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Tales From New York - Lyrics Page 2
(released in 2000)

Tales From New York

Songs on this lyrics page:
A Hazy Shade Of Winter
The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
At the Zoo
Fakin' It
Punky's Dilemma
You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies
Mrs. Robinson
Old Friends/Bookends
The Boxer
Baby Driver
Keep the Customer Satisfied
So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Cecilia
The Only Living Boy in New York
Bye Bye Love
Song for the Asking
El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
America
My Little Town

Back to Tales From New York Lyrics Page 1


A Hazy Shade Of Winter (2:17) MIDI
P. Simon, 1966
Released on Bookends

Time, time, time
See what's become of me
While I looked around
For my possibilities
I was so hard to please
But look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hear the Salvation Army band
Down by the riverside
It's bound to be a better ride
Than what you've got planned
Carry your cup in your hand
And look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hang onto your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say
But if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend
That you can build them again
Look around
The grass is high
The fields are ripe
It's the springtime of my life

Seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me
At any conveient time?
Funny how my memory skips
While looking over manuscripts
Of unpublished rhyme
Drinking my vodka and lime
I look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Look around
Leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground


The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (1:42) MIDI
P. Simon, 1966
Released on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feeling groovy

Hello lamppost, what'cha knowing
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain't cha got no rhymes for me?
Doo-it in doo doo, feeling groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feeling groovy

I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life I love you, all is groovy


At The Zoo (2:23) MIDI
P. Simon, 1967
Released on Bookends

Someone told me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true

It's a light and tumble journey
From the East Side to the park
Just a fine and fancy ramble to the zoo
But you can take a crosstown bus
If it's raining or it's cold
And the animals will love it if you do

Somethin' tells me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true

The monkeys stand for honesty
Giraffes are insincere
And the elephants are kindly but they're dumb
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum

Zebras are reactionaries
Antelopes are missionaries
Pigeons plot in secrecy
And hamsters turn on frequently
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo


Fakin' It (3:17)
P. Simon, 1967
Released on Bookends

When she goes, she's gone
If she stays, she stays here
The girl does what she wants to do
She knows what she wants to do
And I know I'm fakin' it
I'm not really makin' it

I'm such a dubious soul
And a walk in the garden
Wears me down
Tangled in the fallen vines
Pickin' up the punch lines
I've just been fakin' it
Not really makin' it

Is there any danger?
No, no, not really
Just lean on me
Takin' time to treat
Your friendly neighbors honestly
I've just been fakin' it
I'm not really makin' it
This feeling of fakin' it-
I still haven't shaken it

Prior to this lifetime
I surely was a tailor
Look at me
("Good morning, Mr. Leitch,
Have you had a busy day?")
I own the tailor's face and hands
I am the tailor's face and hands
I know I'm fakin' it
I'm not really makin' it
This feeling of fakin' it-
I still haven't shaken it


Punky's Dilemma (2:13)
P. Simon, 1968
Released on Bookends

Wish I was a Kellogg's Cornflake
Floatin' in my bowl takin' movies
Relaxin' a while, livin' in style
Talkin' to a raisin who 'casionally plays L.A.
Casually glancing at his toupee

Wish I was an English muffin
'Bout to make the most out of a toaster
I'd ease myself down
Comin' up brown
I prefer boysenberry
More than any ordinary jam
I'm a "Citizens for Boysenberry Jam" fan

Ah, South California

If I become a first lieutenant
Would you put my photo on your piano?
"To Maryjane-
Best wishes, Martin"
(Old Roger draft-dodger
Leavin' by the basement door)
Everybody knows what he's
Tippy-toeing down there for


You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies (2:19)
P. Simon
Released as the B side of "Fakin' It"

You don't know that you love me
You don't know, but I know that you do
You may think you're above me, yeah
What you think isn't always true

Don't try to debate me
You should know that I'm womanly wise
Still you're trying to manipulate me
You don't know where your interest lies

No, you don't know where your interest lies

You don't begin to comprehend
You're just a game that I like to play
You may think that my friend's all right
But I won't let friendship get in my way

No, I won't let friendship get in my way

Indications indicate
Running the same riff will turn you around
Obviously, you're going to blow it
But you don't know it

You don't know that you love me
You don't know, but I know that you do
You may think you're above me, yeah
What you think isn't always true

And you don't know where your interest lies
You don't know where your interest lies


Mrs. Robinson (4:03) MIDI
(From the motion picture The Graduate)
P. Simon, 1968
Released on Bookends

