Poetry in music: Paul Simon, with “The Obvious Child”

You may remember Paul Simon’s foray into Brazilian accents for his music back in 1991 with “Rhythm of the Saints”….I’ve always loved the first song on the collection, called “The Obvious Child,” with its drums (recorded in Salvador, Brasil) and rhythm section (in Rio), as well as the words, in which there’s a drift into the past which helps craft the present.

Opening up the dusty yearbook to see friends who “have fled from themselves,” the song wistfully looks back at the old times that shape what’s going on today & tomorrow. But to get there, he has to watch the progress of the seasons, the years, and the day:

I’ve been waking up at sunrise
I’ve been following the light across my room
I watch the night receive the room of my day

This  little meditation steps back to the now (“he wanders beyond his interior walls”), carrying what it means to finish our time into the present, wiser and more aware.

And…I’ll bet you play it at least twice, just to dance to it. As dark as the words are in places & the tone is throughout, it’s a up-tempo, upbeat, nearly optimistic song.

Thanks for listening, and see if you agree.

Brother Ian