Lyrics for You Can Call Me Al as interpreted by bonj

You Can Call Me Al Lyrics
A man walks down the street
He says why am I soft in the middle, now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard
I need a photo-opportunity
I want a shot at redemption
Don't want to end up a cartoon
In a cartoon graveyard
Bone digger, bone digger
Dogs in the moonlight
Far away my well-lit door
Mr. Beer Belly, Beer Belly
Get these mutts away from me
You know I don't find this stuff amusing anymore

If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty, when you call me
You can call me Al

A man walks down the street
He says why am I short of attention
Got a short little span of attention
And, whoa, my nights are so long
Where's my wife and family
What if I die here
Who'll be my role model
Now that my role model is
Gone, gone
He ducked back down the alley
With some roly-poly little bat-faced girl
All along, along
There were incidents and accidents
There were hints and allegations

If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty, when you call me
You can call me Al

Call me Al

A man walks down the street
It's a street in a strange world
Maybe it's the third world
Maybe it's his first time around
Doesn't speak the language
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man
He is surrounded by the
Sound, sound
Cattle in the marketplace
Scatterlings and orphanages
He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen! and Hallelujah!

If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty, when you call me
You can call me Al

Call me Al
Na, na na na...

If you'll be my bodyguard, ooooh
I can call you Betty, ooooh
If you'll be my bodyguard, ooooh
I can call you Betty, ooooh

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  • 48 Comments
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jed
05-08-2002

Rated 0 
Apparently Paul was at an international dignitaries' party - where the host thought that his name was actually Al (and his wife was Betty).

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N
07-08-2002

Rated 0 
Ok, if there is ONE song that really should be discussed here, it would be this one!!

Although I think this is a really great song, I don't have a clue what it is about!!

I want at least 50 comments!!;-)

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olough
08-16-2002

Rated 0 
It's about a man wallking down a street and all the different scenes he sees. Some are funny. Some are dangerous. You might even need a bodyguard. It might be your own neighborhood or it might be in a third world country

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belisarius101
08-21-2002

Rated 0 
The guy's in New York. Where else could you see all those things and still remain somewhat sane?

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grouping
10-17-2002

Rated 0 
I don't think it can be New York. Not much cattle in the marketplace there.

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anakin821
03-04-2003

Rated 0 
I think this song is about a many who feels empty/lacks spiritualism and drinks and doesn't think that's what he should do with his life (1st verse). He doesn't think he's seeing the real things to life, then he picks up and leaves his family to a foreign country possibly Africa and there he apparently finds God.(2nd and 3rd) as far as the Chorus I think while he's in this strange place he is asking someone to watch out for him in exchange for his friendship. Basically I think its about Paul being in Africa and sort of finding himself.

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DramamineDream
03-09-2003

Rated 0 
I'd have to say that the song is about life. And the obstacles you encouter, and fears you have about ending up alone. The bodyguard is someone that's going to help you along. At least that's what I think....

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emma.lee
03-12-2003

Rated 0 
this song was one of the first songs i knew all the words too. i think it has friendship as a theme.

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rusty1824
04-03-2003

Rated 0 
i think this song was one that paul simon wrote when he returned from a trip to africa and he wrote it about some of his experiences there.

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carabiner86
05-10-2003

Rated 0 
I agree much with what Anakin says, but I think it's more of a song of the plight of the middle-aged. The man looks around and wonders what has become of him, why isn't he where he's supposed to be, with a wife and kids and happy?

He looks for happiness and meaning, only to find "hints and allegations" in a less-than-reputable place, so he continues to wander. He finds "angels in the architecture" and believes this is Nirvana- this is what it's all about. I interpreted the last stanza as the futile attempts of a lost person to find spiritual meaning in somethign superficial, they believe they've found God but it is in fact simply a statue and nothing more.

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Andrewonfire
11-20-2004

Rated 0 
CHEVY CHASE, I hope I ruined something

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schitzo15
03-18-2005

Rated 0 
chevy chase? ruin something? what are u talking about?! he gives the song such a better image having beein associated with it! this song is amazing, i could listen to it on repeat for hours, just brings up so many different images....

