Tell us all a story
Of how it used to be
Make it up and write it down
Just like history
About Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Nature in the crosshairs
And how we all ascended
From the deep blue sea
Track 10 of Paul Simon's You're The One is a playful, witty meditation on such diverse topics as fame, fortune, history, time, and following your dreams. The song changes themes musically almost as often as it switches between ideas in its lyrics, varying tempo, time signature, and instrumentation in an almost stream of consciousness manner (if it's possible to apply that phrase to the description of music). Neat.
My favorite part of this tune is the more or less spoken seventh verse:
You want to be a leader?
You want to change the game?
Turn your back on money
Walk away from fame
You want to be a missionary?
Y'got that missionary zeal?
Let a stranger change your life
How's that make you feel?
You want to be a writer
But you don't know how or when?
Find a quiet place
Use a humble pen
...especially the last four lines. These words get caught in my head from time to time and almost never fail to make me feel like a fountain pen-loving, Moleskine-coveting literary poser wannabe. On the other hand, they do encourage the listener to just go do whatever it is they dream of, so that's cool. I think taking a humble but hopeful approach is about right.
Peaceful as a hurricane
Peaceful as a hurricane
Peaceful as a hurricane eye...
All italicized lyrics quotes copyright Paul Simon. Full lyrics available at http://www.paulsimon.com: again, the album is You're The One and the song is "Hurricane Eye".
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