They are well known for their close vocal harmonies and sometimes unstable relationship. Their last album, Bridge over Troubled Water, was delayed several times due to artistic disagreements. They were among the most popular recording artists of the 1960s, and are perhaps best known for their songs "The Sounds of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "Bridge over Troubled Water", and "The Boxer". They have received several Grammys and are inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (2007). In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Simon and Garfunkel #40 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[1]
They have reunited on several occasions since their 1970 breakup, most famously for 1981's The Concert in Central Park, which attracted about 500,000 people.
In 1999, the asteroid 91287 Simon-Garfunkel was named in their honor.
Kathy's Song
Simon and Garfunkel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a memory it falls
Soft and warm continuing
Tapping on my roof and walls
And from the shelter of my mind
Through the window of my eyes
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
My mind's distracted and diffused
My thoughts are many miles away
They lie with you when you're asleep
And kiss you when you start your day
And a song I was writing is left undone
I don't know why I spend my time
Writing songs I can't believe
With words that tear and strain to rhyme
And so you see I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you
And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There but for the grace of you go I
The song "Kathy's Song" by Simon and Garfunkel is a melancholic tune that tells the story of a person who is separated from the one they love. The singer hears the rain tapping on their roof and walls and is reminded of their memories with their loved one. This person's mind is preoccupied with thoughts of their beloved, even when they are miles apart, talking about how they think about them when they're asleep or when they wake up in the morning. The singer is struggling with writer's block and is unable to finish a song, explaining how the lyrics he's been writing fell apart and didn't make sense. The singer continues to explain that they're starting to doubt everything they once believed in, feeling alone without any true beliefs, except for their unconditional love for this other person.
The final verse of the song offers a solemn comparison between the drops of rain and the singer's own life. The singer says that "I know that I am like the rain, There but for the grace of you go I." The rain is a metaphor for the singer's own life, in which they are simply living without much purpose until they become reunited with their loved one. This connection to their beloved serves as the only thing anchoring the singer to the world. Without the warmth and love provided by their significant other, the singer's life would be cold and purposeless – just like the rain.
Overall, "Kathy's Song" by Simon and Garfunkel speaks to the power of love and how it can serve as the on. The song offers a glimpse into the mind and emotions of a person deeply in love and struggling with their separation, offering a powerful insight into the human condition of love and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the drizzle of the rain
The sound of the rain is like a musical memory.
Like a memory it falls
The rain falling reminds me of something in the past.
Soft and warm continuing
The comforting sound of the rain is continuous.
Tapping on my roof and walls
The rain is gently tapping on the house.
And from the shelter of my mind
From the safety of my thoughts.
Through the window of my eyes
Looking out of the window with my eyes.
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
I look past the rainy streets.
To England where my heart lies
Thinking of a person in England who holds my heart.
My mind's distracted and diffused
My thoughts are scattered and unfocused.
My thoughts are many miles away
My thoughts are focused on a person who is far away.
They lie with you when you're asleep
My thoughts are with you even when you're sleeping.
And kiss you when you start your day
My thoughts of you are with you at the start of your day.
And a song I was writing is left undone
I can't finish the song I was writing because of my distracting thoughts.
I don't know why I spend my time
I'm not sure why I'm wasting time writing songs.
Writing songs I can't believe
I'm not satisfied with the songs I'm writing.
With words that tear and strain to rhyme
I struggle to put rhyming words together.
And so you see I have come to doubt
As a result, I am beginning to doubt.
All that I once held as true
I'm starting to question things I once believed.
I stand alone without beliefs
I'm left without any strong convictions.
The only truth I know is you
The one true thing I hold onto is my love for you.
And as I watch the drops of rain
Looking out at the rain.
Weave their weary paths and die
I notice how the rain seems to fade away.
I know that I am like the rain
I see myself in the rain, fading away.
There but for the grace of you go I
My love for you is the only thing that keeps me going.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL SIMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jucameron
Paul Simon met Kathleen Mary “Kathy” Chitty at the very first English folk club in which he played, the Railway Inn Folk Club in Brentwood, Essex, on 12th April, 1964. Kathy, who worked there, was then 17, Paul was 22, and it appears to have been love at first sight.
A few weeks later Simon wrote "Homeward Bound" as he sat on Widnes Railway Station waiting for the train that would take him back to her. There's a plaque at the station recalling this event. Later that year he invited her to the US where they toured around mainly by bus.
