So beautifully and perfectly expressed. I'm 74 and can't believe it. Though, every thought you shared is absolutely perfect. PS. I'm a huge Malcolm Gladwell and Paul Simon fan. I'm headed to Spotify right now. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you, Dave. I'm glad you found commonality in that post. You will NOT be disappointed by the Gladwell/Simon audio book. I have listened to it three times and I'm sure I will listen to it again. It infuses Simon's music into the interview and you really get a sense of who Paul Simon really is.
Your post reminds me of the song “100 Years” by Five for the Fighting
- “I’m 15 for a moment …. 20 for a moment … 33 for a moment … 45 for a moment … 67 is getting high, we’re moving on … I’m 99 for a moment just asking for another moment ….
That is the truth, eh? Our lives are made up of moments but the moments just slip by so fast. In the beginning, when they are all in front of us, we barely notice their disappearance but later? Later we see them flying by and really know how precious they are. Thanks for reading and commenting, Linda.
I know EXACTLY what you mean, Michael. I think we were about maybe 25 and 27 when we first met? Imagine those young people with dreams and a life still to come? Weren't they just perfect in their naiveté?
Great piece, Gracie. Paul Simon’s dad was a professor of mine in graduate school. He told us that someone had written a thesis of the philosophy of Paul Simon. The writer sent it to Paul Simon who said the thesis was totally wrong. We all a good 😆
What a great story! It's interesting how people interpret the work of others. I guess if the thesis writer had interviewed Paul Simon instead of speculating, they might have had a more favorable response from Paul. Thanks for joining in the conversation, Fred.
YES. This is so profound and powerful. Years ago (I was probably in my 30s somewhere) I was mentioning to an older dear friend (she was maybe in her 50s and so wise) that when I read the obituaries in the newspaper, I was drawn to the photos of younger people, and that often I would read on to find that it was older people who had died and the photos were from their youth. I think I was suggesting I was being duped, somehow. And my wise friend said - I've never forgotten this - those are the same people, the photo and the person who died. It struck me so, that I had lost awareness of that somewhere. No more. Your writing resonates. Xo.
What a wise observation. I appreciate that. Obituaries are fascinating to me, especially when they offer more than a resume. To remember that the young person is enfolded in the older person is beautiful. Thanks, Emily, for this reminder and for being part of the conversation.
So true, Stacy! It’s sad to me how much I thought I knew. Not so much at 20… at 20, I was still very innocent and open but by 30? By 30 I knew it all. Or so I thought.
So true! Sometimes I feel sorry for the young because they have such outdated notions of what it is to be "old" and still vibrant and creative and curious and joyful. They will come to know that soon enough, if they are lucky.
Amen! Sigh…. I did ask my 40 year old niece to ask me anything she wanted to know about me…. (me)Wide open to being interviewed…, she said , without hesitation, “what would you like me to ask?”
That left me absolutely speechless. But….. incredible as it sounded, I thought it was the best question ever asked me. I think we would all like to be recognized, known by those younger, feel that they even care….. of course we would like our “same age friends” to want to know too. Right? None of that “know me through gossip or from the eyes of a relative.., or from long time friends finding one another after years apart…, the key here might be… do you know yourself?
This resonated with me in particular because I will turn 70 before the year's end, also this LP remains one of my favorites of all time. Thank you for your post, which I so enjoyed reading! You nailed it!
So beautifully and perfectly expressed. I'm 74 and can't believe it. Though, every thought you shared is absolutely perfect. PS. I'm a huge Malcolm Gladwell and Paul Simon fan. I'm headed to Spotify right now. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you, Dave. I'm glad you found commonality in that post. You will NOT be disappointed by the Gladwell/Simon audio book. I have listened to it three times and I'm sure I will listen to it again. It infuses Simon's music into the interview and you really get a sense of who Paul Simon really is.
Your post reminds me of the song “100 Years” by Five for the Fighting
- “I’m 15 for a moment …. 20 for a moment … 33 for a moment … 45 for a moment … 67 is getting high, we’re moving on … I’m 99 for a moment just asking for another moment ….
When you’ve only got a 100 years to live.”
That is the truth, eh? Our lives are made up of moments but the moments just slip by so fast. In the beginning, when they are all in front of us, we barely notice their disappearance but later? Later we see them flying by and really know how precious they are. Thanks for reading and commenting, Linda.
