I suspect this song is meant to be a little more biting than some of you guys are thinking. You gotta remember that at the time Bob Dylan was the be-all end-all for folk fans - he was being called "a genius", the "spokesman of a generation," etc. I think Paul Simon was more than a little frustrated that he, the guy who comes up with a lyrical masterpiece like "The Sound Of Silence" is overshadowed by the guy who writes lyrics like "Your dancing child with his Chinese suit, He spoke to me, I took his flute, I wasn’t very cute to him, was I?"
Paul Simon was a very old-school (I mean in terms of approach) songwriter back in the 60's, whereas Dylan was just nuts, kinda throwing paint at the canvas. I love 'em both, but I could see Paul Simon being a little jealous that Mr. Word Vomit is being hailed as the greatest ever and he, who obviously painstakingly constructs every little line is getting his leftovers.
To me that track his him saying "See how easy this Dylan shit is? I could do it too if I wanted."
I suspect this song is meant to be a little more biting than some of you guys are thinking. You gotta remember that at the time Bob Dylan was the be-all end-all for folk fans - he was being called "a genius", the "spokesman of a generation," etc. I think Paul Simon was more than a little frustrated that he, the guy who comes up with a lyrical masterpiece like "The Sound Of Silence" is overshadowed by the guy who writes lyrics like "Your dancing child with his Chinese suit, He spoke to me, I took his flute, I wasn’t very cute to him, was I?"
Paul Simon was a very old-school (I mean in terms of approach) songwriter back in the 60's, whereas Dylan was just nuts, kinda throwing paint at the canvas. I love 'em both, but I could see Paul Simon being a little jealous that Mr. Word Vomit is being hailed as the greatest ever and he, who obviously painstakingly constructs every little line is getting his leftovers.
To me that track his him saying "See how easy this Dylan shit is? I could do it too if I wanted."