What do the lyrics to the simon and garfunkel song "Mrs Robinson" mean!
Question: What do the lyrics to the simon and garfunkel song "Mrs Robinson" mean!?
Answers:
To be honest, as with most songs, it means very little!. The name Mrs!. Robinson was chosen over other options after reps from the film "The Graduate" asked them to provide the song as part of the soundtrack for their movie (which has a female lead named Mrs!. Robinson)!.
The first verse seems to speak to a lady who is a little off-kilter and possibly being admitted to a psych ward or old-people's home!. Note the lines referring to an interview ("we'd like to know a little bit about you for our files") and possible admission to a mental institute or retirement home ("look around you all you see are sympathetic eyes/stroll around the grounds until you feel at home") and her inability to care for herself in her current state ("we'd like to help you learn to help yourself")!.
The second verse alludes to an old family secret or skeleton in the closet!. References to hiding the secret away ("Hide in the hiding place where no one ever goes/put it in your pantry with your cupcakes") seem to sprinkle in the images of a lady who keeps a perfectly ordinary life on the outside!. Hence the cupcakes!. The reason I say "family secret" is because of the line "It's a little secret, just the Robinson's affair" seems to exclude it from anyone other than a Robinson but spreads it to others of the family name!. This is made a little more ominous by the last line about hiding it from the kids most especially!.
The last verse is self-explainatory, in that it talks about the current outside world of politics and how no matter how you choose in the elections you will eventually be screwed over by yet another politician!. This is pertinent because of the outer appearance of good candidates, versus the crooked and politicking nature on the inside: a parallel to whatever secret Mrs!. Robinson's family holds, while maintaining a good outer appearance!. also, politicians withholding information regarding smudgy pasts from voters can be akin to Mrs!. Robinson withholding the secret from the children!.
Finally, the chorus'!. Up to this point it had been a very placating, almost patronizing tribute to the lady in question, telling her (and us) that she's a good Christian woman who says her prayers and holds a place in heaven!. It's a lie, the kind we tell to mental patients and old biddies who have gone senile!. It's essentially a "yes dear" for this poor, somewhat befuddled lady (refer to verse one)!.
Now at the end of the song it is a call to days of auld lang syne, when baseball was America's pasttime and the Good Old Days of the 50's before the Veitnam War, when baseball players were the heroes of the common man and things were "reasonable"!. This is made evident by the call "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio/Our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you", and the woman's age is a little more readily available by the fact that she knows that "Jotting Joe" has since been absent from baseball!. It is a last cry to innocence and speaks of the passing of those selfssame Good Old Days, since not only have the heroes (such as DiMaggio) disappeared from the once-proud sport, but the symbolism of "left and gone away" indicates a much deeper sense of loss, akin to the passing of childhood!. This is easy to relate to the time period, since from the "perfect" setting of the Golden Fifties, the Sixties and Seventies were turning out to be drug-laden, war-plagued, disease-ridden, Us-Versus-Them economic and social failures!.
Taken in the context of when the song was written, it makes total sense!.
Of course, this is just my speculation, I could be wrong!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
The first verse seems to speak to a lady who is a little off-kilter and possibly being admitted to a psych ward or old-people's home!. Note the lines referring to an interview ("we'd like to know a little bit about you for our files") and possible admission to a mental institute or retirement home ("look around you all you see are sympathetic eyes/stroll around the grounds until you feel at home") and her inability to care for herself in her current state ("we'd like to help you learn to help yourself")!.
The second verse alludes to an old family secret or skeleton in the closet!. References to hiding the secret away ("Hide in the hiding place where no one ever goes/put it in your pantry with your cupcakes") seem to sprinkle in the images of a lady who keeps a perfectly ordinary life on the outside!. Hence the cupcakes!. The reason I say "family secret" is because of the line "It's a little secret, just the Robinson's affair" seems to exclude it from anyone other than a Robinson but spreads it to others of the family name!. This is made a little more ominous by the last line about hiding it from the kids most especially!.
The last verse is self-explainatory, in that it talks about the current outside world of politics and how no matter how you choose in the elections you will eventually be screwed over by yet another politician!. This is pertinent because of the outer appearance of good candidates, versus the crooked and politicking nature on the inside: a parallel to whatever secret Mrs!. Robinson's family holds, while maintaining a good outer appearance!. also, politicians withholding information regarding smudgy pasts from voters can be akin to Mrs!. Robinson withholding the secret from the children!.
Finally, the chorus'!. Up to this point it had been a very placating, almost patronizing tribute to the lady in question, telling her (and us) that she's a good Christian woman who says her prayers and holds a place in heaven!. It's a lie, the kind we tell to mental patients and old biddies who have gone senile!. It's essentially a "yes dear" for this poor, somewhat befuddled lady (refer to verse one)!.
Now at the end of the song it is a call to days of auld lang syne, when baseball was America's pasttime and the Good Old Days of the 50's before the Veitnam War, when baseball players were the heroes of the common man and things were "reasonable"!. This is made evident by the call "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio/Our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you", and the woman's age is a little more readily available by the fact that she knows that "Jotting Joe" has since been absent from baseball!. It is a last cry to innocence and speaks of the passing of those selfssame Good Old Days, since not only have the heroes (such as DiMaggio) disappeared from the once-proud sport, but the symbolism of "left and gone away" indicates a much deeper sense of loss, akin to the passing of childhood!. This is easy to relate to the time period, since from the "perfect" setting of the Golden Fifties, the Sixties and Seventies were turning out to be drug-laden, war-plagued, disease-ridden, Us-Versus-Them economic and social failures!.
Taken in the context of when the song was written, it makes total sense!.
Of course, this is just my speculation, I could be wrong!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
They [Sion and Garfunkel] said it was about history!. Notice Joe Dimaggio and Mrs!. Roosevelt!. I LOOOOOVE that song and am using it in a video I am making!Www@Enter-QA@Com