Since I was a kid, when this song was released, I’ve always had imagined that the loud drum banging throughout the song was the boxer getting hit across his face and his body hitting the canvas floor over and over.

The years have passed but in the 1980s I was one of about a hundred candidates on an RAF officer selection course who had been tasked with two weeks of intensive training in the North Yorkshire moors. Each day we rose at 0400 hrs and we were lucky to get to bed by 2300 hrs. Whilst we were awake we ran up and down hills, carrying weights, undergoing mental challenges and yet still having the wherewithall to devise battle plans at the end of it, which were put to the test. By the end of the course we were exhausted. We returned to base on the final Sunday evening on a military coach, knowing that we were expected to be on parade at 0500 hrs the next morning, as fresh as ever, ready to start another beasting. We were quiet on the way home. Many of us slept. Many of us lay our heads on the coach windows and on our colleagues shoulders, drooling, too exhausted to be able to control even our own saliva. Then, from the depths of the coach, we heard someone croak, "I am just a poor boy, though my story's seldom told..." Somehow we all found the breath to join in. How many times we sang that song I don't know but we only stopped when we drove through our base gates. The next morning at 0500 hrs we were all on parade. Today I can't hear "The Boxer" without tears welling up.

Paul Simon is a fantastic poet.

This is my favorite S&G song; I've been listening to it for over 50 years and it still hits me hard. "every glove that laid him down or cut him til he cried out in his anger and his shame"

The boxer quit, but the fighter remained. Here’s the twist though, most people don’t realize that the boxer is the fighter. The boxer was hit, punched and in anger and shame he left. But at the core he was a fighter, and he continued to fight, the fight wasn’t physical, it was mental and emotional, and the fighter remains to fight, to survive the harsh reality of life on the streets of NYC.

The most impressive lyric to me " A man hears what he wants to hear ....and disregards the rest " ...Very appropriate in this time in the US .....

I grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel & had a lot of their records. Absolutely loved them & their harmonies. You won't find a bad song. They have had so many hits such as "Sound Of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "Scarborough Fair", "At The Zoo", "Cecilia", "America", "I Am A Rock", "Kathy's Song", "Homeward Bound", "El Condor Pasa" etc. Paul Simon went on to have a huge solo career with lots of great songs.

2:50 that's actually a piccolo trumpet. Also, that harmonica you hear in the song is a bass harmonica, a much larger type of harmonica with a much lower register. Great reaction video!

I've always been able to relate to this song. I left home in '67 at 17 and ended up in Chicago. A lot of nights my first winter with no place to stay I'd just walk all night to keep warm then find a sunny spot to sleep during the day. I found out pretty quick that no one wants to hire an underage kid with long hair. I eventually got it together though and did okay.

They first did the melody than the lyriks, and the lie la ly stands for the lines that where missing. The eventualy left the song like this, because it sounded good.

This became very prevalent in the aftermath of 911. It celebrated the fighting spirit of New York

Weren't we so lucky? Old guys like me used to sit in bars around the world listening to the likes of these guys, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Joan Baez, Sandy Denny, Led Zep and Yes - well, you could go on forever with your favourite artists. Truth to tell, they just don't make 'em like this any more do they?

What an incredible example of the brilliance of Paul Simon's ability to compose a masterpiece!

Good video Michael. My three are Homeward Bound, El Condor Pasa and The Only Living Boy in New York. Their harmonies are legendary perfection and their songs never seem to grow old. I would also recommend "The Sound of Silence" before watching Disturbed's version if you haven't heard those yet. They bookend each other very well.

next Simon and Garfunkel... America, please

They started out on the streets of NYC singing for change.

Interesting note on this song. The first time they sang this song, it contained this verse, that was then omitted in the recorded version we grew up with. Now the years are rolling by me- They are rockin' evenly. I am older than I once was, And younger than I'll be. That's not unusual; No, it isn't strange: After changes upon changes We are more or less the same; After changes we are more or less the same.

All of Paul Simon's songs can be read, they're pure poetry.

That remarkable “clanging” noise is the sound of a jail door slamming. So appropriate to the message and so unique.

Paul Simon "American Tune" Melody variation of Bach's "Oh, Sacred Head Sore Wounded". Remarkable!

For me the concert in Central Park double Album Live! From start to finish is such a magical and beautiful experience.