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know, wo wo wo
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray, hey hey hey
Hey hey hey

We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files
We'd like to help you learn to help yourself
Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know, wo wo wo
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray, hey hey hey
Hey hey hey

Hide it in a hiding place where no one ever goes
Put it in your pantry with your cupcakes
It's a little secret, just the Robinsons' affair
Most of all you've got to hide it from the kids

Coo coo ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know, wo wo wo
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray, hey hey hey
Hey hey hey

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday fternoon
Going to the candidate's debate
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at it you lose

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you, woo woo woo
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?
Joltin' Joe has left and gone away, hey hey hey
Hey hey hey


Old Friends/Bookends (3:56) MIDI
P. Simon, 1968
Featured on Bookends

Old friends
Old friends
Sat on their park bench
Like bookends
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round toes
Of the high shoes
Of the old friends

Winter companions
The old men
Lost in their overcoats
Waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city
Sifting through the trees
Settle like dust
On the shoulders
Of the old friends

Can you imagine us
Years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange
To be seventy

Old friends
Memory brushes the same years
Silently sharing the same fear...

Time it was, and what a time it was, it was
A time of innocence, A time of confidences
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories; They're all that's left you


The Boxer (5:08) MIDI
P. Simon, 1968
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

I am just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocketful of mumbles
Such are promises
All lies and jests
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest

When I left my home and my family
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station
Running scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know

Lie la lie...

Asking only workman's wages
I come looking for a job
But I get no offers
Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there

Lie la lie...

Then I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone
Going home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleeding me,
Leading me, going home.

In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving"
But the fighter still remains

Lie la lie...


Baby Driver (3:15)
P. Simon, 1969
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

My daddy was the family bassman
My mamma was an engineer
And I was born one dark gray morn
With music coming in my ears
In my ears

They call me Baby Driver
And once upon a pair of wheels
Hit the road and I'm gone
What's my number
I wonder how your engines feel
Ba ba ba ba
Scoot down the road
What's my number
I wonder how your engines feel

My daddy was a prominent frogman
My mamma's in the Naval Reserve
When I was young I carried a gun
But I never got the chance to serve
I did not serve

They call me Baby Driver
And once upon a pair of wheels
Hit the road and I'm gone
What's my number
I wonder how your engines feel
Ba ba ba ba
Scoot down the road
What's my number
I wonder how your engines feel

My daddy got a big promotion
My mamma got a raise in pay
There's no one home, we're all alone
Oh come into my room and play
Yes we can play

I'm not talking about your pigtails
But I'm talking 'bout your sex appeal
Hit the road and I'm gone
What's my number
I wonder how your engines feel
Ba ba ba ba
Scoot down the road
What's my number
I wonder how your engines feel


Keep The Customer Satisfied (2:35) MIDI
P. Simon, 1969
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

Gee but it's great to be back home
Home is where I want to be
I've been on the road so long my friend
And if you came along
I know you couldn't disagree
It's the same old story, yeah
Everywhere I go
I get slandered, libeled
I hear words I never heard in the Bible
And I'm one step ahead of the shoe shine
Two steps away from the county line
Just trying to keep my customers satisfied
Satisfied

Deputy Sheriff said to me
"Tell me what you come here for, boy
You better get your bags and flee
You're in trouble, boy
And now you're heading into more"
It's the same old story
Everywhere I go
I get slandered, libeled
I hear words I never heard in the Bible
And I'm one step ahead of the shoe shine
Two steps away from the county line
Just trying to keep my customers satisfied
Satisfied

And it's the same old story
Everywhere I go
I get slandered, libeled
I hear words I never heard in the Bible
And I'm so tired
I'm oh so tired
But I'm trying to keep my customers satisfied
Satisfied


So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright (3:41) MIDI
P. Simon, 1969
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

So long, Frank Lloyd Wright
I can't believe your song is gone so soon
I barely learned the tune
So soon
So soon

I'll remember Frank Lloyd Wright
All of the nights we'd harmonize till dawn
I never laughed so long
So long
So long

Architects may come and
Architects may go and
Never change your point of view
When I run dry
I stop a while and think of you

Architects may come and
Architects may go and
Never change your point of view

So long, Frank Lloyd Wright
All of the nights we'd harmonize till dawn
I never laughed so long
So long
So long


Bridge Over Troubled Water (4:53) MIDI
P. Simon, 1969
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

When you're weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes,
I will dry them all
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on silver girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind


