Wednesday morning 3 am
Simon And Garfunkel (The Definitive Simon And Garfunkel) Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can hear the soft breathing
Of the girl that I love,
As she lies here beside me
Asleep with the night,
And her hair, in a fine mist
Floats on my pillow,
Reflecting the glow
Of the winter moonlight.

She is soft, she is warm,
But my heart remains heavy,
And I watch as her breasts
Gently rise, gently fall,
For I know with the first light of dawn
I'll be leaving,
And tonight will be
All I have left to recall.
Oh, what have I done,
Why have I done it,
I've committed a crime,
I've broken the law.
For twenty-five dollars
And pieces of silver,
I held up and robbed
A hard liquor store.
My life seems unreal,
My crime an illusion,
A scene badly written
In which I must play.
Yet I know as I gaze

At my young love beside me,
The morning is just a few hours away.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel's song Wednesday Morning 3 am tell an emotional story of a man laying next to the girl he loves, awake in bed, contemplating his mistake of committing a crime. He describes the calming sound of her soft breathing as she sleeps beside him, with her hair floating on his pillow, reflecting the winter moon's light. Although he is physically close to the girl he loves, he still feels distant and heavy-hearted, for he knows that he must leave before dawn, regretting his actions that have led him to this situation. As he watches her, he realizes that the night they are spending together is all he will remember vividly.

In the second verse of the song, the man confesses to his crime of robbing a liquor store for a small sum of twenty-five dollars and some pieces of silver. He describes his life as an illusion, and his crime feels like a badly written scene he must play, yet he knows he cannot run away from what he has done, and he must face the consequences of his actions. As he looks at the girl he loves, he realizes that the morning is only a few hours away, and he must leave her behind, alone, and burdened with his crime.

Overall, the lyrics of the song present a poignant conflict of emotions, teetering between love and crime, regret, and hopelessness. They paint a vivid picture of the man's internal struggle, as he tries to reconcile his love for the girl next to him with the criminal act he has committed.

Line by Line Meaning

I can hear the soft breathing
I can hear the peaceful breaths

Of the girl that I love,
Of the girl I am in love with,

As she lies here beside me
As she lays by my side

Asleep with the night,
Sound asleep with the darkness of the night

And her hair, in a fine mist
Her hair, lightly moistened

Floats on my pillow,
Lies gently on my pillow

Reflecting the glow
Reflecting the light

Of the winter moonlight.
From the winter moonlight.

She is soft, she is warm,
She's gentle and warm

But my heart remains heavy,
But my heart still feels burdened,

And I watch as her breasts
I observe her chest