Yes, the percussive effects represent punches. I have read that while mixing the track at the Columbia Studios in Nashville Simon ran a mike down the hall to the elevator, pulled open the doors, and used the elevator shaft as a reverb chamber. Very effective. Bookends is IMHO their best album. From America to At the Zoo, great stuff.

those lyrics tho. incredible. always been a fav S&G tune of mine.

One of their best. Try my personal favourite "Kathy's Song". Art Garfunkel describes it as Paul Simon's best love song.

Thank you so much! My favorite Simon and Garfunkle. My impression of this was a!ways that all he's gone through, the fighter still remains. So actually it's a victory because he's still standing.

Paul Simon's such a great poet, and the epic-level instrumentation serves to underscore the deep meaning of the lyrics. In a sense, we've all embarked on that same journey as his protagonist in the song. And as is often the case, the grass was not greener on that side after all. Our own destination ended up bleeding us dry, but like the battle-scarred boxer, it did not bow our now-wiser heads as, leaving, we shout our defiance against the ever-present contest. Such powerful imagery, in a pop song!

One of my favorites. That last verse is magic: the singer equating himself -- a poor, down-and-out kid who came to NYC to make it big, is failing miserably, but still won't give up ... to a punch-drunk boxer who gets back up each time he's beaten down.

My favorite Simon and Garfunkel song is “Scarborough Fair” based on an old English folk song. It’s very mysterious about love and war during Medieval Times. The lyrics and singing are extraordinary!

That sound effect wasn't gunshots, it was meant to be punches during a boxing match

The guitar playing in this song is unbelievable...of the highest skill. Hats off to Paul Simon as one of the greatest...

I have liked the song for 50 years but I can now fast forward through all the li li li at the end. Same with Hey Jude and Forever Young.

Such an incredible song.

Paul Simon is such a great songwriter that people often overlook the fact that he is also a fantastic guitarist. The way he finger picks that 12 string is just beautiful!

this brings back my college days, S & G were HUGE back then

This entire song is a metaphor for life. There is a common theme or thread to most of their songs, and this song expresses the same sentiment as homeward bound. All of us always know that heaven is our true home, not this world.

My favorite song of theirs. America is my 2nd fave.

The instruments playing the melody in the bridge are a piccolo trumpet and a steel guitar :)

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, You Can Call me Al, Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes. He paints pictures with words: he was a poor oy empty as a pocket. Great lyric.

Love this song!!! ❤ Siempre la cantamos a dúo con mi esposo. ¡Saludos, desde Argentina!

America, Homeward Bound and Mrs. Robinson are great ones. Paul Simon on his own did some great stuff, too, though I sometimes get confused about what was solo and what was with Garfunkel. Anyway, there is Graceland, Late in the Evening, Love Me Like A Rock, Slip Slidin' Away, Me and Julio, Kodachrome, and so many more. The man is a culture bomb, a musical mushroom cloud. I put him on a level with Bob Dylan, and I'm a huge Dylan fan.

You young sir are correct, the eyes are the window to your soul.

Water already winds its way and eventually grinds even the hardest of stones pleasantly smooth and sometimes indescribably beautiful. Well wishings and all the best furthermore.

hi michael, hope you're good. i forgot how much i loved this song. thank you for reacting to it, which is good btw. lie la lie, i believe, is about how everything he believed has become a lie and, although he's trying, nothing changes. my favourites, sound of silence, why don't you write me, baby driver and i am a rock. i hope one or more will take your fancy, i'd recommend baby driver as i'm slowly getting to know your likes, loves and dancers.

Only a few songwriters can write so many story-telling songs like this, Dylan, Kristofferson, Lennon, McCartney Harrison together and separate. Homeward Bound duet with Paul Simon and Willie Nelson is an Oh my god surprise. Paul Simon as a guitarist and lyricist is top flight and his vocals are better than expected... Art Garfunkel is a generational vocalist. And the outro with heavy bass drum or something. In my opinion: No, he is not a boxer, but metaphorically like a punch-drunk boxer, beaten down by the city, but he stays year after year carrying his inside and outside scars...

The instrumental break after the second verse is not a violin. It's actually the sound of a pedal steel guitar laid over a piccolo trumpet. Also worthy of note is the bass harmonica that provides the deep rhythmic sound in the left channel during the second and final verses. The drum beat in the “lie la lies” was achieved by setting Hal Blaine’s drum kit up in the elevator lobby of the Columbia Records building in LA. And I believe that was a tuba added just before the end.

