Paul Simon

"Id rather be a sparrow than a snail Yes I would, if I could, I surely would Id rather be a hammer than a nail Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would"

"Come on, take me to the Mardi Gras, Where the people sing and play, Where the music is elite and theres dancing in the street, Both night and day."

"Fools," said I, "you do not know Silence like a cancer grows Hear my words that I might teach you Take my arms that I might reach you" But my words like silent raindrops fell And echoed in the wells of silence."

"When I was a little boy, (when I was just a boy) And the devil would call my name (when I was just a boy) Id say "Now who do, Who do you think youre fooling?"

"I wanted to sing other types of songs that Simon and Garfunkel wouldnt do. "Mother and Child Reunion" for example, is not a song that you would have normally thought that Simon and Garfunkel would have done. Its possible that they might have. But it wouldnt have been the same, and I dont know if I would have been so inclined in that direction. So for me it was a chance to break out and gamble a little bit … The breakup had to do with a natural drifting apart as we got older and the separate lives that were more individual. We werent so consumed with recording and performing. We had other activities … there was no great pressure to stay together other than money, which exerted very little influence upon us. … We didnt need the money."

"There was always some kind of strain, but it was workable. The bigger you get, the more of a strain it is, because in your everyday life, youre less used to compromising. As you get bigger, you have your own way. But in a partnership you always have to compromise. … When you get into a partnership, youre not the boss. Theres no boss. That makes it hard."

"And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made And the sign flashed out its warning In the words that it was forming And the sign said "The words of the prophets Are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sound of silence""

"I didnt want to repeat the same notes in the second verse that I used in the first, so I wrote out all the notes of the song and all the notes that were missing in the scale, given that there are twelve notes from octave to octave. All those notes that werent in the scale were the ones I wanted in for the next verse. The listener isnt aware that they are new notes, but the sound is pleasing to the ear. I change the key, and somehow its fresh because you havent heard those notes before."

"Well its great to do a neighborhood concert. I hope everyone can hear us. I hope that the sound is good. I hope we are blasting Central Park West and Fifth avenue pretty much away. I just want to thank the police department and the fire department and the parks commissioner, and Ed Koch [Audience boos] — and particularly, you know, people that never get recognized for doing good things for the city, a group of people that have donated half of the proceeds that theyre making tonight — the guys who are selling loose joints are giving the city half of their income tonight."

"I’ve built walls, 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."

"A winters day 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."

"Instead of thinking in terms of chords, I think of voice-leading; that is, melody line and bass line, and where the bass line goes. If you do that, youll have the right chord. [These voices] will give you some alternatives, and you can play those different alternatives to hear which one suits your ear... Keep the bass line moving so you dont stay in one spot: if you have an interesting bass line and you roll it against the melody, the chords are going to come out right."