Once upon a time there was an ocean
But now it's a mountain range
Something unstoppable set into motion
Nothing is different, but everything's changed
It's a dead end job, and you gets tired of sittin'
And it's like a nicotine habit
you're always thinking about quittin'
I think about quittin' every day of the week
When I look out my window it's brown and it's bleak
Outta here
How am I gonna get outta here?
I'm thinking outta there
When am I gonna get outta there?
And when will I cash in my lottery ticket
And bury my past with my burdens and strife?
I want to shake every limb in the garden of Eden
And make every lover the love of my life
I figure that once upon a time I was an ocean
But now I'm a mountain range
Something unstoppable set into motion
Nothing is different, but everything's changed
Found a room in the heart of the city, down by the bridge
Hot plate and TV and beer in the fridge
But I'm easy, I'm open, that's my gift
I can flow with the traffic, I can drift with the drift
Home again?
Naw, never going home again
Think about home again?
I never think about home
But then comes a letter from home
The handwriting's fragile and strange
Something unstoppable set into motion
Nothing is different, but everything's changed
The light through the stained glass was cobalt and red
And the frayed cuffs and collars were mended
by haloes of golden thread
The choir sang, "Once Upon A Time There Was An Ocean"
And all the old hymns and family names
came fluttering down as leaves of emotion
As nothing is different, but everything's changed
Guitarras: Paul Simon
Electrónica: Brian Eno
Bajo Fretless : Leo Abrahams
Batería: Steve Gadd
Percusión: Jamey Haddad
© 2006 Paul Simon Music BMI / Brian Eno Publishing Designee
Disco: Surprise
Comentarios: Meditación sobre la nostalgia, el paso del tiempo y el contraste entre el deseo de escapar y la imposibilidad de desconectarse completamente del pasado. La producción de Brian Eno, con su atmósfera etérea, refuerza este tono de melancolía y cambio inevitable.
La metáfora del océano convertido en una cordillera montañosa sugiere un cambio irreversible, algo que antes fluía con libertad pero que ahora es rígido e inmóvil.
Es una canción profundamente reflexiva, con la elegancia poética y la sensibilidad emocional que caracterizan a Paul Simon.