Many's the time I've been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and often felt forsaken
And certainly misused
But I'm all right, I'm all right, all right
I'm just weary to my bones
Still, you don't expect to be
Bright and bon vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home

And I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered
or driven to its knees
But, oh, it's all right, it's all right, all right
Cuz we've lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road we're traveling on
I wonder, can't help but wonder 
What's gone wrong

And I dreamed I was dying
And I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me
Smiled reassuringly
And I dreamed I was flying
And high up above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty
Sailing away to sea
And I dreamed I was flying

We come on the ship they call the Mayflower
We come on the ship that sailed the moon
We come in the age's most uncertain hour
and sing an American tune
But it's all right, it's all right, all right
You can't be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow's going to be another working day
And I'm trying to get some rest
That's all I'm trying just to get some rest

- lyrics by Paul Simon

American Tune (7.2 Mb mp3, open in another window)

Song Notes: This has been my favorite Paul Simon song ever since I first heard it while I was a senior in high school. "American Tune" first appeared on There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), Simon's second solo album following the breakup of Simon and Garfunkel. I arranged this song for a backyard Woodstock party, thinking I would find a song most people hadn't heard. It is also apropos for a recession, and I had a meaningful spoken intro ready. However, the energy I put into rehearsing caused a collapse lung, so I never got to perform it.

When I was in 6th grade, my sister brought home a Simon & Garfunkel album with "The Boxer" on it. I used to sneak into her room and play that song over and over, trying to scratch the record as I lifted and dropped the needle over and over. I had never been so moved by a song before. I wanted to know why it did that to me. It was the first song I ever analyzed in this manner. It was the beginning of my life as a composer. I was going to cover "The Boxer" in honor of that moment, but the words didn't fit me. These lyrics, however, are perfect.

One of the greatest songs ever written.

Link back to Song Of Myself project page.

Other lyrics pages for Song Of Myself:

1. Impossible Dream [Mitch Leigh/Joe Darion, from Man of la Mancha]
2. Dignity [Bob Dylan]
3. American Tune [Paul Simon]
4. Blue Tattoos [Joni Mitchell]
5. Blackbird [Paul McCartney]
6. Being Alive (8.1 Mb mp3) [Stephen Sondheim, from Company]
7. Frozen Man (8.7 Mb mp3) [James Taylor]
8. I Have Been Deceived (14.3 mp3) [Elton John/Bernie Taupin]
9. Let's Pretend [Anderson/Wakeman/Bruford/Howe] (altered lyrics)
10. Oh Danny Boy [traditional, lyrics by Federic Weatherly]
11. No Place Like Home [Arlen/Mueller/Mankowski]
12. BONUS TRACK: Before There Were Gods [lyrics by Tobin Mueller, music by Mueller/Hedges]

VIDEOS on YouTube:
Impossible Dream (including many fascinating images of Don Quixote)
Dignity (including photos to illustrate the lyrics)
Blue Tattoos (with a slideshow of actual tattoos... which are astounding)
I Have Been Deceived (Elton John meets the Game Of Thrones)

Link back to Song Of Myself project page.