Interpreting Signs

I had the song You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon playing in my head this morning for some reason... but couldn't remember all the words or put them in the right order.

Looking up the lyrics on Metro Lyrics I re-discovered some wonderfully potent writing by Paul Simon. The words seem to be very relevant to this present time where many of us feel lost and confused about the purpose of our being here on this curious little planet. Where we wonder around from situation to situation, seeking the things we are told may be of benefit - fame, family, sex, someone to imitate and learn from. In this present time we may find some of these 'saviours' but still feel empty to the core.

My interpretation of the song, with absolutely no pretense at knowledge of Mr. Simon's intent is thus:
The song follows a man's life with each successive era succinctly summed up in metaphoric experiences during a walk down the street. Maybe it's the same street, maybe in different places, maybe in different times. It is the street that flows through his life. Or perhaps it is the street followed by his soul travelling through successive lifetimes.

He - Al - feels the soft centre of his existence even at the start of his journey, the place where something sacred should be. Where something sacred, now forgotten, once was. Perhaps at this stage he feels that a challenge would offer the opportunity for him to win back what was lost. He wants a shot at redemption for fear of continuing in emptiness.

Afraid of finding no meaning and becoming no more than an animated character with no real purpose he searches for truth in obsolete places plagued by moonlit mutts barking a message he cannot yet hope to understand. They may be distracting demons or assisting angels but Al cannot decipher the dogs so shoes them away in frustration all the while dreaming of the light calling him home.

The chorus sounds like a plea for assistance, a true friend in a world of illusion. He offers himself in exchange for a guide.

I imagine many of us can relate to the 'short little span of attention' which seems all pervasive in these times of speedy internet with multi-tasking windows and simultaneous tabs as well as quick-fix technology where the controls seem to be set on permanent fast-forward. Can anyone else remember the time when we'd focus on / read thoroughly /use one single page, screen or programme on our computers for a few hours without even thinking about flicking to another programme, another tab, clicking another internet link, quickly watching a video, briefly scanning a news page for information, downloading something in the background to look at later, and so on? All this whilst having a 'conversation' with a colleague or loved one!

The second street continues Al's search for something to validate his existence and shorten the long nights of despair. He wonders why the things he was promised or imagined would come his way have not yet appeared. With no guide in sight he tries to distract himself with meaningless relationships that lead only to more sorrow.

In the final stage of his life / journey, Al finds himself in a place he either does not know or cannot remember. Maybe it is the same street that he is approaching with fresh eyes, seeing familiar sights anew. He has to start his journey again, this time with nothing but what he carries inside himself for support. However Al seems less afraid of this than in his previous journeys. Perhaps the soft centre has begun to fill up.

We can imagine Al closing his eyes to take in the cacophony of sound surrounding him in the market place. The critical sounds of life seem like music to his ears. Opening his eyes and looking up he sees 'angels in the architecture, spinning in infinity'. These signs, audible and visual - which undoubtedly surrounded him all the time - can finally be seen for what they are. These vital clues help him to re-member who he is, why he is here, what this life is all about. He says, Amen! and Hallelujah! A perfect ending indeed.

Here are the lyrics courtesy of Metro Lyrics:
"A man walks down the street,
He says, Why am I soft in the middle now?
Why am I soft in the middle?
The rest of my life is so hard!
I need a photo-opportunity,
I want a shot at redemption!
Don't want to end up a cartoon,
In a cartoon graveyard...
Bonedigger, Bonedigger,
Dogs in the moonlight.
Far away, my well-lit door.
Mr. Beerbelly, beerbelly,
Get these mutts away from me!
You know, I don't find this stuff amusing anymore...

If you'll be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal!
I can call you Betty, And Betty, when you call me,
You can call me Al!

A man walks down the street,
He says, Why am I short of attention?
Got a short little span of attention,
And whoa, my nights are so long!
Where's my wife and family?
What if I die here?
Who'll be my role-model?
Now that my role-model is
Gone... gone,
He ducked back down the alley,
With some roly-poly, little bat-faced girl.
All along... along...
There were incidents and accidents,
There were hints and allegations...

If you'll be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal!
I can call you Betty, And Betty, when you call me,
You can call me Al! Call me Al...

A man walks down the street,
It's a street in a strange world.
Maybe it's the Third World.
Maybe it's his first time around.
He doesn't speak the language,
He holds no currency.
He is a foreign man,
He is surrounded by the sound, sound...
Cattle in the marketplace.
Scatterlings and orphanages[Scatterings and oranges?].
He looks around, around...
He sees angels in the architecture,
Spinning in infinity,
He says, Amen! and Hallelujah!

If you'll be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal!
I can call you Betty, And Betty, when you call me,
You can call me Al! You can call me Al..."