Slip Away
Wilson Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

I know a man
He came from my hometown
He wore his passion for his woman
Like a thorny crown
He said "Delores, I live in fear
My love for you's overpowering
I'm afraid that I will disappear"

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

I know a woman
Became a wife
These are the very words she uses
To describe her life
She said, "A good day ain't got no rain"
She said, "A bad day's when I lie in bed
And think of the things that might have been"

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away.

And I know a father who had a son
He longed to tell him all the reasons
For the things he'd done
He came a long way just to explain
He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping
Then he turned around and headed home again

He's slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

God only knows
God makes his plan
The information's unavailable
To the mortal man

We work our jobs
And we collect our pay
Believe we're gliding down the highway
When in fact we're slip slidin' away

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination




The more you're slip slidin' away
Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm

Overall Meaning

"Slip Away" by Wilson Simonal is a song about the fleeting and transient nature of life, and how our deepest desires and aspirations slip away from us as we move closer towards our destination. In the first verse, the singer tells the story of a man who is so consumed by his love for a woman named Delores that he fears disappearing entirely. His passion for her is like a "thorny crown," a burden that he cannot bear. The chorus repeats the title phrase, "Slip slidin' away," emphasizing how elusive our goals and dreams can be.


The second verse tells the story of a woman who is trapped in the mundanity of everyday life. She believes that a good day is one without rain, and a bad day is when she lies in bed and thinks of what might have been. Her dreams have slipped away from her, much like the man in the first verse.


The final verse tells the story of a father who wants to explain to his son the reasons for the choices he has made in life. He travels a long distance to visit him but ultimately decides to leave without waking him. The theme of missed opportunities is once again highlighted in this verse.


Line by Line Meaning

Slip slidin' away
Life is slipping away, time is passing quickly


Slip slidin' away
Life can be unpredictable, unstable


You know the nearer your destination
As we move closer to our goals, the more they may seem to slip away


The more you're slip slidin' away
The more we try to hold onto life, the more it slips through our fingers


I know a man
The songwriter knows of a man who loved passionately


He came from my hometown
The man was from the songwriter's hometown


He wore his passion for his woman
The man openly and freely expressed his love for his woman


Like a thorny crown
However, this love became a burden for him, like a crown of thorns


He said 'Delores, I live in fear
The man expressed his fear to his lover, Delores


My love for you's overpowering
He was afraid that his love for her was consuming him completely


I'm afraid that I will disappear'
He feared that he would lose himself in the intensity of his love


I know a woman
The songwriter also knows of a woman who got married


Became a wife
The woman got married at some point in her life


These are the very words she uses
The woman used specific words to describe her life


To describe her life
She used words to convey how she felt about her life


She said, 'A good day ain't got no rain'
A good day, for her, is one without any negative events


She said, 'A bad day's when I lie in bed
A bad day, for her, is when she is filled with regrets


And think of the things that might have been'
When she reflects on what could have happened, she feels sadness


And I know a father who had a son
The songwriter knows of a father who had a son


He longed to tell him all the reasons
The father wanted to explain why he did the things he did to his son


For the things he'd done
For his actions and choices in life


He came a long way just to explain
The father made an effort to explain himself


He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping
The father showed affection for his son


Then he turned around and headed home again
But he went back home without explaining anything to his son after all


God only knows
God is the only one who knows everything


God makes his plan
God has a plan for everyone that is unfathomable to humans


The information's unavailable
This plan is unknown and unknowable


To the mortal man
To human beings


We work our jobs
We spend our time working for a living


And we collect our pay
We receive money for our work


Believe we're gliding down the highway
We think we are making progress in our lives


When in fact we're slip slidin' away
However, in reality, time is constantly slipping away from us




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Katie Brown

A gorgeous pairing of your two voices!

Corteza Sardi

an extraordinary compilation. those of us who have the pleasure of listening to them feel grateful and very happy to enjoy them ecstatically, thank you, many blessings.

Lorna Reinhardt

Beautiful voice Rita, who knew ?

Gary Harju

I really love the production and her vocal on this recording. Sounds sensational.!

JOEL LIEBLER

Outstanding cover!Beautifully sung!❤

Brenda Pugh

Beautiful cover of a great song written by Paul Simon.

bm packer

Beautiful clear voice of an angel, Rita!!

Big Al

Amazing. 🎶👏🏻

ROBERT PRESTWOOD

Great voices together!

Marcie Otto

Damn! I really like their sound together. I just couldn't wait to hear this collaboration.

More Comments

More Versions