Brilliant reaction, dude! Loved your commentary & in all the years I've been listening to this song I never made the connection as far as the lie la lies... so true, LOL!

My favorites from Simon and Garfunkel are America, Mrs Robinson, Cecilia and the Boxer. My Little Town was a great reunion track. I'm probably more a fan of solo Paul Simon. 50 Ways tto Leave Your Lover, Mother and Child Reunion, Me and Julio Down by the School Yard, Duncan, and You Can Call Me Al.

How did I miss your channel for so long?? It truly makes me happy!

That'll be Paul Simon playing the guitar, amazing! Simon & Garfunkel were really unique & adored ALL of their songs, which are many!! xx

Hi Michael I have just subscribed to your channel after watching you reaction to Judy Garland"s OLD MAN RIVER video. I am old retired teacher and grew up in 60s probably with your grandparents. You have a great personality and your comments in videos are awesome! I am going to watch subsequent videos of your's on different subjects!! Concerning Judy Garland she was Dorothy in Wizard of Oz and had an illustrious movie and concert career in the 40's 50's and 60's! She is mother of Liza Minnelli if you know her! Many consider Judy the greatest talent out of 20th Century Hollywood and to me she was. You made my day watching your reactions that were very genuine!

Great reaction! You're right on with your sentiment on the lie lie lie👍

I'm not 100% sure but that "violin" sounded very much like some kind of flute or horn 😄

The music of my youth! (And old age... I still listen to S&G!)

Its a piccolo trumpet.

Love this song the lyrics is powerful and love the instrumentation, the last part with the guitars, the percussion that is very important and the string music

Classic brilliance

Sound of Silence, Scarborough Fair, I am a Rock

That crashing sound you thought might be a shot was actually the recording onto a single track of a heavy length of chain dropped onto a concrete floor from a step ladder. These guys were recording innovators.

Three more songs: 1)Keep the Customer Satisfied ( Turn it way up!!) 2) El Condor Pasa 3) Only Living Boy in New York.

A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. So relevant to today.

Been listening to them since the 60s. My 2 favorites, in order, are 'I Am A Rock', and 'The Boxer'. Guess I would pick 'Homeward Bound' as my third.

❤ Love this song! Song of poverty, loneliness and lies

Sang this with my buddies in college, made us campus heartthrobs no kidding, we didnt even know the right finger picking, but killed the solo using harmonica haha

When they recorded the song the first time, the Lie la lie was just filler for supposed new lyrics to be sung later. It worked with the lie la lie so they never filled in with more lyrics.

React to a brilliant nursery rhyme I just heard called “ I know an old woman who swallowed a fly “ it was sung by folk singer Burl Ives .

Fantastic reaction Bro!!!❤

You're really good at this. Great job.

Love the monster Harmonicas very early in the song.

America by Simon and Garfunkel is their best IMO Yes does a progressive rock cover of America which is also worthy - it’s so different it took years for me to realize they were the same song 😂 El Condor Pasa is another great S&G song

GREETINGS EARTH GUY: I was a teenager in the 60s and was/am a fan of S&G. Here are some of my favorites from their 5 albums (I like Paul Simon's solo work as well). Anyway: Save the Life of My Child, Baby Driver, Leaves That Are Green.

Another great song speaking to his time as a young musician in NY is "Late in the Evening" 👍✌ I love this line " I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome I took some comfort there." Honesty.

I saw them in Central Park when I was 19. September 1981

‎˚₊⋆｡‧˚ This song is an essential paver in the path of my adolescence. ˚‧｡⋆‎₊˚ Everyone who came of age when I did knows every single word of almost every single Simon & Garfunkel song. Thanks for giving this one a little more air time.

