So, there's two ways to look at this song - literal and metaphorical, just like any song really...
The literal meaning of this song has been confirmed to be about a road trip Paul Simon took with his young son from his first marriage after parting ways with Carrie Fisher. As I'd assume is the case with many famous couples, their relationship was fairly turbulent and they dated on/off both before AND after their marriage...I believe the split is what provided the catalyst for doing the album.
Of course, the metaphor within this song is much deeper and what makes it tangible to us as listeners beyond just Simon's personal experience. Don't we all try to get away after a bad break-up just to have it follow us in our heads and play back the many conversations or keys to why it failed? As he remembers something his lover said, he quotes her: "Losing love is like a window to your heart - everybody sees your blown apart, everybody sees the wind blow." Things that you gloss over at the time or try to ignore can end up coming back to you again and again, much like he remembers the line and hears it just a little differently each time he repeats it.
Ultimately, as he approaches his destination (literally and metaphorically) he is confident that he'll be able to move past the end of something that he cannot understand or explain and just be received as he is.
So, there's two ways to look at this song - literal and metaphorical, just like any song really...
The literal meaning of this song has been confirmed to be about a road trip Paul Simon took with his young son from his first marriage after parting ways with Carrie Fisher. As I'd assume is the case with many famous couples, their relationship was fairly turbulent and they dated on/off both before AND after their marriage...I believe the split is what provided the catalyst for doing the album.
Of course, the metaphor within this song is much deeper and what makes it tangible to us as listeners beyond just Simon's personal experience. Don't we all try to get away after a bad break-up just to have it follow us in our heads and play back the many conversations or keys to why it failed? As he remembers something his lover said, he quotes her: "Losing love is like a window to your heart - everybody sees your blown apart, everybody sees the wind blow." Things that you gloss over at the time or try to ignore can end up coming back to you again and again, much like he remembers the line and hears it just a little differently each time he repeats it.
Ultimately, as he approaches his destination (literally and metaphorically) he is confident that he'll be able to move past the end of something that he cannot understand or explain and just be received as he is.