a pack of cigarettes and mrs. wagner pies/ and walked off to look for America.

'Kathy' I said as we boarded a greyhound in Pittsburgh, / 'Michigan seems like a dream to me now./ It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw / I've come to look for America.'

Laughing on the bus/ playing games with the faces./ She says the man in the gabardine suit is a spy/ I said ' be careful, his bowtie is really a camera'.

Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat/ We smoked the last one an hour ago./ So I looked at the scenery/ she read her magazine/ And the moon rose over an open field.

'Kathy, I'm lost' I said, though i knew she was sleeping./ I'm empty and aching and I don't know why'./ Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike/ They've all come to look for America.
_______________

Something So Right

You've got the cool water/ when the fever runs high/ You've got the look of lovelight in your eyes/ And I was in crazy motion/ til you calmed me down/ It took a little time/ but you calmed me down.

When something goes wrong, I'm the first to admit it/ the first to admit it/ and the last one to know.
When something goes right/ well, it's likely to lose me/ it's apt to confuse me/ It's such an unusual sight./ I swear, I can't get used to something so right.

They've got a wall in china. / It's a thousand miles long/ To keep out the foreigners, they made it strong. / Well, I've got a wall around me, that you can't even see. / It took a little time, to get next to me.

When something goes wrong, I'm the first to admit it/ the first to admit/ but the last one to know./ When something goes right, well it's likely to lose me/ it's apt to confuse me/ It's such and unusual sight./ I swear, I can't get used to something so right./ Something so right.

__________________

(and the following is one of my favorite lullabies ever)

St Judy's Comet

Oh, little sleepy boy, do you know what time it is? / Well, the hour of your bedtime has long been past/ And though I know you're fighting it, I can tell when you rub your eyes, you're fading fast... fading fast.

Won't you run come see St Judy's Comet roll across the sky/ leaving a spray of diamonds in its wake/ I long to see St Judy's Comet sparkle in your eyes when you awake/

Little boy, won't you lay your body down? / Little boy, won't you close your weary eyes? / Ain't nothin' flashin' but the fireflies

Well I sang it once, I sang it twice/ I'm gonna sing it three times more/ I'm gonna stay until your resistance is overcome/ Cuz if I can't sing my boy to sleep/ well, it makes your famous daddy look so dumb/ look so dumb.

Won't you run come see St Judy's Comet roll across the sky/ leaving a spray of diamonds in its wake/ I long to see St Judy's Comet sparkle in your eyes when you awake.

Little boy, won't you lay your body down? / Little boy, little boy won't you close your weary eyes/ Ain't nothin' flashin' but the fireflies.