America
Garfunkel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"I've got some real estate here in my bag"
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies
And we 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
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"
"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
All come to look for America
All come to look for America
The first verse of the song “America” by Simon and Garfunkel portrays a couple who are deeply in love and wish to spend their lives together. They express their love and desire to share their fortunes by embarking on a journey to look for America. The echoes of the American Dream resonate with this couple who perhaps believe that their search for America will prove fruitful in furthering their romantic aspirations. The mention of real estate in the bag creates an impression that this couple has everything planned out and their search will take them towards the next best thing that America has to offer them.
The second verse shifts the focus to the singer named Kathy and the singer himself who have boarded a Greyhound bus to Michigan, with the purpose of looking for America. The singer expresses that Michigan seems like a dream to him, and it took him four days to hitch-hike from Saginaw. This suggests that the search for America is an arduous and prolonged journey, which tests the travelers’ endurance and resilience. As they are playing games on the bus, Kathy points out the gabardine suit-clad man, who she alleges is a spy. The singer cautions her to be careful and highlights the man’s bowtie is really a camera, implying that they are constantly under surveillance without their knowledge.
In the final verse, the couple is left without cigarettes and looks out at the scenery as the moon rises over an open field. The singer admits to being lost and troubled, despite his initial optimism and excitement for the journey. As they count the cars on New Jersey Turnpike, the singer reflects that they are all searching for America, but it is unclear if anyone knows where or when they will find it. The song leaves an open-ended message that the journey of life is unpredictable, and all we can do is try to find our place in America, which represents our aspirations and dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Let us be lovers,
Let us have a romantic relationship
We'll marry our fortunes together.
We'll combine our financial resources
I've got some real estate Here in my bag.
I have some property with me
So we bought a pack of cigarettes, And Mrs. Wagner's pies, And walked off To look for America.
We set out on a journey to explore 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 hitch-hike from Saginaw. I've come to look for America."
While traveling to explore America by bus, the artist reminisced about a past hitchhiking trip and expressed his desire to discover more of the country
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 bow tie is really a camera."
While traveling on the bus, the singer and his companion playfully observed their fellow passengers and joked about one of them being a spy
"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.
While traveling, the singer and his companion realize they have no cigarettes left, so they relax and enjoy the scenery as the moon rises
"Kathy, I'm lost", I said, Thought 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, All come to look for America, All come to look for America.
While on the New Jersey Turnpike, the artist expresses his feelings of being lost and unfulfilled. As he counts the cars on the road, he reflects on the fact that everyone is on a journey to find America, just as he and his companion are
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maxit-mw
As a European this song reminds me the emotions of my youth back in the late '70s when we used to cross the continent with train, hitch-hiking and sometimes by car.
It reminds me the frontiers, sometimes not easy to cross, and the different people. Different but very curious to meet and know each others.
I remember the ride that the truckers gave us to reach Amsterdam. Since the documents were checked at the borders, we were always dropped off a few kilometers earlier and always had to cross them on foot.
It was late afternoon when we entered a bar near Emmerich Germany, some boys of our age offered us a beer and when it got late a girl took us to sleep in her home's garage.
The next morning her mother made us breakfast and we set off on foot towards the Dutch border which was only a couple of kilometers away.
We wrote a postcard to the girl on our return, which she returned, and from there we lost contact.
I remember the trip with the Citroen Diane to Berlin. From West Germany at a certain point we had to take a highway that crossed East Germany and it was a corridor bordered by high nets, barbed wire and watch towers.
And when we went to Prague and Budapest, we joked saying "let's go find love beyond the Iron Curtain", using a saying dating back perhaps almost two decades earlier. Oh we did :) i must still have somewhere the photo of me and the girl in front of a Trabant that made me laugh for its size.
In all these trips we met different people, with different habits and ways of living and this gave us curiosity and emotion.
In those years young generations were dreaming of a world without frontiers where all peoples are equal, perhaps a little I believed in it too, but only later I did understand that differences, more than equality, are the most precious asset of the human being.
@AnthonyB2351
"Now the years are rolling by me
They are rocking easily
I am older than I once was
And younger than I’ll be
But that’s not unusual
No, it isn’t strange
After changes upon changes
We are more or less the same
After changes we are
More or less the same"
Paul Simon: The Boxer from Live Rhymin' concert.
@wafldread2770
Paul Simon is one of the greatest song writers ever. Truly brilliant...
@hippiecheezburger5457
Paul Simon has such a gentle and beautiful song writing soul
@TheoreticalString
And Art Garfunkel sings this like an angel.
@cebriggs7135
@@hippiecheezburger5457 @TheoreticalString it was written by Bert Sommers.
@cebriggs7135
Bert Sommer wrote it.
@alexandersmithers4218
No Bert Sommer covered it in 71. What an insult
@timwilkinsongs
I am an Englishman, but once upon a time, long ago, I spent years in the USA on the road looking for America, with my young wife and our baby son. This song says everything.
@dang2443
Chances are, you never found it, only yourself.
@v-town1980
@@dang2443 I'm sure they found it. At the very least an interesting time.
@dang2443
@@v-town1980 um...no