This song is about regret and the sort of impotent rage we sometimes feel as we get a little older. This song was released in 1975, so Simon would probably have been 31-33 when he wrote it. I'm almost 33, and while 33 is by no means old, it's definitely "older". At this age, you're less inclined to take risks or take on something new, and it bothers you.
"i met my old lover on the street last night
she seemed so glad to see me, i just smiled
and we talked about some old times
and we drank ourselves some beers
still crazy after all these years"
Here's our hero with having a brush with the past. This is the sort of thing that can send us down memory lane, wondering what we could have done different. In the case of the lyric, an ex-lover would have a definite impact.
Consider the lyric "She seemed so glad to see me - I just smiled." Obviously, he was less happy with it than she was. He knew what opening up the past would mean - and in the very next verse, he starts thinking back.
"i'm not the kind of man who tends to socialise
i seem to lean on old familiar ways
and i ain't no fool for lovesongs that whisper in my ears
still crazy after all these years"
Antisocial, predictable, and cynical. Obviously, he's bitter about his lot in life - symptomatic of this regretful state. Is he feeling old? You bet. "Still Crazy After ALL THESE YEARS", as though he's been around forever.
"four in the morning,
i'm tapped out and yawning,
longing my life away
i never worry, why should i,
oh yeah, it's all gonna fade"
Insomnia - the affliction of choice for the depressed. And there he says it, "longing my life away" - paralyzed in the present because he's thinking about the past. Sure, he claims nihilism in the end, but clearly this is a sour grapes, not sincerity.
"now i sit by my window and i watch the cars
i fear i'll do some damage one fine day
but i would not be convicted by a jury of my peers
still crazy after all these years"
And here is the impotent rage I referred to earlier. Just watching the world, existing apart from it - mad that the bloom of youth is gone, the threat of violence clearly hollow. He's too beaten down to follow through with it. And he's right - people just like him would understand what he's going through. While I wouldn't threaten a violent act, even in solitude, I understand that sentiment.
The main theme of this song is 'longing': A strong persistent yearning or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled
The main theme of this song is 'longing': A strong persistent yearning or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled
He, our protagonist, describes the pain of longing for what has been and for what could have been, that pain haunts him; his stumbling upon his old flame reminds him that the the longing is there, he does not consciously want to recognize the feeling inside trying to rationalize it away, but something keeps him awake nights, finally he comes to terms with the painful longing inside: that it's there and that there is no rational way to deal with it (except for writing this wonderful song :)
This song is about regret and the sort of impotent rage we sometimes feel as we get a little older. This song was released in 1975, so Simon would probably have been 31-33 when he wrote it. I'm almost 33, and while 33 is by no means old, it's definitely "older". At this age, you're less inclined to take risks or take on something new, and it bothers you.
"i met my old lover on the street last night she seemed so glad to see me, i just smiled and we talked about some old times and we drank ourselves some beers still crazy after all these years"
Here's our hero with having a brush with the past. This is the sort of thing that can send us down memory lane, wondering what we could have done different. In the case of the lyric, an ex-lover would have a definite impact.
Consider the lyric "She seemed so glad to see me - I just smiled." Obviously, he was less happy with it than she was. He knew what opening up the past would mean - and in the very next verse, he starts thinking back.
"i'm not the kind of man who tends to socialise i seem to lean on old familiar ways and i ain't no fool for lovesongs that whisper in my ears still crazy after all these years"
Antisocial, predictable, and cynical. Obviously, he's bitter about his lot in life - symptomatic of this regretful state. Is he feeling old? You bet. "Still Crazy After ALL THESE YEARS", as though he's been around forever.
"four in the morning, i'm tapped out and yawning, longing my life away i never worry, why should i, oh yeah, it's all gonna fade"
Insomnia - the affliction of choice for the depressed. And there he says it, "longing my life away" - paralyzed in the present because he's thinking about the past. Sure, he claims nihilism in the end, but clearly this is a sour grapes, not sincerity.
"now i sit by my window and i watch the cars i fear i'll do some damage one fine day but i would not be convicted by a jury of my peers still crazy after all these years"
And here is the impotent rage I referred to earlier. Just watching the world, existing apart from it - mad that the bloom of youth is gone, the threat of violence clearly hollow. He's too beaten down to follow through with it. And he's right - people just like him would understand what he's going through. While I wouldn't threaten a violent act, even in solitude, I understand that sentiment.
I love Paul Simon.
Excellent interpretation,
Excellent interpretation,
For what it's worth:
For what it's worth:
The main theme of this song is 'longing': A strong persistent yearning or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled
The main theme of this song is 'longing': A strong persistent yearning or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled
He, our protagonist, describes the pain of longing for what has been and for what could have been, that pain haunts him; his stumbling upon his old flame reminds him that the the longing is there, he does not consciously want to recognize the feeling inside trying to rationalize it away, but something keeps him awake nights, finally he comes to terms with the painful longing inside: that it's there and that there is no rational way to deal with it (except for writing this wonderful song :)
Thank you for making sense out of the lyrics, great interpretation!
Thank you for making sense out of the lyrics, great interpretation!