#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
#
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 08:01:20 +0100
From: Franz Schedl
Subject: I am a rock
I Am A Rock
1965 by Paul SIMON
G C G
A winter's day, in a deep and dark december;
Am D7 C G Am hm Am hm
I am alone, gazing from my window to the streets below
Am C D
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.
C G C D7 G
I Am A Rock, I am an island.
G C G
I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty,
Am D7 C G Am hm
That none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship;
Am hm Am C D
Friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
C G C D7 G
I Am A Rock, I am an island.
G C G
Don't talk of love, but I've heard the words before;
Am D7 C G Am hm Am
It's sleeping in my memory. I won't disturb the slumber of feelings
hm Am C D
That have died. If I never loved I never would have cried.
C G C D7 G
I Am A Rock, I am an island.
G C G
I have my books, and my poetry to protect me;
Am D7 C G Am hm Am hm
I am shielded in my armor, hiding in my room, save within my womb.
Am C D
I touched no one and no one touches me.
C G C D7 G
I Am A Rock, I am an island.
Am D7 G
And a rock feels no pain;
Am D7 G
And an island never cries!
by Franz Felix - Austria/Vienna
Brought to you by the GuitarMasta
http://www.guitarmasta.net/s/simon_and_garfunkel/358121.html
http://www.guitarmasta.net/s/simon_and_garfunkel/.html
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
|
No Picture
♥brian Lead Player |
#1 by ♥brian♥ ******** at Oct 1, 2007 at 5:57 AM EST |
| Of course it's about a guy never wanting to be hurt again, causing him to build a wall around himself. But... I think he's trying to lie to himself, convinging himself that that's the way to go. Listen to the music, it's so bright and cheery, completely different than the lyrics, until the end, when it kinda fades away... At least, that's what my English class came up with. ;D | |
|
No Picture
Dudevill Average |
#2 by Dudevill at Oct 1, 2007 at 3:23 PM EST |
| JINX- quit trippin' on DNGSHOUSE, I think that was a valid observation. | |
|
No Picture
Daron Average |
#3 by Daron Malakian at Oct 4, 2007 at 3:38 PM EST |
| dngshouse, it's only in December because the Catcher In The Rye was set in December, around Christmas. | |
|
No Picture
kyle Badass |
#4 by kyle .,., at Oct 5, 2007 at 11:31 PM EST |
| 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. | |
|
No Picture
ian Average |
#5 by ian mckinly at Oct 6, 2007 at 3:54 PM EST |
| This is a GREAT SONG. I love it! It is about exactly what everyone above was saying. | |
|
No Picture
Mr. Always Mezm Average |
#6 by Mr. Always Mezmerized (o)(o) at Oct 6, 2007 at 9:13 PM EST |
| This song is about a man trying to convince himself that he doesn't need anybody else to make himself happy, but at the end he can't live a happy life alone. Jinx, although dngshouse's theories may not be true, a songwriter certainly does think deeply about everything that gets put into his/her songs. A lot of songs have symbolism that isn't immediately obvious, and finding it isn't overanalysing. But... don't kill me, because obviously I like the overall meaning of the song, etc. but I don't think it's even close to their best. The alliteration is annoying and the whole song is kind of pretentious and adolescent (i should know, I am one!) and some lines are just childish. Sorry, but I feel that compared to other songs of his (America, The Boxer, Bridge OTW) this pales considerably in comparison. | |
|
No Picture
MysticCat Wanna Be |
#7 by MysticCat (Janis *johnny* Udodovs) at Oct 11, 2007 at 7:42 PM EST |
| Do we want to be a rock? | |
|
No Picture
Josh Average |
#8 by Josh Braun at Oct 18, 2007 at 12:29 AM EST |
| 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:: | |
|
No Picture
Jay Dizzle Wanna Be |
#9 by Jay Dizzle holden at Oct 18, 2007 at 4:02 AM EST |
| Bleh, no offense but i think you're all a bit off..it seems to me that, rather than trying to convince himself that isolation is the best plan, hes thinking about it, realizing that hes wrong, and then writing a song to say hey, yeah, rocks dont feel pain and islands never cry, but theyre never happy either, so its just a good idea to be a rock or island...the way the last words are spoken seems to confirm this in my opinion. I dunno if this is right, of course, but when i was listeninging to it, i was reminded of a Modest Proposal (a good read if you havent been forced to read it by an english teacher yet: http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jlynch/Courses/95c/Texts/modest.html) | |
|
No Picture
†§ean† Average |
#10 by †§ean† at Oct 19, 2007 at 12:36 AM EST |
| This song is exactly about what lila m said. How when you get hurt by your socalled 'friend' or 'lover' , you want to shut off the whole world around you. This song explains how you feel. You just figure, 'Hey if i never love again then i wont get hurt again.' or 'Hey if i never have friends again, I can't be backstabbed.' I know ecactly how this feels. But , you can't just shut off the whole world around you. | |
|
No Picture
kyle Rhythm Player |
#11 by kyle perry at Oct 19, 2007 at 7:49 PM EST |
| The musis is definitely cheery and upbeat. This is what makes me hear the song as being extremely sarcastic. It seems obvious that he knows what he's saying is wrong. He's been hurt but still knows that friendship and love are worth it. | |
adam's Other Tabs
Top 7 Simon And Garfunkel Guitar Tabs