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."

Sunday Afternoon
Paul Simon Lyrics

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Salvador, the afternoon sunlight is folding around us,
The dishes are done,
The buildings here, tall as our mountains
Sliced through the windows and cut off the sun.

On such days I find I am longing for Puerto Rico
Though I never would return 'til you are free
But when I hear the Aguinaldo my heart's a little lighter

And we danced together Aurea and me

In my life I've been unlucky with two husbands
Gumersindo liked his rum and women friends
Then that hypocrite who beat you and preached about repentance
Has gone, and so another Sunday ends

And tomorrow is another hard working Monday
I'm still hoping for the raise they promised me
There's a job as operator
I would not have to wait for
If I could speak the language easily

But I tell Aurea
The barrio's boundaries are our own little nation
Sometimes I hear you run up stairs
And I view my light with resignation

Keep your bible near you
Time is an ocean of endless tears.

Overall Meaning

The song "Sunday Afternoon" by Paul Simon paints a vivid picture of a woman's life in a postcolonial Puerto Rico. Salvador, the man in the song, and the main character are sitting outside on a sunny afternoon with the dishes finally done, and the tall buildings around them "sliced through the windows and cut off the sun." The lyrics convey a feeling of entrapment, isolation, and longing for something different. The woman yearns for Puerto Rico, but she knows she can't go back until it is free.

The song also touches on the imperfect world that the woman lives in, as she shares stories about her two husbands, both of whom were flawed. The first one, Gumersindo, liked his rum and women friends, while the second was a hypocrite who beat her while preaching about repentance. She looks towards the future, hoping for a raise at work so that she won't have to wait anymore for things to get better. She hopes to become an operator, a job she could get if she learns the language of the people around her.

The song's overarching theme is about the struggle of those living in a colonized space. Despite the difficulties, the woman finds solace in her little barrio, which she considers to be her own little nation. The woman also finds comfort in music, specifically the Aguinaldo, which brings her closer to her heritage and lets her forget for a moment about the struggles of her daily life. The final line of the song, "time is an ocean of endless tears," echoes the sentiment that life is an endless cycle of sorrow and struggle, but there are moments of joy to be found in the little things that matter.

Line by Line Meaning

Salvador, the afternoon sunlight is folding around us,
The singer is in Salvador and the sunlight is enveloping them in the afternoon.

The dishes are done,
The singer has finished doing the dishes.

The buildings here, tall as our mountains
The buildings in Salvador are so tall that they appear as mountains to the singer.

Sliced through the windows and cut off the sun.
The buildings are so tall that they block the sunlight from entering the room through the window.

On such days I find I am longing for Puerto Rico
In moments like this, the artist reminisces about Puerto Rico.

Though I never would return 'til you are free
The singer would not go back to Puerto Rico until it is free.

But when I hear the Aguinaldo my heart's a little lighter
The Aguinaldo, a Puerto Rican Christmas song, brings some happiness to the singer.

And we danced together Aurea and me
The artist danced with Aurea, probably in Puerto Rico.

In my life I've been unlucky with two husbands
The artist hasn't had good luck with their two previous husbands.

Gumersindo liked his rum and women friends
The artist's first husband liked to drink and hang out with other women.

Then that hypocrite who beat you and preached about repentance
The singer's second husband was a hypocrite because he preached repentance but still beat her.

Has gone, and so another Sunday ends
The second husband is gone, and another Sunday is coming to an end.

And tomorrow is another hard working Monday
Tomorrow is Monday, and the singer has to work hard again.

I'm still hoping for the raise they promised me
The singer is still waiting for the raise that was promised to them.

There's a job as operator I would not have to wait for
There's a job as an operator that the singer can get without waiting for anyone.

If I could speak the language easily
The artist needs to be able to speak the language to take the job.

But I tell Aurea / The barrio's boundaries are our own little nation
The artist tells Aurea that they consider the barrio as their own little nation.

Sometimes I hear you run up stairs / And I view my light with resignation
Sometimes the singer hears Aurea running up the stairs, and they feel resigned when they see their own light on.

Keep your bible near you
The singer advises Aurea to always keep her Bible close to her.

Time is an ocean of endless tears.
Time is a never-ending source of sorrow for the artist.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DEREK WALCOTT, PAUL SIMON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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