“The nearer your destination, the more you’re slip-slidin’ away.” - Paul Simon
I really like Paul Simon. Ol’ man Garfunkel wasn’t too bad either. And maybe it’s because I have childhood memories of sitting in the backseat of a car on a vacation with the whole family listening to “The Concert in Central Park”, but that album always resonated with me.
The idea that the nearer we get to where we’re going, the further we actually are from it is a strange one, but one that I would subscribe to (if I could figure it out).
I take it to say that life is a journey, not a pursuit of a destination. And the nearer you get to making it a pursuit of a destination (be that a possession or a relationship or a heaven in the sky), the greater loss it is for you, as you are missing all of the roses along the path that deserved to have someone stop and smell them.
My favorite Simon and Garfunkel song of all time is "America". It speaks sort of the same thing...the journey. They've gone off to find something, only to learn that it was never lost! Paul Simon seemed to be all about the journey and destination... he also wrote Homeward Bound, The only living boy in New York, So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright and sang of the loss of 'Joltin Joe' in Mrs. Robinson. But I guess when you've written as many songs as he has, a few are bound to be about destination unknown.
ReplyDeletepaul simon is one of the most genius song writers of all time. i could write a book on him if i wanted to (and i kinda do...).
ReplyDeletedid you know the last verse was not originally part of this song? the record company made paul simon write it. he intended the song to be the first three verses, which kind of represent a trinity of love (love of a man for a woman, love of a woman for a man, love between parent and child...). umm just thought you might find that interesting...and now i shall retreat to my music nerd life...wow i am lame.