“But I'm tired, 900 sit-ups a day.
I'm painting my hair the colour of mud, mud, OK?
I'm tired, tired, anybody care what I say? NO!
Painting my hair the colour of mud.
Who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
Tell me, who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
Ah, who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
Who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
Who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
Who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
Who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
Tell me, who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
God will, like he waters the flowers on the window sill.”
From Outrageous by Paul Simon
This is my favourite song from Paul Simon’s last album Surprise. I loved the sonics that Brian Eno brought to Simon’s work and I have always loved Simon’s lyrical twists and turns, his humour and profundity. Here the two blend. Simon writing songs about his age talks about how the older citizens are trying to a hilarious length at being young and then asks that question that perhaps the young ask too late – whose gonna love you when your old and fat and ugly, as one of my favourite bands of the early eighties, After The Fire put it.
Simon’s answer is another twist – God will. Apparently Simon’s new album is dealing rather a lot with the God question. I look forward to it. In the meantime what a wonderful lyric and thought for any or every day...
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