I'm 59, and when I was a kid, Simon and Garfunkel always seemed to have some song playing on the radio a few times a day. My take on this one: He's laying out his winter clothes... knowing how he's going to spend another nasty cold winter alone, in a big city. He's envisions himself as a boxer...a tough guy, but one who hasn't been winning in life...who has repeatedly been hit and knocked down. And in that moment, he has overwhelming feelings helpless and hopeless. He cries out "I'm Leaving" He tells himself, he's going home, leaving the big city, giving up on his dreams. But, he knows he cannot, and tells himself that the fighter still remains, he wills himself to be that tough brave guy that doesn't give up. And That is the lie he keeps telling himself to continue on. Because he knows he just a scared, lonely young man. He has no confidence that things will get better, so he lies to himself, tells himself that he really is the fighter...The Boxer who can take the blows, who will cry out at times that he's leaving...but he won't. He's trapped, can't go home again, and living in a hell where he has to fight every day just to get by.

LOL! Dude! Are you aware of the jar of "Hellmann's Mayonnaise" resting on the back of your sofa? Loved the reaction, love "Simon and Garfunkel" and this song, thanks!

Me and Julio...it's as wonderfully joyful as this tune is enigmatic and dark. Try it!

I always thought this song had a majestic aura about it. The crescendo builds through the entire song. The lowly boy in the beginning verse transcends his sad tale by virtue of the tune. He's a king among men by the end...not in the tale, but by the beauty of the music. A gorgeous piece, and I liked your reaction very much. The eyes are indeed the "windows to the soul"...and you get that.

To me that sound you are referring to is a boxers glove hitting you. Sharp and precise!

Love this. Other favorites: America, Kodachrome (just paul) and homeward bound

Those aren't gunshots, they are boxing gloves. Paul Simon was the guitarist, and the lyricist. Art Garfunkel was the high voiced lead singer.

You’re beginning to realize something important. The acoustic and electric are VERY different. The electric relies on volume, tone distortion and left-hand speed. The acoustic relies on subtlety and complexity. Historical note - Paul Simon spent a while in the British folk scene - hence “Angie” and “Scarborough Fair,” which he picked up from the underground barroom hero BERT JANSCH. If you want to hear what an acoustic can really do check out his early stuff, especially with his group Pentangle.

Hi Michael, nice reaction to a classic and awesome song by S&G. You said something that I know the answer to and there have been many stories so I’m going to link to the man who did it. Those crashing sounds are not gunshots, they are a big drum. The man the legend, Hal Blaine did those crashes and drumming on the song. He’s the founding member of The Wrecking Crew. Joe Osborn (bass guitar) is on the song too, also a member. Like I said Hal came up with the idea and with the help of a sound engineer figured out what Hal wanted to do and Paul Simon was cool with it and loved the results, here’s Hal telling the story as it actually went down. (Hal passed away in 2019 at 90) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hdmUbNOZy6e3g30.html

Love this song

It’s not a violin it’s a piccolo trumpet ❤❤ and I believe they used the sound of a cell door being slammed!

Your new sub said Can You Dig It !

Awesome review! ... Like your comments on the eyes... I do not feel relaxed when I listen to S&G but it is a great song when people have the "WTF am I doing with my life" questions. I dated an activist who was into this ... Not sure why but he really liked the music of the 50s-70s. Introduced me to Elvis too! Three fav S&G? For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her; Kathy's Song and I am a Rock. Enjoy your time here... You may like Diamonds & Rust by Joan Baez... Gotta be in love or angst to listen to S&G. Xo J

This song reminds me of the 14 and 15 year old boys that had to leave home during the depression because there was so little food. Still just children having to fight to survive.

I always say the same thing about this song, the music buildup at the end should have a few minutes longer. Just too great.

Back in the 1960s, they used REAL instruments and FULL ORCHESTRAS with strings and horns.

La la lie etc is Paul Simon's way of singing la la la etc. He wanted something different

Please listen to Annie Lenox "WHY" the song covers the various stages of grief.

I just never appreciated S&G growing up - I was too into rock n roll. But thanks for this. I'll go back to carefully do some S&G time.

Next song of S & G ...... EL CONDOR PASA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

I grew up listening 2 this music. To bad U were born 2 late and missed it.

None of the people doing reviews of the song that I've seem to get that he's become a punch drunk fighter (I I'm leaving I am leaving but the fighter still remains) and that repeated bang bang babd on the drum is the muffled sound of a Punch-Drunk fighter being punched in the head. It's such a sad song

They slammed a door at the studio from what I understand...

A whip or a gunshot? 🤔 That’s why I like your reactions, you’re funny and serious all at once!

I think that is a speed bag.

Try American Tune. Simon is awesome.

that's Hal Blaine on drums...not a gunshot...