April 30, 2025
“When you’re weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all. I’m on your side when times get rough, and friends just can’t be found. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down…”
In 1969, Paul Simon called his manager, Mort Lewis, and said, “I’ve written what I think is my greatest song, and I want to play it for you.” The song was “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
Simon later said of the song, which won five Grammys, “I have no idea where it came from. One minute it wasn’t there, and the next, the whole line was there…. It was one of the shocking moments in my songwriting career.”
The song was at the top of the music charts in America and other countries for weeks because it touches the hearts of countless people who have felt pain in their lives and need someone to console them.
“My first thought was those lyrics are too simple,” Simon later said. “But that is what made it so universal.”
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” has been covered by more than 50 artists, but the original version by Art Garfunkel is unsurpassed. Listen to Simon and Garfunkel perform “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” https://youtu.be/Ua4_XhpGN38?si=Gc5C9gh85tyQZhgn.
Bridge Over Troubled Water
When you’re weary,
Feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes,
I will dry them all.
I’m on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
When you’re down and out,
When you’re on the street,
When evening falls so hard,
I will comfort you.
I’ll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by,
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine,
If you need a friend,
I’m sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
I will ease your mind.
(Songwriter: Paul Simon
Bridge Over Troubled Water lyrics © Sony/atv Songs Llc)
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