Kathy returned to England on her own with Simon returning to her some weeks later. During this separation he wrote "America" clearly a love song to Kathy:
"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping
"I'm empty and aching and I don't know why"
During their separation he also wrote the immortal "Kathy’s Song", one of the most beautiful love songs ever written:
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
To England where my heart lies.
My mind's distracted and diffused
My thoughts are many miles away
They lie with you when you're asleep
And kiss you when you start your day.
When he returned to London he recorded the album "The Paul Simon Songbook" that included "Kathy’s Song", and had a photo of Simon and Kathy on the cover. In the meantime, "The Sound of Silence" started to receive major air-play in America eventually becoming No 1 in the US charts in 1965. Simon felt the need to return to the US to continue his career but this meant splitting up with Kathy because she wanted no part of the crazy US music scene.
Kathy later married and brought up three children in a remote mountain village in North Wales where she still lives - she is now a grandmother. Now well into his 70s, Simon recalls their months together with great tenderness and says it was "by far the most peaceful time of my life". In fact he didn't hear from her for over 20 years but after the success of "Graceland" she wrote to congratulate him. When, in 1991, Simon toured the UK, Kathy and her family attended his show in Sheffield. They met again in July 2004 after his "Old Friends Reunion Tour" stop at Hyde Park in London (where her three children now live).
@TheDaRkUs06
I hear the drizzle of the rain
Like a memory it falls
Soft and warm continuing
Tapping on my roof and walls
And from the shelter of my mind
Through the window of my eyes
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
To England where my heart lies
My mind's distracted and diffused
My thoughts are many miles away
They lie with you when you're asleep
And kiss you when you start your day
And a song I was writing is left undone
I don't know why I spend my time
Writing songs I can't believe
With words that tear and strain to rhyme
And so you see I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you
And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There but for the grace of you go I
@JamesHH
I’ve just heard this song for the first time at the age of 33, it had me starting to think about life, career and family.
I started to sob. This hits deep and I wonder if others feel as lost as me when they hear it.
Buonanotte 🙏🏻
@christinadrummond8062
@-JamesHH - I first heard this song just three years after the album came out, I was a young teen - and since then I've not heard a more beautiful love song. (I wasn't a typical thirteen-year-old, I loved poetry and history and writers like Dostoyevsky). I didn't know the story behind the song then, but many years later when I read about it I understood the sense of loss that I had felt but couldn't put a name to. You are so right, it does hit deep, and still does. I never did meet anyone who I felt could have written such a song for me, but maybe I expected too much.........
@JamesHH
@@christinadrummond8062 what a beautiful comment. ❤️ Thank you for sharing. I hope you’re well.
@christinadrummond8062
@@JamesHH - bless you and thank you! I do hope that life will be good to you, and that the sense of loss will diminish.
@rimmersbryggeri
I first heard it when I was about 15 or 16 and it has been one of my favourite songs ever since. Had a love interest called Catherine that lived in england for a time to. :)
@axiesimon5252
Growing up, my father sang this song to me as a lullaby. I remember falling asleep to the sound of him singing, and though I am 23 now, I still haven't discovered a greater peace than listening to it or singing it. I'll sing it to my fiancé, I'll sing it to my children, and I know one day, if I'm blessed to be there during his final moments, I'll sing it to my dad once more. There is love in these chords, and it's a shame we don't have artists like Paul Simon in the spotlight nowadays.
@triplem9805
Artists of his stature don't happen along very often, but I'm sure they will continue to appear from time to time. For me, it's important not to miss wonderful songs by expecting them to be similar to the ones we already love. So 'The Winner Takes It All' by Abba, and Billy Joel's 'Innocent Man', and The Hollies' 'The Air That I Breathe' (particularly as covered by kd lang) in very different ways capture something uniquely brilliantly about life and love.
Having said that (and maybe it's because of my generation) it does seem that lyrics that speak right into the soul, woven into wonderful melodies and arrangements, pop up less often now than they did a while ago.
@Videojohnnyboy
Axie Simon - what a lovely memory to share
@mindfulharmony1816
Yes, I agree with you. What lovely memories. And your fiancé , your children and especially your Dad will love hearing you sing it. ❤️🌺🌹
@patriciaryan2134
Thats truly beautiful. Its what life is all about