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CommieAS
04-08-2005

Rated 0 
Its a Great Music Video and Chevy Chase is great in it!! Heres the music video for anyone who was not seen it... http://ultrawarp.com/chevy/paulsimon.htm

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madawab
04-14-2005

Rated +1 
The video notwithstanding, I think of this song as coming from the perspective of a sheltered American lost in another culture. Believe me, when I moved to a large African city some time ago, this song became my favorite, since I identified so much with it. I especially like the last verse where the man finally sees the good in things, and realizes he doesn't have to be in his familiar surroundings to be comfortable. I so identify with that moment.

I realize I may be reading way too much into this, but at that point in my life the song meant so much to me. BTW it was recorded in South Africa, not a thousand miles from where I was living.

I also love the four measure bass solo towards the end of the song. It is so smooth and rhythmic it must have been played by an African. Listen to authentic African music for a while and you'll understand what I mean.

The Graceland album, along with Paul's follow-up project called The Rhythm of the Saints (recorded in South America), are quite refreshing to one with a wide cultural world view. Everything here is so damned Americanized, and we almost force our culture and language upon visitors and immigrants. As Paul Simon realized, there is so much to be enjoyed by indulging in the language, music, and culture of others.

Garare //uba /i !omse.

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bobtaurus
07-08-2005

Rated +1 
Like madawab, I've always loved the bass solo on this song (which is 2 measures, not 4). On VH1's Behind the Record, Paul said the solo is 1 measure of bass solo spliced to the same solo played in reverse!

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findsomepeace
08-24-2005

Rated 0 
why am I soft in the middle, now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard

i think this is a great image, i think it is saying that while life gets harder, we are still 'soft' meaning that we still have the same weaknesses and needs (the need for a friend/bodyguard). basically saying that through all of life's hardships, we're still human.

Paul Simon is a genious, no contest with any other songwriter alive today.

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redbirdjazzz
10-08-2005

Rated 0 
In regards to the bass solo being played by an African, it wasn't. Paul Simon played a six-string electric bass throughout the song. The incredible bassline is really the driving force behind the song, in my opinion, and I think that Paul should get the credit that he deserves for it.

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redbirdjazzz
10-08-2005

Rated 0 
In regards to the bass solo being played by an African, it wasn't. Paul Simon played a six-string electric bass throughout the song. The incredible bassline is really the driving force behind the song, in my opinion, and I think that Paul should get the credit that he deserves for it.

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vishal_wall
01-18-2006

Rated 0 
I am giving it a shot..and i think im definitely wrong..here's my attempt..i think its about 'three people'/'or one man' who feel out of place..1st is a successful man..2nd is a man alienated from his family and third a man in a foreign country... chorus i think is probably these men/man is asking a favor from diffrent ladies in diffrent verses..

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GrungyBeatle
01-19-2006

Rated 0 
I get the sense this song revolves around the theme of belonging and family. As in the lines that say, "who'll be my role model" "I can be your bodygaurd" "long lost pal" "where's my wife and family" ... Also, the African rhythms are so well crafted to go along with it, its a great song altogether

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randamanae
02-27-2006

Rated 0 
What FABULOUS song!

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pyros411
03-07-2006

Rated 0 
Kickass little bass solo in there too ;)

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foxyfmu
03-12-2006

Rated 0 
Paul Simon is a genius. Rather than just look at the meaning taking it at face value there are few songs which do a better job of putting a smile on your face and making you laugh especially the video.

Great tune. Its just about his life and facing the hurdles it confronts you with.


If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal

It's just about asking for friendship isn't it? If you help protect me against this world i'll be your friend. So i agree when you say its about friendship

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attila_carnaki
03-15-2006

Rated +1 
i actually saw an interview with paul simon about this song. its alot about his life and alot about going to africa and stuff written in a joke-like format. 'a man walks down the street' its the same as 'a man walks into a bar' its a classic opening line for a joke, paul simon actually said that. amusingly in this interview he also said that the first 4 lines of the second verse are actually a penis joke... think about it
the betty and al thing is as jed said in the first comment posted.

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heyjude
03-27-2006

Rated 0 
what an album! this song has always been about life's journey to me (sometimes like being in a sitcom), so it is nice to see i am not too far off from what paul was thinking. i always got the double entendre' in the second verse. i thought it just went along with everything else being sung about.
you have to give the man credit; to hear the music of other cultures and use it as the basis for the ear/brain candy this album provided definitely shows musical genius.
remember, this album was wildly popular worldwide in it's day.

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