The Substantially Similar Weblog

This song is really an original psalm, from Bob Dylan’s 1970 album New Morning (a gift from my Uncle Glenn many years ago). I just recently “rediscovered it”, perhaps because I’ve conquered my prejudice against Dylan’s Christian inclinations. [His so-called “Christian phase” was actually not until ten years later.]

The descending female backup vocals haunt me (presumably Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinsin, and Maeretha Stewart); Dylan’s strikingly clean piano playing sustains his gravel voice. The song is over in less than a couple of minutes, but it leaves you silent, maybe fearful.

 Father of night, Father of day, Father, who taketh the darkness away, Father, who teacheth the bird to fly, Builder of rainbows up in the sky, Father of loneliness and pain, Father of love and Father of rain. Father of day, Father of night, Father of black, Father of white, Father, who build the mountain so high, Who shapeth the cloud up in the sky, Father of time, Father of dreams, Father, who turneth the rivers and streams. Father of grain, Father of wheat, Father of cold and Father of heat, Father of air and Father of trees, Who dwells in our hearts and our memories, Father of minutes, Father of days, Father of whom we most solemnly praise. 

I’ve recently been on a quest to find underappreciated songs by great musicians. Of course, it’s hard to truly believe anything by Paul Simon hasn’t received fairly widespread attention, but this one at least hasn’t made it onto any “Greatest Hits” albums.

I’ve come to believe that Paul Simon may be the only truly great songwriter.

This song, written in 1969, appeared on the Simon & Garfunkel album, Bridge Over Trouble Water, which (among other things) documented the demise of the duo.

My understanding of the song (based partially on this interview from SongTalk Magazine) is that it describes Simon’s feeling when Garfunkel left for Mexico to act in Catch 22. Early in their career, Simon and Garfunkel were known as Tom and Jerry, and “Tom” in the first and last verse refer to Garfunkel. “…your part’ll go fine”—since Garfunkel was just starting out an act career (which apparently didn’t go too far), Simon is reassuring him that he’ll do fine.

This bittersweet loneliness shows up in a lot of Simon’s work. Cities hold lots of people and little company. When your old friend or lover goes away, you wander city streets on a Sunday morning feeling unbearably light [Milan Kundera]; you are so close as to be vicariously lifted by your friend’s exhilaration, but at once you know longer know them, where they are, or where they’ve left you.

It’s interesting how many superficially opaque Simon songs become lucid with just a couple of “hints”; in this case, Tom & Jerry and the filming of Catch 22 in Mexico.

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