I can hear the soft breathing of the girl that I love
as she lies here beside me
asleep with the night
and her hair in a fine mist floats on my pillow
reflecting the glow of the winter moonlight

she is soft, she is warm, but my heart remains heavy
and I watch as her breasts, gently rise, gently fall
for I know with the first light of dawn I'll be leaving
and tonight will be all I have left to recall

oh what have I done, why have I done it?
I've committed a crime, I've broken the law
for 25 dollars and pieces of silver
I held up and robbed a hard liquor store

my life seems unreal, my crime an illusion
a scene badly written in which I must play
yet I know as I gaze at my young love beside me
the morning is just a few hours away
				

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left it's seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted
In my brain still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light that split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share and no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

Fools said I, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made
And the sign flashed out it's warning
In the words that it was forming
And the signs said, 'The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls and tenement halls'
And whispered in the sounds of silence
				

I'm sittin' in the railway station
Got a ticket for my destination
On a tour of one night stands
My suitcase and guitar in hand
And every stop is neatly planned
For a poet and a one man band

Homeward bound
I wish I was
Homeward bound

Home, where my thought's escapin'
Home, where my music's playin'
Home, where my love lies waitin'
Silently for me

Everyday's an endless stream
Of cigarettes and magazines
And each town looks the same to me
The movies and the factories
And every stranger's face I see
Reminds me that I long to be

Homeward bound
I wish I was
Homeward bound

Home, where my thought's escapin'
Home, where my music's playin'
Home, where my love lies waitin'
Silently for me

Tonight I'll sing my songs again
I'll play the game and pretend
But all my words come back to me
In shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony
I need someone to comfort me

Homeward bound
I wish I was
Homeward bound

Home, where my thought's escapin'
Home, where my music's playin'
Home, where my love lies waitin'
Silently for me
Silently for me
				

I hear the drizzle of the rain
Like a memory it falls
Soft and warm, continuing
Tapping on my roof and walls

And from the shelter of my mind
Through the window of my eyes
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
To England where my heart lies

My mind's distracted and diffused
My thoughts are many miles away
They lie with you when you're asleep
And kiss you when you start your day

And the song I was writing is left undone
I don't know why I spend my time
Writing songs I can't believe
With words that tear and strain to rhyme

And so, you see, I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you

And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There, but for the grace of you, go I
				

A winter's day
In a deep and dark December
I am alone
Gazing from my window
To the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow

I am a rock
I am an island

I've built walls
A fortress steep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship
Friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain

I am a rock
I am an island

Don't talk of love
Well I've heard the word before
It's sleeping in my memory
I won't disturb the slumber
Of feelings that have died
If I never loved, I never would have cried

I am a rock
I am an island

I have my books
And my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room
Safe within my womb
I touch no one, and no one touches me

I am a rock
I am an island

And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries
				

What a dream I had
Pressed in organdy
Clothed in crinoline
Of smoky burgundy
Softer than the rain

I wandered empty streets down
Past the shop displays
I heard cathedral bells
Tripping down the alleyways
As I walked on

And when you ran to me, your
Cheeks flashed with the night
We walked on frosted fields
Of juniper and lamplight
I held your hand

And when I awoke
And felt you warm and near
I kissed your honey hair
With my grateful tears
Oh, I love you girl

Oh, I love you

				

Are you going to scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(A hill in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested brown)
Without no seams nor needle work
(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strand
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
(War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(General order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of mine

Are you going to scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
				

Slow down, you move too fast
You've got to make the morning last
Just kickin' down the cobble stones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da-da-da da da, feelin' groovy

Hello lamppost, what'cha knowin'?
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain'tcha got no rhymes for me?
Do-in do do, feelin' groovy
Ba da-da-da da da, feelin' 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
Ba da da da da da da da
Ba da da da da da da da
Ba da da da da da da da
				

Silent night
Holy night
All is calm
All is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace
				

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's, 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 now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Oh hang on to 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

Oh seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me at any convenient time?

Funny how my memory skips
While looking over manuscripts
Of unpublished rhyme, drinking my vodka and lime

I look around
Leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

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

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

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

I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail
Yes I would
If I could, I surely would
Hmm mmm

I'd rather be a hammer than a nail
Yes I would
If I only could, I surely would
Hmm mmm

Away, I'd rather sail away
Like a swan that's here and gone
A man gets tied up to the ground
He gives the world its saddest sound, its saddest sound
Hmm mmm

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
				

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 Robinson's 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 afternoon
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?
A nation turns it's 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
				

"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 we 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 gone 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 gone to look for America
All gone to look for America, All gone to look for America
				

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

Well, 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 the crosstown bus
If it's raining or it's cold
And the animals will love it if you do

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 zoo keeper is very fond of rum

Zebras are reactionaries
Antelopes are missionaries
Pigeons plot in secrecy
Hamsters turn on frequently

What a gas, you gotta come and see
At the zoo, at the zoo, at the zoo
				

Old friends, old friends
Sat on their park bench like bookends
A newspaper blown though the grass
Falls on the round toes
Of the high shoes, of the old friends

Old friends, winter companions the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city is sifting through 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 fears
				

[Instrumental]
				

Cecilia, 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

Oh, Cecilia, 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
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

Cecilia, 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

Cecilia
You're shaking my confidence daily
Oh, Cecilia
I'm begging you please to come home, come on now

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

Jubilation
Jubilation
Jubilation
				

I am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told
I've squandered my resistance
For a pocketful of mumbles
Such are promises
All lies and jest
Still the 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, runnin' scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know

Li la li
Li la la la, li la li
Li la li
Li la la la, li la li
La la la la, li

Asking only workman's wages
I come lookin' 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
La la la la la la la

Li la li
Li la la la, li la li
Li la li
Li la la la, li la li
La la la la, li

And I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone, goin' home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleedin' me
Leadin' me goin' 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
'Til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains

Li la li
Li la la la, li la li
Li la li
Li la la la, li la li
La la la la, li

Li la la la, li la li
Li la li
Li la la la, li la li
La la la la, li

Li la la la, li la li
Li la li
Li la la la, li la li
La la la la, li
...
				

When you're weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all

I'm on your side
Oh 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
Oh, 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

Oh, 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
				

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've been more than glad

To change my ways for the asking
Ask me and I will play
All the love that I hold inside

Hmmm