What does Bridge Over Troubled Water mean?

Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water Meaning

Album cover for Bridge Over Troubled Water album cover

Song Released: 1970


Covered By: Aretha Franklin (1971), Michael W Smith (2005), Glee Cast, Clay Aiken (2003)


Bridge Over Troubled Water Lyrics

When you're weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all (all)
I'm on your side, oh, when times get tough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over...

  1. anonymous
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    Oct 16th 2007 !⃝

    'anonymous' is completely right: "While many people criticized the ´Silver Girl´ lyric as a reference to drug needles, Paul said that he wrote it because his wife Peggy had prematurely gray hair."
    Source: http://www.paul-simon.info/PHP/biography.php

  2. anonymous
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    May 2nd 2006 !⃝

    This song was wriiten by Paul Simon about his wife ... The sail on silver girl bit refers to the time Paul's wife was upset over the fact that white hairs were beginning to appear on her head. Read this in an interview of Paul Simon. This song certainly hasnt got anything to do with drugs ...it's simply the best love song ever!

  3. CroftD1
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    Apr 16th 2006 !⃝

    The song isn't that deep actually. It is simply the artist reaching out to the listener. Find comfort in the music "like a Bidge Over Troubled Water".

  4. anonymous
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    Nov 6th 2005 !⃝

    This song is actually rumored to be about the troubling things going on in the 1960s and 70s... such as the assasination of John F Kennedy and the Vietnam war. According to some interpretations, they are actually singing "Fly on silver bird, fly on." and this is a reference to the plane (Air Force One) that carried John F Kennedy back to Washington after he died.

  5. anavrin
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    Jan 20th 2004 !⃝

    My dad told me that this song was about "shooting up" or IV drug use. He said the part where they say "Sail on Silver Girl, sail on by, you're time has come to shine...." is about the needle. I don't know how true this is but when you listen to the rest of the lyrics you could see how they might be singing about using drugs to escape the pain of the world.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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