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."
Time Is an Ocean
Paul Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As Jesus speaks through me,
The evil we do can?t be blamed upon
Our destiny
I have walked through the valley of death row
To the shore
I have stumbled through silvery waters to my saviour,
My Salvador
Salvador
It took me for years to learn
I was in prison not in church,
And two more to begin the book of my soul?s search
Sal & Salvador
Time is an ocean of endless tears
Sal
A wild boy from the streets of the barrio
The orphan form the hill of mayaguez
Salvador
And when I wrote my story
The words flew from the page
And my soul in solitary
Escaped its iron cage
Sal & salvador
Time is anocean of endless tears
Sal
Mama, I got your letter today
The next time that you write i?ll be transferred
Far away,
I?m leaving greenhaven?s towers of stone
Where the latin population will soon be minus one.
Sal & salvador
Time is an ocean of endless tears
Sal
I know how hard it?s been for you these many years,
You say the aguinaldo makes you dream of home
Where once we strolled the beach at el malecon
Go back don?t you worry, I am your grown-up son.
Salvador
The politics of prison are a mirror of the street
The poor endure oppression
The police control the state
Salvador correctional facility
That's what they call this place
But look around and you will see
A policy of race
Sal
A forest and a prison
Where the snow and the guards are white
Salvador
If you want to keep your sanity
You'll teach yourself to write.
Salvador
You were a child of sixteen
With a twelve-year-old mind
You came here numb and battered
From the streets I left behind,
Sal
I'll take the evil in me
And turn it into good,
Though all your institutions
Never thought I could
So now I turn to say goodbye
Salvador
I'll keep your image in my eye
Sal & Salvador
I turned around to say goodbye
Sal, Esmeralda & Salvador
I'll keep your image with me till the day I die.
Salvador
Time is an ocean of endless tears.
The lyrics of Paul Simon's song "Time Is an Ocean" are full of religious and personal themes. The first verse consists of a reference to Jesus, acknowledging his importance and how the singer is just a vessel for his teachings. The second and third verse tells the story of a boy named Salvador who had a difficult upbringing, ending up in prison where he began to reflect on his life and started to write his story. Salvador's story is a powerful reminder that even though prison walls may try to contain us, our soul is free to explore and create beyond them. The last verse explains why writing can be such a powerful tool for inmates as it provides a way to escape, taking them back home where they can reconnect with their loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
I speak to you in Jesus? name
I am speaking to you as a vessel for Jesus Christ
As Jesus speaks through me,
I am a conduit for the words of Jesus Christ
The evil we do can?t be blamed upon
We cannot chalk up the bad things we do to fate or destiny
Our destiny
Our predetermined course in life
I have walked through the valley of death row
I have been imprisoned and faced the possibility of execution
To the shore
To safety or freedom
I have stumbled through silvery waters to my savior,
I have struggled through difficult circumstances to reach salvation or redemption
My Salvador
My savior
It took me for years to learn
I spent several years discovering something important
I was in prison not in church,
I was incarcerated in a correctional facility, not a place of worship
And two more to begin the book of my soul?s search
It took me an additional two years to start exploring the depths of my soul
Time is an ocean of endless tears
The passage of time is a never-ending source of sadness and emotion
A wild boy from the streets of the barrio
I was a rough and untamed child from the rough streets of the Hispanic neighborhood
The orphan form the hill of mayaguez
I am an orphan from the hill town of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
And when I wrote my story
During the process of writing my autobiography
The words flew from the page
The words came easily and effortlessly from my pen
And my soul in solitary
My inner being while I was alone in confinement
Escaped its iron cage
Broke free from the constraints of imprisonment
Mama, I got your letter today
Mother, I received the letter you sent me today
The next time that you write i?ll be transferred
The next time you communicate with me, I will be moving to a different prison
Far away,
To a location that is a significant distance from where I am currently
I?m leaving greenhaven?s towers of stone
I am departing from the stone buildings of Greenhaven Correctional Facility
Where the latin population will soon be minus one.
The Latin American community within the prison will soon have one less member due to my transfer
I know how hard it?s been for you these many years,
I am aware of how difficult things have been for you over the course of several years
You say the aguinaldo makes you dream of home
You inform me that you are reminded of home when you hear the aguinaldo (Puerto Rican Christmas music)
Where once we strolled the beach at el malecon
At one point, we used to walk along the beach at El Malecon (a popular Puerto Rican tourist attraction)
Go back don?t you worry, I am your grown-up son.
Don't worry, you can return home, as I am now an adult and able to take care of myself
The politics of prison are a mirror of the street
The power dynamics and hierarchies within prison reflect those of the outside world
The poor endure oppression
Those who are impoverished experience mistreatment and exploitation
The police control the state
Law enforcement officials have a significant degree of power and authority over the general population
Salvador correctional facility
The name of the correctional facility where I am currently imprisoned
That's what they call this place
This is the commonly used name for the place where I am currently incarcerated
But look around and you will see
If you observe your surroundings, you will realize something important
A policy of race
There is a specific approach or attitude towards race that is at play within the correctional facility
A forest and a prison
This place is both a heavily wooded area and a place of confinement
Where the snow and the guards are white
Both the snow and the armed personnel are predominantly Caucasian
If you want to keep your sanity
In order to maintain one's mental health
You'll teach yourself to write.
It is advisable to learn how to write
You were a child of sixteen
You were sixteen years old at the time
With a twelve-year-old mind
Your cognitive development was more comparable to that of a twelve-year-old
You came here numb and battered
You arrived at this place emotionally and physically drained
From the streets I left behind,
From the same environment I departed from
I'll take the evil in me
I will take my negative qualities and tendencies
And turn it into good,
And channel them into positive action
Though all your institutions
Despite the disapproval of your establishments
Never thought I could
They never believed I had the capacity to change
So now I turn to say goodbye
Now it is time for me to bid farewell
I'll keep your image in my eye
I will hold your memory close in my thoughts
I turned around to say goodbye
I looked back before departing from you
I'll keep your image with me till the day I die.
I will remember you until the end of my life
Time is an ocean of endless tears.
The passage of time is a never-ending source of sadness and emotion
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DEREK WALCOTT, PAUL SIMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hectormendez3572
This is a great album thank you Paul Simon, for narrating the story of a tiny segment of some Puerto Ricans who migrated to the city of New York many moons ago.
@joeconway523
I come back to this Capeman music every now and then...and have begun to realise what a superb concept is therein. Really beautiful.
@ontecarlo
I( saw this play and it didn't close in 10 days. There was protesting by the families of the kids who were killed in the crazy NYC gang fights in the 50s. This song was preformed by Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades. They sang as young Salvatore and older (wiser) Salvador. It was AWESOME!!
@patrickhowe8158
Yes, this is not Paul Simon singing...Ruben Blades and Marc Antony played the same character in different stages of his life. I saw the original show twice...I was the guy who designed all the gang tattoos makeup for the stage show...it was one of Simons greatest creations....lots of real Salsa and doo wop, It was a very brave concept, but most people were not open enough to understand what Simon was trying to do with this. If you were lucky enough to see it on stage, you understand what a brilliant show it really was. Again, Paul Simon was his won worst enemy in the creation of the show...he alienated many critics. But I really respect the work. Blades was incredible.
@mollyh7697
One of the deepest, most complex story-songs there could be. Brings tears every time.
@sprancek
I will always regret not seeing this on broadway.
@lemajiclem3960
Best album for me..
@MF81the1st
Same here
@davidmcconville1756
This Musical has worn very well and is as relevant in 2017 as in1997. Sadly "The politics of race" surround us daily.
@al5353al5353
Achingly good.