I Am A Rock Lyrics
In a deep and dark December;
I am alone,
Gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
A fortress deep and mighty,
That none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
But I've heard the words before;
It's sleeping in my memory.
I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.
If I never loved I never would have cried.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
And my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
And an island never cries.
The song is about his desire to avoid pain and brokenheartedness. He doesn't want to be hurt again, so he refuses to make friends, to fall in love, he'll be a hermit. It may sound determined, but by the end of the song it's obvious it's all a lie he tells himself to get through the days. He's alone and it hurts him, but he'll tell himself he likes it that way, hoping it won't hurt so badly. The last two lines explain it; he's not a rock, he's been hurt and has cried, but will pretend not to. The "island never cries" line is possibly the most meaningful part. As he says this, he may as well be crying.
I think you described the meaning of the song just perfect. :) It's sad...
I think you described the meaning of the song just perfect. :) It's sad...
The main point of this song is, avoid emotional attatchments, they only lead to sadness. The lyrics "friendship causes pain" and "If I never loved I never would have cried" express that. The song is about getting hurt once and shutting out everyone else to avoid getting hurt again.
you guys are exectly correct. He wants to isolate himself from the rest of society. But, he is only fooling himself into thinking he can because every symbol he uses is not permanant. Walls get knocked down. You wake up from sleep. You come out of your mother womb after 9 months. Your memory will always come back. Snow melts. December is only 31 days.
He can only shut the world out for so long.
That phrase '...freshly fallen silent shroud of snow', is so beautiful, I can't believe how perfect it is.
This song is actually about a very specific person, whom was a friend of Pal's back in NYC. It is about Neil Diamond. When Neil's first wife died his friends in the village (including most of the Mama's& Papa's, and many coffee shop performers) couldn't get Neil to come out or even talk about it. This is from his perspective, to show him that though they didn't feel ALL the pain he did, they understood. It was a very special time in the village and many of those musician friends later became big star names we all know, but then it was just folk singers, poets, and musicians getting through life and caring about each other. Scotty
And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries.
i am a rock i am an island
emotional detatchment. we should all be psychologists. there's the meaning of the song. ::thumbs up::
wow talk about over analyzing. dngshouse do you really believe he thought about the song that deeply? do you think he used the word womb so perfectly to match his 'temporary' metaphors? Because when you read the song, it sounds more like he just used it cause it rhymed. It sounds like hes just using various imagery to describe the will to be locked up. when you think about it... what IS permanent? if a rock wall isnt permanent, nothing is. i think you're looking to closely at imagery just meant to be lyrical range, not some deep meaning. bongo is right, though, the last two meanings are the key to the song. they describe what he is (the rock, the island). anyway
yea, dont overanalyze.
You're absolutely right - in truth, nothing is permanent so what he said is nonsense - as George Harrison said, 'all things must pass'. And please, no phoney romantic BS about how love is forever - it's for however long it lasts - now and then 'til death.
You're absolutely right - in truth, nothing is permanent so what he said is nonsense - as George Harrison said, 'all things must pass'. And please, no phoney romantic BS about how love is forever - it's for however long it lasts - now and then 'til death.
@Jinx Of course Simon thought so deeply, he is held as one of the best songwriters of all time. Do you think the brush strokes of Van Gogh are by chance as well? The great artists intend every single stroke and nuance of every single note and second.\r\n\r\nBruce Springsteen recorded over 2000 takes of Jungleland, why do you think he did that, why did the band and studio staff support it? Because it was the search for perfection. \r\nThe search for perfection does not leave something as important as lyrics to chance. \r\n\r\n"Don\'t over analyse?" Well, OK, but the...
@Jinx Of course Simon thought so deeply, he is held as one of the best songwriters of all time. Do you think the brush strokes of Van Gogh are by chance as well? The great artists intend every single stroke and nuance of every single note and second.\r\n\r\nBruce Springsteen recorded over 2000 takes of Jungleland, why do you think he did that, why did the band and studio staff support it? Because it was the search for perfection. \r\nThe search for perfection does not leave something as important as lyrics to chance. \r\n\r\n"Don\'t over analyse?" Well, OK, but the entire point of art is that the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so let each establish their own level of meaning. Yours is shallow, not deep, enjoy it, but don\'t tell others to not search for meaning, you will kill artistic exploration with such sentiments and that is a heartbreaking thing to be doing. Open your eyes Jinx, open your mind, and your heart and embrace the depth of meaning and feeling that these artists break themselves to achieve. They did it FOR YOU, so if you chose to ignore it, fine, but do not tell others not to.
Wow! Who needs angry nu-metal to convey the anger and depression of being hurt, when youve got, um, Simon and Garfunkel - Fabulous song!
This song is me.
I fell in love 4 years ago and just a few months later she broke my heart. I've shut out every girl since then, regardless of how good the date(s) were. Interestingly, that girl has come back into my life recently, but I can't even let her through my stone shell anymore.
Simon has his books and poetry. I have my movies and prizefights to watch.
Perhaps I'll snap out of it someday.
Sarcastic? I wouldn't say that. Nor does the music feel cheery and upbeat as others say. I'd say it sounds more defiant than anything, at least the chorus. I just love how sure of himself he sounds in the chorus, such a strong declaration of his isolation...and then at the end sounds so the opposite, weak, as if he realizes these thoughts are damaging but maybe now it's too late to change the tune...Wonderful song.
Great post, kickstart. This song is far from sarcastic. Defiant is the perfect word to describe it. Defiant up until the end, then there is a palpable sadness and loneliness.
Great post, kickstart. This song is far from sarcastic. Defiant is the perfect word to describe it. Defiant up until the end, then there is a palpable sadness and loneliness.
Probably Paul Simon's most beautifully composed song, combination of music and lyrics. Beautiful alliteration in the first few lines (a dark and deep December... a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow), beautiful allegories throughout (winter, snow, fortress, armor, rock/island... all point to isolation).
Probably Paul Simon's most beautifully composed song, combination of music and lyrics. Beautiful alliteration in the first few lines (a dark and deep December... a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow), beautiful allegories throughout (winter, snow, fortress, armor, rock/island... all point to isolation).
The John Donne influence is clear, but the song stands on its own as a brilliant piece of poetry in its own right.
The John Donne influence is clear, but the song stands on its own as a brilliant piece of poetry in its own right.