This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
"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 come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America
"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 come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America
Lyrics submitted by amgsl500, edited by georgeporter
America Lyrics as written by Paul Simon
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I'm not sure what else to say about this song, except that it's truly a beautiful one, and very touching! I feel it refers to the elusive American Dream, the promise young people are assured as they set out on the world that they can conquer anything. A theme seen throughout the works of Hemmingway, Fiztgerald, and Kerouac, it is merely that: a dream. As the two lovers here progress on their journey, they run out of cigarettes, they grow bored, and they go to sleep. There is nothing left to do but count the cars in the turnpike, who are of couse all doing what they are doing- looking for America.
@carabiner86 - I agree wholeheartedly. I became an ardent fan of Simon & Garfunkel in the late 1960's when I was in high school (graduated in 1970). For me, this piece of Paul Simon's poetry in music definitely referred to a young couple trying to discover for themselves what life in America was all about. I was beginning to go through the process myself. I think it's all the more a poignant song in light of the Vietnam war which was claiming the lives of a great many people, including young American men who were being drafted. This song came right about the time when people were finally actively and publicly questioning why we were fighting that war. I love all the imagery contained in the lyrics. Paul Simon wrote so many poetic songs with deep meaning and lyrics that stood up as poetry and Simon & Garfunkel sang them so beautifully -- Songs like "America", "The Sound of Silence", "The Dangling Conversation" and "I Am a Rock", just to name a few. Their songs touched me in the center of myself, causing me to think and consider, and were, for me, a great help in my late teens and early 20's when I was struggling to discover myself. I still love this music -- I'm certain I always will.
@carabiner86, I agree entirely with your interpretation.