I remember hearing Simon and Garfunkel before the first time I heard this song - but I never really listened until I heard this. My 9th grade english teacher brought it in and played it as our poetry unit and while all the kids laughed at how different it was from Offspring, I really listened and became lost in the story. I think this was the beginning of their story - their love is that strong fun love of when you first begin falling in love. The best thing about this is how he speaks to her when she's sleeping, telling her his fears and how scared he is -- it's almost as if he foresees it all.
"Let us be lovers we'll marry our fortunes together" |
This is the idealistic innocence of beginning. It is not only about their beginning, but about him growing up and going out to look for himself. |
"Kathy," I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh |
This obviously connects to Kathy. He's telling her how big everything seems to him and how so much is happening. He's changed here though, now it's "I've gone" seaching as opposed to "we." |
Laughing on the bus |
This is just the two of them having childlike fun. She's still a connection to what he has always been used to. A lot of this just showing the enjoyment of being together. |
"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat" |
They've run out - and when it runs out they do seperate things. The moon rising and changing him from that childness he was experiencing. His tone implying that she doesn't really notice. |
"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping |
He knows to speak to her when she's not really there, it's a very toned down message of what he reaches at the end of Kathy's Song. It should have rained out the window, but hey.. he's realizing that he isn't getting enough of what he needs. Here it has changed to "they've" and he has totally seperated himself from the beginning when he and Kathy were setting out to find America. |