Paul Simon fans: What was "Me and Julio" about?

[Taverner]

I've heard that song a million songs, and still can't figure what the fack it's supposed to be about...any ideas?

[Kikosexy2]

Fugitives...

on the run--get their pics on the cover of Newsweek???

[lazarus]

1. hanging out at the schoolyard?

On edit, come check out the music appreciation group!

I dunno, these lyrics are weird:

The mama pajama rolled out of bed
And she ran to the police station
When the papa found out he began to shout
And he started the investigation
It's against the law
It was against the law
What the mama saw
It was against the law

The mama looked down and spit on the ground
Everytime my name gets mentioned
The papa said oy if I get that boy
I'm gonna stick him in the house of detention
Well I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way I'm taking my time
But I done know where
Goodbye to Rosie the queen of Corona
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Me and Julio down by the schoolyard

In a couple of days they come and
Take me away
But the press let the story leak
And when the radical priest
Come to get me released
We was all on the cover of Newsweek
And I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way I'm taking my time
But I don't know where
Goodbye to Rosie the queen of Corona
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard

[Archae]

5. Even Paul Simon doesn't know.

He said in an interview last year he just made up the lyrics to have some fun.

Like he has with most of the tunes he's done since then.
(Try figuring out "You Can Call Me Al.")

[tjdee]

9. You can call me Al is about lonely people stuck in their lives.

Three men: One who thinks he pissed his whole life away ("don't wanna end up a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard"), one wandering the streets asking where's his wife and family, what if he dies here...

The chorus is just about needing a friend, maybe meeting someone and wanting them to be your friend without all the baggage of what has happened before (hence the "I can call you Betty..." he's suggesting making up new names, because they'd be new people?)

The last man is a stranger in a strange world--unlike the other two, he finds solace in the fact that God is God everywhere (or the church is the church everywhere, anyway he recognizes something familiar) and starts praising (saying hallelujah). One could even say that God is the friend he's found, as he's the only one that ends up happy?

[HEAVYHEART]

2. I have no idea

I love Simon and Garfunkel's older songs but I'm not familiar with Paul Simon's solo stuff..

[loudestchick]

3. neighborhoods where everybody knows everone elses business

...my .02

The mama pajama rolled out of bed
And she ran to the police station
When the papa found out he began to shout
And he started the investigation

It's against the law
It was against the law
What mama saw
It was against the law

The mama looked down and spit on the ground
Every time my name gets mentioned
The papa said oy if I get that boy
I'm gonna stick him in the house of detention

Well I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way I'm taking my time
But I don't know where
Goodbye to Rosie the queen of Corona
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Me and Julio down by the schoolyard

In a couple of days they come and
Take me away
But the press let the story leak
And when the radical priest
Come to get me released
We was all on the cover of Newsweek

And I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way I'm taking my time
But I don't know where
Goodbye to Rosie the queen of Corona
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard

[Book Lover]

4. Coupla young guys hanging out in Queens....

shooting hoops and whatever... I always thought of themn as "bad boys with hearts of gold" which may be more than the song gives away.

[saltpoint]

6. Mama Pajama caught Julio and the protagonist --

-- trading in weapons of mass destruction down by the schoolyard.

[tjdee]

7. It's about a kid in trouble who's talking to his girlfriend/lady friend.

That's who Rosie is.

His mother saw them do something against the law, somehow they end up on the run, but get caught-- apparently this was some kind of righteous young hippie crime, because they're on the cover of Newsweek and the radical priest (with ties to the ACLU??) gets them released. In spite of mama spitting on the ground every time his name is mentioned. So he's going away. He don't know where he's going, LOL.

He longs for the days of "You, Me, and Julio down by the schoolyard".
(But I always thought it was just "Me and Julio" which is why the title is what it is?)

Anyways, we used to play this at camp for 9 year olds, LOL.

[KG]

8. i always figgered he and a friend was seen sparking up a doobie,

:smoke:

[gratuitous]

10. Hey, no sex threads!

Oops.

[blondeatlast]

11. Three and a half minutes.

SOMEBODY had to do it!

[amazona]

12. no sex threads

I'm no authority but as a kid I always assumed that Paul and Julio were getting busy with teh gay sex and that's what mama saw in the schoolyard. Maybe I just have a dirty mind.

:-)

On Edit -- JINX!

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