| Simon and Garfunkel – The Boxer Lyrics | 18 years ago |
|
One of the reasons I think this is a great song is that it can be interpreted several different ways. My understanding of the last verse (as an allegory for the story of the man in the rest of the song, I think) is different from most of the others on here. Someone brought up this song when we were talking about Beckett's play Waiting for Godot--at the end of each act, the two characters decide that they're waiting for someone who won't come, and resolve to leave and move on with their lives. And immediately after each time, the stage direction, "They do not move." I think this is really true--we recognize that we're in fruitless situations, or are doing what isn't the best thing for us (i.e., a dead-end job) or we're not really being true to ourselves, and even resolve to change it all and leave. Tomorrow. And often we don't. I think it's a testament to how beautiful this song is that it can be about to hope and endurance, or about fragility and inertia. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.