Cecilia (2:55) MIDI
P. Simon, 1969
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

Celia, you're breaking my heart
You're shaking my confidence daily
Oh Cecilia, I'm down on my knees
I'm begging you please, to come home

Celia, you're breaking my heart
You're shaking my confidence daily
Oh Cecilia, I'm down on my knees
I'm begging you please, to come home
Come on home

Making love in the afternoon
With Cecilia up in my bedroom
I got up to wash my face
When I come back to bed
Someone's taken my place

Celia, you're breaking my heart
You're shaking my confidence daily
Oh Cecilia, I'm down on my knees
I'm begging you please, to come home
Come on home

Jubilation, she loves me again
I fall on the floor and I'm laughing
Jubilation, she loves me again
I fall on the floor and I'm laughing


The Only Living Boy In New York (3:58)
P. Simon, 1969
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

Tom, get your plane right on time
I know your part'll go fine
Fly down to Mexico
Da-n-da-da-n-da-n-da and here I am
The only living boy in New York

I get the news I need on the weather report
Oh, I can gather all the news I need on the weather report
Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile
Da-n-do-da-n-do-da-n-da-da and here I am
The only living boy in New York

Half of the time we're gone but we don't know where
And we don't know where

Here I am

Half of the time we're gone but we don't know where
And we don't know where

Tom, get your plane right on time
I know that you've been eager to fly now
Hey let your honesty shine, shine, shine now
Da-n-da-da-n-da-n-da-da
Like it shines on me
The only living boy in New York

Here I am
Here I am


Bye Bye Love (2:55) MIDI
F. Bryant/B. Bryant, 1957
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

Bye bye love
Bye bye happiness
Hello loneliness
I think I'm gonna cry
Bye bye love
Bye bye sweet caress
Hello emptiness
I feel like I could die
Bye bye, my love, goodbye

There goes my baby
With someone new
She sure looks happy
I sure am blue
She was my baby
Till he stepped in
Goodbye to romance
That might have been

Bye bye love
Bye bye happiness
Hello loneliness
I think I'm gonna cry
Bye bye love
Bye bye sweet caress
Hello emptiness
I feel like I could die
Bye bye, my love, goodbye

I'm through with romance
I'm through with love
I'm through with counting
The stars above
And here's the reason
That I'm so free
My loving baby
Is through with me

Bye bye love
Bye bye happiness
Hello loneliness
I think I'm gonna cry
Bye bye love
Bye bye sweet caress
Hello emptiness
I feel like I could die
Bye bye, my love, goodbye


Song For The Asking (1:49) MIDI
P. Simon, 1969
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

Here is my song for the asking
Ask me and I will play
So sweetly, I'll make you smile

This is my tune for the taking
Take it, don't turn away
I've been waiting all my life

Thinking it over, I've been sad
Thinking it over, I'd be more than glad
To change my ways for the asking

Ask me and I will play
All the love that I hold inside


El Condor Pasa (If I Could) (3:06) MIDI
J. Milchberg/D. A. Robles, 1933; English lyric P. Simon, 1970
Released on Bridge Over Troubled Water

I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail
Yes I would, if I could, I surely would

I'd rather be a hammer than a nail
Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would

Away, I'd rather sail away
Like a swan that's here and gone
A man gets tired out to the ground
He gives the world
Its saddest sound
Its saddest sound

I'd rather be a forest than a street
Yes I would, if I could, I surely would

I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet
Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would


America (3:37) MIDI
P. Simon, 1968
Released on Bookends

"Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag"
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies
And walked off to look for America

"Kathy," I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now"
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've come to look for America

Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"

"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"
"We smoked the last one an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping
"I'm empty and aching and I don't know why"
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America


My Little Town (3:52) MIDI
P. Simon, 1975
Released on Still Crazy After All These Years (Paul Simon) and Breakaway (Art Garfunkel)

In my little town, I grew up believing
God keeps His eye on us all
And He used to lean upon me
As I pledged allegiance to the wall
Lord I recall
My little town

Coming home after school
Flying my bike past the gates of the factories
My mom doing the laundry,
Hanging our shirts in the dirty breeze

And after it rains, there's a rainbow
And all of the colors are black
It's not that the colors aren't there
It's just imagination they lack
Everything's the same back
In my little town

Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town
Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town

In my little town, I never meant nothin'
I was just my father's son
Saving my money, dreaming of glory
Twitching like a finger on the trigger of a gun

Leaving nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town
Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town

Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town
Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town
Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town