Old Friends

Album: Bookends (1968)
Play Video
  • Old friends, old friends
    Sat on their park bench like bookends
    A newspaper blown through the grass
    Falls on the round toes
    Of the high shoes of the old friends

    Old friends, winter companions, the old men
    Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset
    The sounds of the city sifting through trees
    Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends

    Can you imagine us years from today
    Sharing a park bench quietly
    How terribly strange to be seventy

    Old friends, memory brushes the same years
    Silently sharing the same fears Writer/s: Paul Simon
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • Christine from Venice, FloridaHow can i obtain print license rights to print a photographic book i did years ago to these lyrics?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.