I've always thought this song was about race, from the POV of a black man, probably a musician. The sheriff calling him "boy," the "shoeshine" references, being run out of town (or out of the COUNTY), cursed and abused, etc., etc.
@Welgunzer I grew up when this song first came out (I just rediscovered recently). "One step ahead of the shoeshine"- well, back then, you would find "shoeshine boys" at the train station, so it is another reference to being ready to go at a moments notice. Also, his trouble with the Deputy Sheriff would likely be due to him looking like a hippie, but the influences in these lyrics would probably reflect how black musicians were treated, and possibly how Simon and Garfunkel were treated for being Jewish. Being a wandering minstrel was never easy.
@Welgunzer I grew up when this song first came out (I just rediscovered recently). "One step ahead of the shoeshine"- well, back then, you would find "shoeshine boys" at the train station, so it is another reference to being ready to go at a moments notice. Also, his trouble with the Deputy Sheriff would likely be due to him looking like a hippie, but the influences in these lyrics would probably reflect how black musicians were treated, and possibly how Simon and Garfunkel were treated for being Jewish. Being a wandering minstrel was never easy.
@Welgunzer I grew up when this song first came out (I just rediscovered recently). "One step ahead of the shoeshine"- well, back then, you would find "shoeshine boys" at the train station, so it is another reference to being ready to go at a moments notice. Also, his trouble with the Deputy Sheriff would likely be due to him looking like a hippie, but the influences in these lyrics would probably reflect how black musicians were treated, and possibly how Simon and Garfunkel were treated for being Jewish. Being a wandering minstrel was never easy. EDIT:...
@Welgunzer I grew up when this song first came out (I just rediscovered recently). "One step ahead of the shoeshine"- well, back then, you would find "shoeshine boys" at the train station, so it is another reference to being ready to go at a moments notice. Also, his trouble with the Deputy Sheriff would likely be due to him looking like a hippie, but the influences in these lyrics would probably reflect how black musicians were treated, and possibly how Simon and Garfunkel were treated for being Jewish. Being a wandering minstrel was never easy. EDIT: Check out Charlie Daniels "Uneasy Rider" lyrics to get a feel for what it was like back then for a man to have long hair like a hippie.
I've always thought this song was about race, from the POV of a black man, probably a musician. The sheriff calling him "boy," the "shoeshine" references, being run out of town (or out of the COUNTY), cursed and abused, etc., etc.
@Welgunzer I grew up when this song first came out (I just rediscovered recently). "One step ahead of the shoeshine"- well, back then, you would find "shoeshine boys" at the train station, so it is another reference to being ready to go at a moments notice. Also, his trouble with the Deputy Sheriff would likely be due to him looking like a hippie, but the influences in these lyrics would probably reflect how black musicians were treated, and possibly how Simon and Garfunkel were treated for being Jewish. Being a wandering minstrel was never easy.
@Welgunzer I grew up when this song first came out (I just rediscovered recently). "One step ahead of the shoeshine"- well, back then, you would find "shoeshine boys" at the train station, so it is another reference to being ready to go at a moments notice. Also, his trouble with the Deputy Sheriff would likely be due to him looking like a hippie, but the influences in these lyrics would probably reflect how black musicians were treated, and possibly how Simon and Garfunkel were treated for being Jewish. Being a wandering minstrel was never easy.
@Welgunzer I grew up when this song first came out (I just rediscovered recently). "One step ahead of the shoeshine"- well, back then, you would find "shoeshine boys" at the train station, so it is another reference to being ready to go at a moments notice. Also, his trouble with the Deputy Sheriff would likely be due to him looking like a hippie, but the influences in these lyrics would probably reflect how black musicians were treated, and possibly how Simon and Garfunkel were treated for being Jewish. Being a wandering minstrel was never easy. EDIT:...
@Welgunzer I grew up when this song first came out (I just rediscovered recently). "One step ahead of the shoeshine"- well, back then, you would find "shoeshine boys" at the train station, so it is another reference to being ready to go at a moments notice. Also, his trouble with the Deputy Sheriff would likely be due to him looking like a hippie, but the influences in these lyrics would probably reflect how black musicians were treated, and possibly how Simon and Garfunkel were treated for being Jewish. Being a wandering minstrel was never easy. EDIT: Check out Charlie Daniels "Uneasy Rider" lyrics to get a feel for what it was like back then for a man to have long hair like a hippie.