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."
Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean
Paul Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now it's a mountain range
Something unstoppable set into motion
Nothing is different, but everything's changed
It's a dead end job, and you gets tired of sittin'
And it's like a nicotine habit you're always thinking about quittin'
I think about quittin' every day of the week
Outta here
How am I gonna get outta here?
I'm thinking outta here
When am I gonna get outta here?
And when will I cash in my lottery ticket
And bury my past with my burdens and strife?
I want to shake every limb in the garden of Eden
And make every love the love of my life
I figure that once upon a time I was an ocean
But now I'm a mountain range
Something unstoppable set into motion
Nothing is different, but everything's changed
Found a room in the heart of the city, down by the bridge
Hot plate and TV and beer in the fridge
But I'm easy, I'm open, that's my gift
I can flow with the traffic, I can drift with the drift
Home again?
Naw, never going home again
Think about home again?
I never think about home
But then comes a letter from home
The handwriting's fragile and strange
Something unstoppable set into motion
Nothing is different, but everything's changed
The light through the stained glass was cobalt and red
And the frayed cuffs and collars were mended by haloes of golden thread
The choir sang, "Once Upon A Time There Was An Ocean"
And all the old hymns and family names came fluttering down as leaves of emotion
As nothing is different, but everything's changed
The song "Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean" by Paul Simon may be interpreted as a meditation on change and progress. The singer begins by contemplating how the world has transformed from an ocean into a mountain range. He considers how even seemingly small things can be hard to leave behind, like quitting a job or moving out of an unpleasant living situation. He longs for a life where he can escape his burdens and start anew. The singer then identifies with the idea that he too has undergone an evolution, from an ocean to a mountain range, echoing the changes that have unfolded in the natural world.
The singer's final verse brings in the theme of home, suggesting that the scene has shifted to a church service. He describes the beauty of the light filtering through stained glass, and the feeling of deep emotion that wells up during the singing of hymns. The final line, "as nothing is different, but everything's changed," suggests that the singer has undergone an inner transformation. Regardless of where we live or what we do, the passing of time and the experiences we accumulate will alter us in ways we might not even realize.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time there was an ocean
There was a time where vast possibilities existed
But now it's a mountain range
Now, it seems like everything is insurmountable
Something unstoppable set into motion
An unstoppable force has been set in motion, possibly changing the future
Nothing is different, but everything's changed
Although some things have remained the same, life is different now
It's a dead end job, and you gets tired of sittin'
Being stuck in a dead end job becomes tiring and exhausting
And it's like a nicotine habit you're always thinking about quittin'
The job is like an addiction that is hard to quit
I think about quittin' every day of the week
The thought of quitting is always present, every day of the week
When I look out my window it's brown and it's bleak
The view outside the window is uninviting and uninspiring
Outta here
The desire to leave the current situation
How am I gonna get outta here?
The question of how to achieve that desire
I'm thinking outta here
The process of coming up with a plan to leave
When am I gonna get outta here?
The desire to leave soon, but also impatience to do so
And when will I cash in my lottery ticket
Wondering when luck will come and pave the way for a better future
And bury my past with my burdens and strife?
Wanting to let go of the past, and all the difficulties that came with it
I want to shake every limb in the garden of Eden
A desire to experience all of life’s pleasures
And make every love the love of my life
To fully commit to every relationship, with the possibility of it becoming the only one
I figure that once upon a time I was an ocean
There was a time where one felt like anything was possible
But now I'm a mountain range
Now, one feels stuck and unmoving
Found a room in the heart of the city, down by the bridge
Settling for a simple room in the middle of the city
Hot plate and TV and beer in the fridge
Living a simple life with basic necessities and some entertainment
But I'm easy, I'm open, that's my gift
Being adaptable and open is a positive attribute
I can flow with the traffic, I can drift with the drift
Being able to adjust and flow with any situation
Home again?
The thought of returning home
Naw, never going home again
The decision not to return home
Think about home again?
The internal conflict of deciding to think about home
I never think about home
Avoiding the thought of home, for personal reasons
But then comes a letter from home
Unexpectedly, a letter from home is received
The handwriting's fragile and strange
The writing on the letter is delicate and unusual
And all the old hymns and family names came fluttering down as leaves of emotion
Memories of the past come flooding in, causing considerable emotion
The light through the stained glass was cobalt and red
The light coming in through the stained glass has tinted the atmosphere
And the frayed cuffs and collars were mended by haloes of golden thread
Something that is falling apart and in disrepair can be mended by love and care
The choir sang, 'Once Upon A Time There Was An Ocean'
The choir’s song is a reminder of the possibilities from the past
And all the old hymns and family names came fluttering down as leaves of emotion
Memories of the past come flooding in, causing considerable emotion
As nothing is different, but everything's changed
Although life seems unchanged, everything feels different, for better or for worse
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO, PAUL SIMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind