Paul Simon – Loves Me Like a Rock

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  General Comment:This song is about a Mother's love .. the part about her getting down on her knees and hugging him is probably a reference to her praying for him. The last part of the song has to do with what was going on in the politics of that day which was Nixon and water gate.
  
  Background vocals were provided by a popular Gospel group called The Dixie Hummingbirds. This song peeked at number 2 on the billboard chart in 1973. And the gospel group The Dixie Hummingbirds version received a grammy for it later.

  Flag TheGeekGirlon April 07, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:I interpret this song to be a political satire. The person who says "he has lost faith in anything besides what he can see and touch" is pretty much in line with what i'm saying. It IS a spiritual song because it acknowledges the presence of the devil, but the only knowledge of God known to the singer is that he was "consecrated." I don't think "mama" ever refers to his biological mother, but to his lovers. Exploring sexuality is how he experiences God. In the first verse he loses his virginity. In the second verse, he "can SNATCH a little purity."
  
  I think the idea of the line "loves me like a rock" is that when a man can get to be "a rock" for a woman, she will get him off at his beck and call. The singer has learned to experience religion by becoming a woman's god, rather than joining in a union with a woman for God's intended purpose to "be fruitful and multiply." This leads him to become President, a man who is playing God over the United States ...Nixon definitely was under the sway of the devil, believing that if he could be omniscient he could rule the nation in a God-like way. I'm left-leaning, but I honestly believe Nixon was one of our most talented and well-intentioned presidents. However, this song points out exactly what his tragic flaw was which led to his downfall. Nixon did not use God's gifts for their intended purpose.
  
  I ought to add that I at first absolutely detested this song and whenever it came on it made me want to bang my head off shit and scream really loud. It grew on me, obviously, and what I originally thought were retarded lyrics I later read as deep and multi-layered, just very simple. But I never thought for a single second it was his actual mother who he refers to as "mama" because "she gets down on her knees and hugs me 'cause she loves me like a rock" certainly sounded like he was getting head. Oral sex is one-sided sexual gratification performed as "mama's" worship of her rock. It is not a sexual union which produces children for God. One person dominating and commanding over another like God vs. two people in union following God's command.
  
  I find this song to be very misogynistic and ironic -- an excellent technique for creating a biting satire of American government and culture. What is ironic is the singer thinks he warded off the devil's temptation. However by embracing the societal norms of male superiority and embracing the "perfection" of America's system of government, the singer has rejected God and attempted to become God himself -- the very crime for which Lucifer was banished from heaven in the first place!

  Flag ZinbobDanon November 29, 2008   Link

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    I think this song is -- as many of Paul Simon's songs -- deliberately vague about how literally everything needs to be taken, and the author is probably quite happy about the overall ambiguity! Mama could be actually mama, girl, God, Church... the songwriter obviously wants to leave all these possibilities open.
    
    There is an undeniable spiritual theme of course, because of the lyrics, because of Paul Simon's background, because the song is actually written in the form of a gospel. By way of context, it may also be helpful to listen to the acoustic demo in the latest edition of the album, which has a fourth stanza that definitely sets the tone as a gospel:
    
    I'm in the Kingdom of the Lord
    When the devil calls my name
    I say devil who do, who do you think you're fooling
    Let the gongregation sing
    Let the choir holler holy, holy
    Oh my mum loves me, she loves me...
    
    For some reason this fourth stanza was left out (perhaps it was too "gospelly" for a general audience?) leaving with the impression that the devil has left the scene and the singer's preoccupations are now more earthly.

    Flag pp2718on July 21, 2011  
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  General Comment:I always figured that the song was being forgiven. Like, even if he does something bad, his mother still loves him. Even the president has a mother who loves him.

  Flag neongoddesson November 02, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:Some ppl asked, so I thought Id clear part of it up ~ "mama" in the 1st stanza is literal, in the 2nd stanza it's his wife, and in the 3rd stanza it's even more broad, perhaps the American public, I would say. That's why he's a "consecrated boy," then a "consummated man," and then a leader with the "Presidential Seal ... on the Presidential Podium."

  Flag OoOsublimeOoOon October 29, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:i read that this song was about the watergate scandal, along with "american tune"

  Flag theofficeallianceon September 25, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:this song definatly could be interpretted a lot of different ways. my boyfriend and i were trying to figure it out and thought maybe mama in the beginning of the song is literally his mother, then when he's a man its his wife/girlfriend/whatever, and then the president thing...not really sure...maybe lady liberty? i think the whole "rock of ages" thing makes you think spiritual or of god but it could also just be the figure of speech...i'm not entirely sure what i think.

  Flag littlewingon November 22, 2006   Link

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  General Comment:I always took this song as a light-hearted little story of how a boy loses his innocence. He starts out in the Sunday choir being tempted by the Devil, then he's a consummated (non-virginal) man but is still tempted by the devil, showing that he still has religious ideals and beliefs, and finally he's the President, who is no longer being tempted by anything fantastical- he's being tempted by Congress, a representation of sad realism, he's lost faith in anything besides what he can see and touch.
  
  On a different note, it just plain makes me smile that Congress is compared to the devil in this song.

  Flag thelesserthreaton July 09, 2006   Link

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  General Comment:A very groovy song. He's growing/grown up, he's successful and proud, he's avoided his demons or weaknesses and he can do all of this because his literal or figurative Mother is the strength he falls back upon. I like it.
  
  And yet I can't help but mishear the line in the second verse as "I'm a constipated man"... Teehee.

  Flag Heliamphoraon April 13, 2006   Link

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  General Comment:i agree that mama would be god because mama could represent a care taker or teacher or leader...all of which god is to be...

  Flag littlewingon December 09, 2005   Link

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  General Comment:i heard that the last stanza was about Pres. Nixon. i always took the rest of the song quite literally: he doesn't worry too much 'cause his mamma loves him.

  Flag findsomepeaceon August 05, 2005   Link

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