Faith is an island in the setting sun
I hold Paul Simon at least partially responsible for my upbringing. I wonder how he'd feel about that. Next to maybe Elton John or maaaaybe Billy Joel, I heard more Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel tunes growing up than just about anything. Simon's lyrics have provided a sort of background narrative, weaving in and out parallel to my own narrative, throughout the course of my life.
It would be easy for me to make a list and tell you exactly when and where certain songs were most important to me, but really, it doesn't matter. If you don't understand how Paul Simon has been a prominent figure in my life, just know that "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was my parents' wedding song, "You Can Call Me Al" will, without a doubt, be the father-daughter dance at my wedding, and, last but not least, had I been born a boy, my name would have been Harper... just like Paul Simon's son.
For a few reasons of which I'm grudgingly aware, and simultaneously for no reason at all, the song "The Obvious Child" has been stuck in my head for what seems like ages now. Interestingly enough, it was brought back into my sphere of awareness about a month ago, when Lindsey came to visit. She played a video for me from an interesting feminist blog, in which the main character has a one-night stand, falls pregnant, then runs into the guy on her way to the abortion clinic, where they have their first real date. Sort of a response to "Juno"-an exploration of another storyline, anyway. Well, "The Obvious Child" and a cover or two thereof provide the soundtrack (and the title). Watching the video, all politics aside, pleeeease, I was just absolutely struck by the percussion. On that track, Simon worked with an Afro-Brazilian rhythm group called Olodum. The entire Rhythm of the Saints album is peppered with Latin-American rhythms and percussion, just as the 1990 album Graceland was heavily influenced by South African musicians. I'm curious as to how Simon's involvement with these artists in the 1980s has influenced music as we know it today. The drums in that song just shake me to the core. I could listen to them for hours. Okay, maybe I say that because I have.
That first ten seconds? If you haven't found religion, by George, just have a listen. Turn it up as loud as you can. You will be changed.
Anyway, "The Obvious Child." Lyrically, it's a simpleish-sounding narrative with many possible meanings. Myriad interpretations have been set forth; just look at this. I don't know if I believe the most widely-spread theory, that the obvious child himself is Jesus. Perhaps it is the case, and that's fine, but you know me, I want to look deeper. One thought I was happy to read is that perhaps the lyric is really "Why deny the obvious, child?" The comma is absolutely palpable in the last line. That phrasing has really touched me, so it's been the lens through which I've been considering the song. It seems more conversational that way-reaching out to the listener to really ponder his life. I mean, this is the guy who wrote "Think Too Much." We are kindred spirits, at the very least.
One commenter on SongMeanings stated that Simon has actually explained the line "The cross is in the ballpark." It simply refers to the burdens we each have to bear as being within reach or do-able; they're "in the ballpark." Beautiful, maybe. A little sad, maybe. Hopeful. Hopeless. I don't know. All I can say is, I'm holding Paul responsible for some of the big conclusions I've been coming to lately. The guy has a lot on his shoulders.
I'm accustomed to a smooth ride
Or maybe I'm a dog who's lost its bite
I don't expect to be treated like a fool no more
I don't expect to sleep through the night
Some people say a lie's a lie's a lie
But I say why
Why deny the obvious child?
Why deny the obvious child?
And in remembering a road sign
I am remembering a girl when I was young
And we said These songs are true
These days are ours
These tears are free
And hey
The cross is in the ballpark
The cross is in the ballpark
We had a lot of fun
We had a lot of money
We had a little son and we thought we'd call him Sonny
Sonny gets married and moves away
Sonny has a baby and bills to pay
Sonny gets sunnier
Day by day by day by day
I've been waking up at sunrise
I've been following the light across my room
I watch the night receive the room of my day
Some people say the sky is just the sky
But I say
Why deny the obvious child?
Why deny the obvious child?
Sonny sits by his window and thinks to himself
How it's strange that some rooms are like cages
Sonny's yearbook from high school
Is down from the shelf
And he idly thumbs through the pages
Some have died
Some have fled from themselves
Or struggled from here to get there
Sonny wanders beyond his interior walls
Runs his hand through his thinning brown hair
Well I'm accustomed to a smoother ride
Maybe I'm a dog that's lost his bite
I don't expect to be treated like a fool no more
I don't expect to sleep the night
Some people say a lie is just a lie
But I say the cross is in the ballpark
Why deny the obvious child?
TURN THIS UP! LISTEN TO THE DRUMS! WATCH IT AGAIN!
SingingFool.com - Paul Simon - The Obvious Child - Music Video
Well, I'm accustomed to a smoother ride... or maybe I'm a dog that's lost his bite. I don't expect to be treated like a fool no more; I don't expect to sleep the night.
