Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwrite… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. One of the most celebrated artists of the twentieth century, Simon's career has spanned six decades. Born in New Jersey, Simon grew up in the borough of Queens in New York City and developed an interest in rock music in his teens.

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."

Oh Marion
Paul Simon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The boy's got brains
He just don't use 'em that's all
The boy's got brains
He just refuse to use 'em and that's all
He said "the more I got to thinkin
The less I tend to laugh"
The boy's got brains
He just abstains

The boy's got a heart
But it beats on the opposite side
It's a strange phenomenon
The laws of nature defied
He said "its a chance I had to take
So I shifted my heart for it's safety sake"
The boy's got a heart but it beats on
His opposite side

Oh, marion,
I think I'm in trouble here
I should have believed you
When I heard you saying it
The only time
That love is an easy game
Is when two other people
Are playing it

The boy's got a voice
But the voice is his natural disguise
Yes the boy's got a voice
But his words don't connect to his eyes
He says "oh, but when I sing
I can hear the truth auditioning".

The boy's got a voice
But the voice is natural

Overall Meaning

In Paul Simon's song Oh Marion, he sings about a boy who has great potential but refuses to use his intelligence to its full extent. The lyrics suggest that the boy is aware of his own intelligence, but instead of acting on it or using it for good, he prefers to ignore it, abstaining from contributing anything significant to the world. The song also discusses love in a somewhat cynical manner, suggesting that love is only easy when it doesn't involve oneself, hence the line "The only time that love is an easy game is when two other people are playing it."

The boy's relationship with Marion is not clear, but it seems that she is someone who he disregarded when she warned him about the dangers of not using his intelligence, and now he realizes that he should have listened to her. Simon uses metaphorical means to describe the boy's nature of defying nature, such as his heart beating on the opposite side and his voice disconnecting from his eyes. Thus, the song's lyrics, with their clever use of language and symbolism, talk about intellectual potential, romantic relationships and human nature.

Line by Line Meaning

The boy's got brains
Despite his intelligence, the boy refuses to utilize it.

He just don't use 'em that's all
He abstains from using his intelligence.

He said "the more I got to thinkin
He shared that thinking leads him to laugh less.

The less I tend to laugh"
Thinking has decreased his laughter.

The boy's got a heart
Although he has a heart, it beats on the opposite side.

But it beats on the opposite side
His heart is in the wrong location, defying the laws of nature.

He said "its a chance I had to take
He risked moving his heart for its safety.

So I shifted my heart for it's safety sake"
He moved his heart to the opposite side to ensure its safety.

Oh, marion,
The subject addresses Marion.

I think I'm in trouble here
The subject realizes they are in a problematic situation.

I should have believed you
The subject acknowledges they should have taken Marion's advice.