I recall another line: time, time, time, see what's become of me, as i looked around for my possibilities, they were so hard to see...
And so I had to go look up the lyrics!
Time, time time, see what's become of me
While I looked around for my possibilities
I was so hard to please
Don't look around
The leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter
Hear the Salvation Army band
Down by the riverside's, there's bound to be a better ride
Than what you've got planned
Carry your cup in your hand
And look around
Leaves are brown, now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter
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
Look around
The grass is high
The fields are ripe
It's the springtime of my life
Seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me
At any convenient time?
Funny how my memory skips while looking over manuscripts
Of unpublished rhyme
Drinking my vodka and lime
I look around
Leaves are brown, now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter
Look around
Leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground
Look around
Leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground
Look around
Leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Paul Simon
A Hazy Shade of Winter lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
YES! Dave! Right on! That’s from “A Hazy Shade of Winter” but I think it’s also on the Bookends album. What a great reminder! Thanks!
Thanks for doing the lyric leg work!
And hell yes, we must include John Prine is the halls of song writing masters.
Absolutely! I also thought of Jackson Browne and, yeah, Dylan.
AND how could we not include Lennon/ McCartney among the GOAT?
I agree with you about the genius of Paul Simon, I think he and Joni Mitchell are probably unparalleled as far as song lyrics are concerned.
Don’t forget John Prine ….
I always held my Great Grandmother in great respect. In wss 19 when she passed.
Now I'm 74 wishing I had the wisdom of my present self at 19,20,21......
I know EXACTLY what you mean, Michael. I think we were about maybe 25 and 27 when we first met? Imagine those young people with dreams and a life still to come? Weren't they just perfect in their naiveté?
Simon & Garfunkel are one of the many examples of why the sixties and part of the seventies were the best decade of music.
Agreed!
Great piece, Gracie. Paul Simon’s dad was a professor of mine in graduate school. He told us that someone had written a thesis of the philosophy of Paul Simon. The writer sent it to Paul Simon who said the thesis was totally wrong. We all a good 😆
What a great story! It's interesting how people interpret the work of others. I guess if the thesis writer had interviewed Paul Simon instead of speculating, they might have had a more favorable response from Paul. Thanks for joining in the conversation, Fred.
Thank you Gracie. So true, so true.
YES. This is so profound and powerful. Years ago (I was probably in my 30s somewhere) I was mentioning to an older dear friend (she was maybe in her 50s and so wise) that when I read the obituaries in the newspaper, I was drawn to the photos of younger people, and that often I would read on to find that it was older people who had died and the photos were from their youth. I think I was suggesting I was being duped, somehow. And my wise friend said - I've never forgotten this - those are the same people, the photo and the person who died. It struck me so, that I had lost awareness of that somewhere. No more. Your writing resonates. Xo.
What a wise observation. I appreciate that. Obituaries are fascinating to me, especially when they offer more than a resume. To remember that the young person is enfolded in the older person is beautiful. Thanks, Emily, for this reminder and for being part of the conversation.
I love your words to a 20 year old. So very true! It’s astonishing how quickly it happens and how much I didn’t understand then.
So true, Stacy! It’s sad to me how much I thought I knew. Not so much at 20… at 20, I was still very innocent and open but by 30? By 30 I knew it all. Or so I thought.
So true! Sometimes I feel sorry for the young because they have such outdated notions of what it is to be "old" and still vibrant and creative and curious and joyful. They will come to know that soon enough, if they are lucky.
Amen! Sigh…. I did ask my 40 year old niece to ask me anything she wanted to know about me…. (me)Wide open to being interviewed…, she said , without hesitation, “what would you like me to ask?”
That left me absolutely speechless. But….. incredible as it sounded, I thought it was the best question ever asked me. I think we would all like to be recognized, known by those younger, feel that they even care….. of course we would like our “same age friends” to want to know too. Right? None of that “know me through gossip or from the eyes of a relative.., or from long time friends finding one another after years apart…, the key here might be… do you know yourself?
This resonated with me in particular because I will turn 70 before the year's end, also this LP remains one of my favorites of all time. Thank you for your post, which I so enjoyed reading! You nailed it!