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."
Trailway Bus
Paul Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A passenger traveling quietly conceals
Himself
With a magazine and a sleepless pillow
Over the crest of the mountain the moon
Begins its climb
And he wakes to find he's in rolling
Farmland
The farmer sleeps against his wife
He wonders what their life must be
A Trailways bus is heading south
Into Washington, D. C.
A mother and child, the baby maybe two months old
Prepare themselves for sleep and feeding.
The shadow of the Capitol dome slides across his face
And his heart is racing with the urge to freedom.
The father motionless as stone,
A shepherd resting with his flock,
The Trailways bus is turning west-
Dallas via Little Rock.
Wahzinak
O my darling, darling Sal
The desert moon is my witness.
I've no money to come East,
But I know you'll soon be here
Lazarus
We pull into downtown Dallas by the side of
The Grassy Knoll
Where the leader fell and a town was broken.
Away from the feel and flow of life for so many years
He hears music playing and Spanish spoken
The border patrol outside of Tucson boarded the bus
Border patrolman
Any aliens here? You better check with us,
How about you son?
You look like you got Spanish blood.
Do you 'Habla Ingles, ' am I understood?
Sal
Yes, I am an alien, from Mars.
I come to earth from outer space.
And if I traveled my whole life
You guys would still be on my case
You guys would still be on my case
Lazarus
But he can't leave his fears behind,
He recalls each fatal thrust
The screams carried by the wind,
Phantom figures in the dust
Phantom figures in the dust
Phantom figures in the dust.
Lead Vocal, Acoustic Guitar-Paul Simon
Vocal-Sara Ramirez
Guitar-Vincent Nguini
Guitar, Acoustic Guitar Solo-Arlen Roth
Pedal Steel-Robby Turner
Bass-Bakithi Kumalo
Trumpet-Bill Holloman
Accordion-Mike Ramos
Fender Rhodes-Oriente Lopez
Shaker-Crusher Bennett
Drums-Shannon Ford
The song “Trailway Bus” by Paul Simon is a story about the journey of a bus traveling across America from north to south. The lyrics tell the story of different passengers who board the Trailways bus and their experiences as they journey to their destination. The song starts with a passenger named Lazarus who is traveling quietly, trying to conceal himself from others on the bus. The lyrics mention that he wakes up to find himself in rolling farmland, with the moon climbing over the crest of the mountain. The song then goes on to describe other passengers on the bus, a farmer sleeping against his wife, a mother and child, and a father motionless as stone. The song also mentions a man named Wahzinak, who professes his love for his darling Sal and wishes to be with her.
As the bus approaches Dallas via Little Rock, the song mentions the Grassy Knoll where President Kennedy was assassinated and how it has affected the town. The song then mentions the border patrol outside of Tucson who boarded the bus looking for aliens. The lyrics are symbolic of the fear and prejudice that existed in America at that time towards people who were perceived as different.
The song is written in a narrative style, and the lyrics are vivid and descriptive. Paul Simon's use of metaphors and imagery in the lyrics makes it a powerful and thought-provoking song that reflects the social and political climate of the time.
Line by Line Meaning
Lazarus
A passenger who is traveling quietly, trying not to be seen
A passenger traveling quietly conceals
Lazarus is trying not to draw attention to himself
Himself
He is trying to hide who he is
With a magazine and a sleepless pillow
Lazarus is using these as his props to make him look like any other passenger
Over the crest of the mountain the moon
As they pass over a mountain range, the moon is rising
Begins its climb
The moon is slowly rising higher in the sky
And he wakes to find he's in rolling
He wakes up to see that the scenery outside has changed
Farmland
They are now driving through a farming area
The farmer sleeps against his wife
As they pass by some farmland, the farmer is sleeping next to his wife
He wonders what their life must be
Lazarus is curious about the lives of these farmers
A Trailways bus is heading south
A bus from the Trailways bus company is heading south
Into Washington, D. C.
The bus is heading towards Washington, D.C.
A mother and child, the baby maybe two months old
There is a mother and her two-month-old child on the bus
Prepare themselves for sleep and feeding.
The mother is getting ready to feed the baby and put it to sleep
The shadow of the Capitol dome slides across his face
As they approach Washington, D.C., the shadow of the Capitol dome falls across the face of one of the passengers
And his heart is racing with the urge to freedom.
The passenger is excited about being in the nation's capital and the idea of freedom that it represents
The father motionless as stone,
There is a father on the bus who is completely still
A shepherd resting with his flock,
Lazarus compares the father to a shepherd resting with his sheep
The Trailways bus is turning west-
The bus is now turning west
Dallas via Little Rock.
The bus is heading towards Dallas, passing through Little Rock along the way
Wahzinak
An interlude, possibly a reference to a place or person
O my darling, darling Sal
Lazarus is addressing someone named Sal who he misses dearly
The desert moon is my witness.
He is proclaiming his love for Sal under the moon in the desert
I've no money to come East,
Lazarus doesn't have the money to travel back east
But I know you'll soon be here
He is confident that Sal will come to him soon
We pull into downtown Dallas by the side of
The bus has arrived in downtown Dallas and has stopped next to
The Grassy Knoll
The infamous site where JFK was assassinated
Where the leader fell and a town was broken.
Reflecting on the tragic event, Lazarus acknowledges that the event had a profound effect on the town
Away from the feel and flow of life for so many years
Lazarus has been away from this area for many years and is now returning
He hears music playing and Spanish spoken
As he walks around the area, he hears music and Spanish being spoken
The border patrol outside of Tucson boarded the bus
The bus has been stopped by the border patrol outside of Tucson
Any aliens here? You better check with us,
The border patrol is asking if there are any non-U.S. citizens on the bus
How about you son?
The border patrol is asking Lazarus if he is a U.S. citizen or not
You look like you got Spanish blood.
The border patrol assumes Lazarus might have Spanish heritage based on his appearance
Do you 'Habla Ingles, ' am I understood?
The border patrol wants to know if Lazarus speaks English
Yes, I am an alien, from Mars.
Lazarus responds sarcastically, claiming to be an alien from Mars
I come to earth from outer space.
He continues his tongue-in-cheek response
And if I traveled my whole life
If he traveled his whole life
You guys would still be on my case
He would still be harassed by the border patrol
But he can't leave his fears behind,
Lazarus can't shake off his fears
He recalls each fatal thrust
He remembers moments of fear and trauma in his past
The screams carried by the wind,
He can still hear the screams echoing in his mind
Phantom figures in the dust
These memories are shadowy figures in his mind, haunting him
Phantom figures in the dust.
He repeats this phrase, emphasizing the impact that these memories have on him
Contributed by Adeline D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.