Late in the Evening
John Mayer and Paul Simon Lyrics
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I was lying in my bed
I couldn't of been no more
Than one or two
I remember there's a radio
Comin' from the room next door
And my mother laughed
The way some ladies do
And the music's seeping through
The next thing I remember
I am walking down the street
I'm feeling all right
I'm with my boys
I'm with my troops, yeah
And down along the avenue
Some guys were shooting pool
And I heard the sound
Of a cappella groups, yeah
Singing late in the evening
And all the girls out on the stoops, yeah
Then I learned to play some lead guitar
I was underage in this funky bar
And I stepped outside to smoke myself a "J"
And when I came back to the room
Everybody just seemed to move
And I turned my amp up loud and I began to play
And it was late in the evening
And I blew that room away
The first thing I remember
When you came into my life
I said I'm gonna get that girl
No matter what I do
Well I guess I'd been in love before
And once or twice I been on the floor
But I never loved no one
The way that I loved you
And it was late in the evening
And all the music seeping through
The song "Late in the Evening" by John Mayer and Paul Simon is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, as the lyrics describe the singer's earliest memories. The first verse describes a young child lying in bed, listening to music coming from the next room over, and hearing his mother laughing at something. The second verse takes us to the singer's teenage years, where he is out with his friends, hearing music on the street and seeing people shooting pool. The bridge describes the singer's love of music and how it changed his life, as he learned to play guitar and fell in love.
The lyrics are primarily focused on the idea of music as a way to remember and connect with moments from the past. The music that the singer hears in each memory helps to define and shape the experience, allowing him to look back fondly on those moments. The song emphasizes how music can take us back to specific points in our lives and add meaning and context to our experiences.
Overall, "Late in the Evening" is a tribute to the power of music and its ability to evoke strong emotions and memories. It encourages listeners to embrace the role that music plays in their own lives and to appreciate how it can make even the smallest moments feel significant.
Line by Line Meaning
The first thing I remember
He is reminiscing about his childhood memories
I was lying in my bed
He remembers the setting of his childhood memory
I couldn't of been no more
Than one or two
He was very young at this time
I remember there's a radio
Comin' from the room next door
He recalls hearing a radio playing from the next room
And my mother laughed
The way some ladies do
He remembers his mother laughing in a certain way
When it's late in the evening
And the music's seeping through
The time of day and the music playing had a distinct impact on him
The next thing I remember
I am walking down the street
He transitions to another memory where he's outside
I'm feeling all right
I'm with my boys
I'm with my troops, yeah
He's surrounded by his friends and feeling good
And down along the avenue
Some guys were shooting pool
And I heard the sound
Of a cappella groups, yeah
He remembers the sounds around him while he was walking outside
Singing late in the evening
And all the girls out on the stoops, yeah
The music he heard was the highlight of the moment and the girls were enjoying it too
Then I learned to play some lead guitar
I was underage in this funky bar
And I stepped outside to smoke myself a "J"
He shares a memory where he was learning to play guitar in a funky bar
And when I came back to the room
Everybody just seemed to move
And I turned my amp up loud and I began to play
His colleagues were impressed with his music skills and he played louder
And it was late in the evening
And I blew that room away
The time and his performance created a memorable experience
The first thing I remember
When you came into my life
He transitions to a memory of a special person entering his life
I said I'm gonna get that girl
No matter what I do
He had a determination to get this special girl
Well I guess I'd been in love before
And once or twice I been on the floor
But I never loved no one
The way that I loved you
He has had past experiences with love but this one was different; he loved her more
And it was late in the evening
And all the music seeping through
The same music as before carried into this special moment
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL SIMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
comprehensive thoughts
First thing I remember
I was lying in my bed
I couldn't have been no more than one or two
And I remember there was a radio
Coming from the room next door
And my mother laughed
The way some ladies do
When it's late in the evening
And the music's seeping through
The next thing I remember
I am walking down the street
I'm feeling all right
I'm with my boys, I'm with my troops, yeah
And down along the avenue
Some guys were shooting pool
And I heard the sound of a cappella groups, yeah
Singing late in the evening
And all the girls out on the stoops, yeah
Then I learned to play some lead guitar
I was underage in this funky bar
And I stepped outside to smoke myself a "J"
And when I come back to the room
Everybody just seemed to move
And I turned my amp up loud and I began to play
And it was late in the evening
And I blew that room away
First thing I remember
When you came into my life
I said I'm gonna get that girl no matter what I do
Well, I guess I've been in love before
And once or twice I been on the floor
But I never loved no one the way that I love you
And it was late in the evening
And all the music seeping through
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Paul Simon
Lucy Foster
In the past, I had only known of John Mayer as a celebrity cad...had no idea until recently what a truly astonishing talent he is on that axe.
Martijn van den Akker
And he's so lucky playing with a living legend like Paul Simon
tootz1950
Oh yes, but he's still a celebrity cad.
RA B
The boy really can play.
Smallpox
Still a cad
TheJollycoppers
As the story goes, he was so consumed with playing guitar as a teenager that his parents took him to a psychiatrist, thinking that that level of fascination wasn't normal. Attended Berklee...yup, he's the real deal.
Hoisin
this is one of the greatest perfomances ever captured!
Jill Billups
So cool! John Mayer is my favorite but Paul Simon is my mom’s fav and I grew up on his records.
Bandu Karunarathne
true talent 💎✔
See it or Flick it.
I’m actually amazed by how much I love this more stripped down version of LITE, more than the others.