{"id":62003,"date":"2025-12-03T15:12:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T21:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=62003"},"modified":"2025-12-03T16:34:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T22:34:48","slug":"reflections-on-american-tune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=62003","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on &#8220;American Tune&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was reflecting on a line from Paul Simon&#8217;s <em>American Tune<\/em> this afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>And I don&#8217;t know a soul who&#8217;s not been battered<\/em><br><em>I don&#8217;t have a friend who feels at ease<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I remember being brought to tears when I saw Paul Simon&#8217;s solo version of <em>American Tune<\/em> in the very darkest days of Covid. Not only did the lyrics touch me deeply, but I was saddened to see how old and frail he looked. I remember thinking that he was going to die, all because of the madman we had running our country. Paul Simon made it through, but John Prine did not.<br><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"905\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wVYPVvS-mI4\" title=\"American Tune for Til Further Notice 03\/19\/2020\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\"><strong>American Tune<\/strong><br>Song by Paul Simon (1973)<br><br>Many's the time I've been mistaken<br>And many times confused<br>Yes, and I've often felt forsaken<br>And certainly misused<br><br>Oh, but I'm alright, I'm alright<br>I'm just weary to my bones<br>Still, you don't expect to be bright and bon vivant<br>So far away from home, so far away from home<br><br>And I don't know a soul who's not been battered<br>I don't have a friend who feels at ease<br>I don't know a dream that's not been shattered<br>Or driven to its knees<br><br>But it's alright, it's alright<br>For we lived so well so long<br>Still, when I think of the<br>Road we're traveling on<br>I wonder what's gone wrong<br>I can't help it, I wonder what has gone wrong<br><br>And I dreamed I was dying<br>I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly<br>And looking back down at me<br>Smiled reassuringly<br><br>And I dreamed I was flying<br>And high up above my eyes could clearly see<br>The Statue of Liberty<br>Sailing away to sea<br>And I dreamed I was flying<br><br>We come on the ship they call The Mayflower<br>We come on the ship that sailed the moon<br>We come in the age's most uncertain hours<br>And sing an American tune<br><br>Oh, and it's alright, it's alright, it's alright<br>You can't be forever blessed<br>Still, tomorrow's going to be another working day<br>And I'm trying to get some rest<br>That's all I'm trying to get some rest<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Lamentations of Elder G<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Reflections on why this song seems as relevant today as it did 50 years ago&#8230;.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:58% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tUbODOYYBrViw4NWSDTA-0-0adbt-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62006 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tUbODOYYBrViw4NWSDTA-0-0adbt-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tUbODOYYBrViw4NWSDTA-0-0adbt-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tUbODOYYBrViw4NWSDTA-0-0adbt.jpg 864w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt remains true because the <em>condition<\/em> remains true.<br>Every generation feels the trembling.<br>Every decade brings its storm.<br>And every human heart eventually knows what it means to feel like a stranger in its own land \u2014<br>or in its own life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_xltxo3xltxo3xltx.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1047\" data-id=\"62009\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_xltxo3xltxo3xltx.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62009\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_xltxo3xltxo3xltx.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_xltxo3xltxo3xltx-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_xltxo3xltxo3xltx-1024x558.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_xltxo3xltxo3xltx-768x419.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_xltxo3xltxo3xltx-1536x838.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_xltxo3xltxo3xltx-1200x654.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">\u201cThese are the songs that accompany us through difficult eras \u2014<br>not because they solve anything,<br>but because they tell the truth kindly.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_roa7xfroa7xfroa7.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1047\" data-id=\"62011\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_roa7xfroa7xfroa7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_roa7xfroa7xfroa7.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_roa7xfroa7xfroa7-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_roa7xfroa7xfroa7-1024x558.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_roa7xfroa7xfroa7-768x419.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_roa7xfroa7xfroa7-1536x838.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gemini_Generated_Image_roa7xfroa7xfroa7-1200x654.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;American Tune&#8221; is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the third single from his third studio album, <em>There Goes Rhymin&#8217; Simon<\/em> (1973), released on Columbia Records. The song, a meditation on the American experience, is based on the melody of the hymn &#8220;O Sacred Head, Now Wounded&#8221; and bears a striking resemblance to J. S. Bach\u2019s \u201cErkenne mich, mein H\u00fcter\u201c. The song reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lyrics<\/strong><br>In an interview with Tom Moon in 2011, Paul Simon was asked about political references in his songs, and he said: &#8220;I don\u2019t write overtly political songs, although &#8216;American Tune&#8217; comes pretty close, as it was written just after Nixon was elected.&#8221;<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Tune\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">O Sacred Head, Now Wounded<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;O Sacred Head, Now Wounded&#8221; is a Christian Passion hymn based on a Latin text written during the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Text<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Original Latin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hymn is based on a long medieval Latin poem, Salve mundi salutare, with stanzas addressing the various parts of Christ&#8217;s body hanging on the Cross. The last part of the poem, from which the hymn is taken, is addressed to Christ&#8217;s head, and begins &#8220;Salve caput cruentatum&#8221;. The poem is often attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091\u20131153), but is now attributed to the medieval poet Arnulf of Leuven (died 1250). A selection of stanzas from the seven cantos were used for the text of Dieterich Buxtehude&#8217;s Membra Jesu Nostri addressing the various members of the crucified body<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">the feet<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">the knees<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">the hands<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">the pierced side<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">the breast<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">the heart<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">the face<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/O_Sacred_Head,_Now_Wounded\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"912\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wcrS8rFWMXQ\" title=\"O Sacred Head, Now Wounded (Hymn 271) - Hymnology (Official Video)\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br><br>\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"912\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Sq32wvQELSs\" title=\"J S Bach - O Sacred Head Now Wounded (St. Matthew Passion)\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\"><strong>O Sacred Head, Now Wounded<\/strong><br><br>O sacred head now wounded<br>With grief and shame waighed down<br>Now scornfully surrounded<br>With thorns thine only crown<br>How pale Thou art with anguish<br>With sore abuse and scorn<br>How does that visage languish<br>Which once was bright as morn<br><br>What thou, my Lord, hast suffered<br>Was all for sinners' gain<br>Oh mine was the transgression<br>But thine the deadly pain<br>Lo, here I fall, my Savior<br>'Tis I deserve thy place<br>Look on me with thy favor<br>Vouchsafe to me thy grace<br><br>What language shall I borrow<br>To thank thee, dearest Friend<br>For this, thy dying sorrow<br>Thy pity without end?<br>Oh, make me thine forever<br>And should I fainting be<br>Lord, let me never, never<br>Outlive my love to thee<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Anthonis_van_Dyck_004_01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1466\" data-id=\"62016\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Anthonis_van_Dyck_004_01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62016\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Anthonis_van_Dyck_004_01.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Anthonis_van_Dyck_004_01-262x300.jpg 262w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Anthonis_van_Dyck_004_01-894x1024.jpg 894w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Anthonis_van_Dyck_004_01-768x880.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Anthonis_van_Dyck_004_01-1200x1374.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\"><strong>Crowning with Thorns<\/strong>, by Anthony van Dyck (1620)<br><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Crowning_with_Thorns_(van_Dyck)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wikipedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was reflecting on a line from Paul Simon&#8217;s American Tune this afternoon. And I don&#8217;t know a soul who&#8217;s not been batteredI don&#8217;t have a friend who feels at ease I remember being brought to tears when I saw Paul Simon&#8217;s solo version of American Tune in the very darkest days of Covid. Not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[31,128],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","category-musings"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62003"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62023,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62003\/revisions\/62023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}