Some people say, "A lie is just a lie," but I say, "The cross is in the ballpark-why deny the obvious, child?"
It would be easy for me to make a list and tell you exactly when and where certain songs were most important to me, but really, it doesn't matter. If you don't understand how Paul Simon has been a prominent figure in my life, just know that "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was my parents' wedding song, "You Can Call Me Al" will, without a doubt, be the father-daughter dance at my wedding, and, last but not least, had I been born a boy, my name would have been Harper... just like Paul Simon's son.
For a few reasons of which I'm grudgingly aware, and simultaneously for no reason at all, the song "The Obvious Child" has been stuck in my head for what seems like ages now. Interestingly enough, it was brought back into my sphere of awareness about a month ago, when Lindsey came to visit. She played a video for me from an interesting feminist blog, in which the main character has a one-night stand, falls pregnant, then runs into the guy on her way to the abortion clinic, where they have their first real date. Sort of a response to "Juno"-an exploration of another storyline, anyway. Well, "The Obvious Child" and a cover or two thereof provide the soundtrack (and the title). Watching the video, all politics aside, pleeeease, I was just absolutely struck by the percussion. On that track, Simon worked with an Afro-Brazilian rhythm group called Olodum. The entire Rhythm of the Saints album is peppered with Latin-American rhythms and percussion, just as the 1990 album Graceland was heavily influenced by South African musicians. I'm curious as to how Simon's involvement with these artists in the 1980s has influenced music as we know it today. The drums in that song just shake me to the core. I could listen to them for hours. Okay, maybe I say that because I have.
That first ten seconds? If you haven't found religion, by George, just have a listen. Turn it up as loud as you can. You will be changed.
Anyway, "The Obvious Child." Lyrically, it's a simpleish-sounding narrative with many possible meanings. Myriad interpretations have been set forth; just look at this. I don't know if I believe the most widely-spread theory, that the obvious child himself is Jesus. Perhaps it is the case, and that's fine, but you know me, I want to look deeper. One thought I was happy to read is that perhaps the lyric is really "Why deny the obvious, child?" The comma is absolutely palpable in the last line. That phrasing has really touched me, so it's been the lens through which I've been considering the song. It seems more conversational that way-reaching out to the listener to really ponder his life. I mean, this is the guy who wrote "Think Too Much." We are kindred spirits, at the very least.
One commenter on SongMeanings stated that Simon has actually explained the line "The cross is in the ballpark." It simply refers to the burdens we each have to bear as being within reach or do-able; they're "in the ballpark." Beautiful, maybe. A little sad, maybe. Hopeful. Hopeless. I don't know. All I can say is, I'm holding Paul responsible for some of the big conclusions I've been coming to lately. The guy has a lot on his shoulders.
I'm accustomed to a smooth ride
Or maybe I'm a dog who's lost its bite
I don't expect to be treated like a fool no more
I don't expect to sleep through the night
Some people say a lie's a lie's a lie
But I say why
Why deny the obvious child?
Why deny the obvious child?
And in remembering a road sign
I am remembering a girl when I was young
And we said These songs are true
These days are ours
These tears are free
And hey
The cross is in the ballpark
The cross is in the ballpark
We had a lot of fun
We had a lot of money
We had a little son and we thought we'd call him Sonny
Sonny gets married and moves away
Sonny has a baby and bills to pay
Sonny gets sunnier
Day by day by day by day
I've been waking up at sunrise
I've been following the light across my room
I watch the night receive the room of my day
Some people say the sky is just the sky
But I say
Why deny the obvious child?
Why deny the obvious child?
Sonny sits by his window and thinks to himself
How it's strange that some rooms are like cages
Sonny's yearbook from high school
Is down from the shelf
And he idly thumbs through the pages
Some have died
Some have fled from themselves
Or struggled from here to get there
Sonny wanders beyond his interior walls
Runs his hand through his thinning brown hair
Well I'm accustomed to a smoother ride
Maybe I'm a dog that's lost his bite
I don't expect to be treated like a fool no more
I don't expect to sleep the night
Some people say a lie is just a lie
But I say the cross is in the ballpark
Why deny the obvious child?
TURN THIS UP! LISTEN TO THE DRUMS! WATCH IT AGAIN!
SingingFool.com - Paul Simon - The Obvious Child - Music Video
Well, I'm accustomed to a smoother ride... or maybe I'm a dog that's lost his bite. I don't expect to be treated like a fool no more; I don't expect to sleep the night.
Some people say, "A lie is just a lie," but I say, "The cross is in the ballpark-why deny the obvious, child?"