Patterns
Simon & Garfunkel Lyrics


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The night sets softly
With the hush of falling leaves
Casting shivering shadows
On the houses through the trees
And the light from a street lamp
Paints a pattern on my wall
Like the pieces of a puzzle
Or a child's uneven scrawl

Up a narrow flight of stairs
In a narrow little room
As I lie upon my bed
In the early evening gloom
Impaled on my wall
My eyes can dimly see
The pattern of my life
And the puzzle that is me

From the moment of my birth
To the instant of my death
There are patterns I must follow
Just as I must breathe each breath
Like a rat in a maze
The path before me lies
And the pattern never alters
Until the rat dies

The pattern still remains
On the wall where darkness fell
And it's fitting that it should
For in darkness I must dwell
Like the color of my skin
Or the day that I grow old




My life is made of patterns
That can scarcely be controlled

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of "Patterns" have a very autumnal feel to them, with the night having "the hush of falling leaves“. The shadows cast by these leaves add to the eerie atmosphere that the song creates, while the streetlamp's light reflecting off the wall creates a pattern. The singer describes the pattern as being like pieces of a puzzle or a child's scrawl, indicating how the pattern of his life is something he is trying to understand, like a puzzle, but is unevenly formed.


Moving on to the second verse, the mood continues to be quite sombre, with the narrow flight of stairs and the “early evening gloom”. We learn that the singer has something impaled on his wall, which could be a painting or a photograph as he can dimly see its pattern from his bed. The singer is talking metaphorically when he says that the pattern on the wall represents the pattern of his life and the puzzle that makes up his being. He speaks of following patterns from birth until death just in the same way that breathing is essential. Finally, he uses the metaphor of being like a rat in a maze, indicating a sense of helplessness, like a puppet on strings.


Line by Line Meaning

The night sets softly
The night is falling quietly


With the hush of falling leaves
The falling leaves create a quiet atmosphere


Casting shivering shadows
The leaves create trembling shadows


On the houses through the trees
The shadows are on the buildings through the trees


And the light from a street lamp
The streetlight throws light


Paints a pattern on my wall
A pattern is created on the wall


Like the pieces of a puzzle
The pattern is similar to a puzzle layout


Or a child's uneven scrawl
It seems as if a child drew the pattern unevenly


Up a narrow flight of stairs
Ascending a small staircase


In a narrow little room
Inside a tiny room


As I lie upon my bed
Lying on a bed


In the early evening gloom
In the dim light of early evening


Impaled on my wall
My eyes are fixed on the wall


My eyes can dimly see
Even in the low light, I can make out


The pattern of my life
I see a pattern in my life


And the puzzle that is me
I see myself as a puzzle


From the moment of my birth
Since I was born


To the instant of my death
Until I die


There are patterns I must follow
There are certain patterns I must adhere to


Just as I must breathe each breath
The same way I have to breathe


Like a rat in a maze
I feel like a rat in a maze


The path before me lies
The direction I must go is planned out


And the pattern never alters
The pattern never changes


Until the rat dies
Until the end of life


The pattern still remains
The pattern continues to exist


On the wall where darkness fell
The pattern is still visible even in the darkness


And it's fitting that it should
It's appropriate that it is present


For in darkness I must dwell
I have to live in the darkness


Like the color of my skin
Similar to the color of my skin


Or the day that I grow old
Or the day I become old


My life is made of patterns
My life has a pattern


That can scarcely be controlled
That's challenging to manage




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Simon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Iridoideae 25

The night sets softly
With the hush of falling leaves
Casting shivering shadows
On the houses through the trees
And the light from a street lamp
Paints a pattern on my wall
Like the pieces of a puzzle
Or a child's uneven scrawl

Up a narrow flight of stairs
In a narrow little room
As I lie upon my bed
In the early evening gloom
Impaled on my wall
My eyes can dimly see
The pattern of my life
And the puzzle that is me

From the moment of my birth
To the instant of my death
There are patterns I must follow
Just as I must breathe each breath
Like a rat in a maze
The path before me lies
And the pattern never alters
Until the rat dies

And the pattern still remains
On the wall where darkness fell
And it's fitting that it should
For in darkness I must dwell
Like the color of my skin
Or the day that I grow old
My life is made of patterns
That can scarcely be controlled



All comments from YouTube:

PAUL ROUPE

At 67 years old , PATTERNS is one of my favorites by Simon & Garfunkel After all of these years, it still has meaning!

John Mobley

I'm 53 and my mother always had their albums on reel to reel. I've listened to them since birth and at times still do. This song is one of the most beautiful and honest songs EVER! It's the story of my life. I have ADHD and if my pattern gets altered I have a difficult day. It is what it is! My youngest daughter I even named Sage in honor of the title track...

kathyrams

Me too

Jay Timgren

I'm 43 and these two were my introduction to music...not sung by puppets. This is absolutely one of the most overlooked songs I know of, but that's just another thing I can't control in life

Iridoideae 25

The night sets softly
With the hush of falling leaves
Casting shivering shadows
On the houses through the trees
And the light from a street lamp
Paints a pattern on my wall
Like the pieces of a puzzle
Or a child's uneven scrawl

Up a narrow flight of stairs
In a narrow little room
As I lie upon my bed
In the early evening gloom
Impaled on my wall
My eyes can dimly see
The pattern of my life
And the puzzle that is me

From the moment of my birth
To the instant of my death
There are patterns I must follow
Just as I must breathe each breath
Like a rat in a maze
The path before me lies
And the pattern never alters
Until the rat dies

And the pattern still remains
On the wall where darkness fell
And it's fitting that it should
For in darkness I must dwell
Like the color of my skin
Or the day that I grow old
My life is made of patterns
That can scarcely be controlled

Rev1205

thanks! :)

Sam

In most of the S&G greatest hits anthologies this hardly rates a mention. In my opinion this is one of their greatest poetic masterpieces, lyrically and musically. There is no artist today that i am aware of who can match their genius. The bass rythm is eerily hypnotic and the acoustics are perfect.

George Powell

This album is one of the better efforts of the entire 1960s. Great stuff!

Kristen Gilbert

I have been a fan since I was a child. I have seen them live and with more than 50 years under their belt they still live on strong. Thanks to them for blessing us with their music 🎶

Byron Kontou

Picked this album up from the thrift store and put on my turntable. And holy shit, this is some great stuff! The entire album is great!

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