He began performing with his schoolfriend Art Garfunkel in 1956; together the two came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. The duo's blend of folk and rock music in hits like "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America", and "The Boxer" served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their career together peaked with their last album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970), at one point the best-selling album of all time. Throughout his subsequent solo career, Simon has continued to explore an eclectic mixture of genres, including gospel, reggae, soul, and more. His celebrated 1970s output—comprising Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)—kept him in the public spotlight and saw critical and commercial acclaim, spawning the hits "Mother and Child Reunion", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover".
Across his life, Simon has intermittently reunited with Garfunkel for several tours, including the famed Concert in Central Park. The widely lauded Graceland (1986) became Simon's biggest album of his career, melding his rock sound with worldbeat flavors; its single "You Can Call Me Al" became one of Simon's top hits. A sequel of sorts, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), preceded his own successful Concert in the Park, attended by a half-million fans. That decade, Simon focused his energies on a Broadway musical The Capeman (1997), which was poorly received. In the first quarter of the next century, Simon continued to record and tour; his later albums, such as You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011), and Stranger to Stranger (2016), have introduced him to new generations. He retired from touring in 2018. His most recent work, Seven Psalms, will see release in May 2023.
Simon is among the most acclaimed musicians and songwriters in popular music, and one of the world's best-selling music artists, both for his solo work and with Garfunkel. He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, have seen induction into National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress crowned him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is a co-founder of the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit that provides medical care to children.
In an in-depth interview reprinted in American Songwriter, Simon discusses the craft of songwriting with music journalist Tom Moon. In the interview, Simon explains the basic themes in his songwriting: love, family and social commentary (as well as the overarching messages of religion, spirituality and God in his lyrics). Simon explains the process of how he goes about writing songs in the interview: "The music always precedes the words. The words often come from the sound of the music and eventually evolve into coherent thoughts. Or incoherent thoughts. Rhythm plays a crucial part in the lyric-making as well. It's like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying."
Killer Wants to Go to College
Paul Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Killer wants to go to college
He wants to get his parole
So the department of corrections
Will release him in the fall
Killer wants to go on t.v.
2nd & 3rd inmate
Make my life into a movie
Virgil
I got the style, I got the look
This boy used to be on death row
Will his violence return?
Will he call out to his mother
2nd inmate
Mama, you can watch me burn
Killer wants to go to college
Another bull-shit degree
Tell the little town new paltz
You ain't got nothin to be scared about with me
The lyrics to Paul Simon's song Killer Wants to Go to College are a complex and layered commentary on the American criminal justice system and society's relationship with violent crime. The first inmate introduces us to "Killer," who desires to go to college so he can receive parole and be released from prison in the fall. This desire for freedom is juxtaposed with his desire to go on television and talk about his life and experiences. The other inmates also share their own desires for fame and attention, showing how even those who are incarcerated are not immune to the pull of celebrity culture.
The character of Virgil adds a deeper layer of complexity to the song, as he questions whether Killer will revert to his violent ways once he is released from prison. The line "Will his violence return?" captures the fear many people have about the rehabilitation of violent criminals. However, the final lines of the song suggest that Killer is not a threat to others, as he tells the town of New Paltz that they have nothing to be scared about with him.
Overall, this song is a commentary on the flaws in the American criminal justice system and the way that society views and interacts with those who have committed violent crimes. It shows that even those who have committed terrible acts are still human and have their own desires and hopes for the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Killer wants to go to college
The inmate desires to attend college in order to improve his chances of being granted parole
He wants to get his parole
The killer's ultimate goal is to be granted parole from his current incarceration
So the department of corrections
The killer is seeking approval from the Department of Corrections to be eligible for release on parole
Will release him in the fall
The killer wants his potential release on parole to coincide with the fall season
He wants to go on t.v.
The inmate wishes to make a public appearance on television
He wants to talk about his book
The inmate has written a book and wishes to discuss it on television
Make my life into a movie
The inmate desires to have a film adaptation made about his life story
I got the style, I got the look
A fellow inmate named Virgil believes that the killer has an appealing image that could make him marketable to the public
This boy used to be on death row
Virgil is emphasizing the fact that the killer has a dark past that could affect the public's perception of him
Will his violence return?
Virgil is questioning whether the killer's past violent tendencies could resurface in the future
Will he call out to his mother
Virgil is wondering if the killer will revert to a childlike state and cry out for his mother like he may have done in the past
Mama, you can watch me burn
The second inmate is imagining the killer's mother witnessing his execution
Another bull-shit degree
The killer has little faith in the value of higher education and sees it as a meaningless degree
Tell the little town new paltz
The killer wants to assure the inhabitants of New Paltz that he poses no threat to the community
You ain't got nothin to be scared about with me
The killer is trying to present himself as non-threatening and harmless to the New Paltz community
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DEREK WALCOTT, PAUL SIMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind