Paul Simon just has a way with describing characters in his songs and their ruminations on the past. It’s there with the narrator on Saturday’s tune, “My Little Town.” It happens again in the second and third verses of “Slip Slidin’ Away.” Then there’s Sonny in “The Obvious Child,” a guy I relate to better now than when I first heard this in 90.
Speaking as one who takes yearbooks down from shelves, runs his hand through his thinning (formerly) brown hair, and definitely doesn’t expect to sleep through the night, I find myself wandering all too often through days long gone (and it may be getting worse!). Yet, I’m also meditating on what future I have remaining. Inertia has always had great power in my life, but I still have hope for making fruitful changes.
The Music of My Life 