I can hear the soft breathing
Of the girl that I love,
As she lies here beside me
Asleep with the night,
And her hair, in a fine mist
Floats on my pillow,
Reflecting the glow
Of the winter moonlight.
She is soft, she is warm,
But my heart remains heavy,
And I watch as her breasts
Gently rise, gently fall,
For I know with the first light of dawn
I'll be leaving,
And tonight will be
All I have left to recall.
Oh, what have I done,
Why have I done it,
I've committed a crime,
I've broken the law.
For twenty-five dollars
And pieces of silver,
I held up and robbed
A hard liquor store.
My life seems unreal,
My crime an illusion,
A scene badly written
In which I must play.
Yet I know as I gaze
At my young love beside me,
The morning is just a few hours away.
Comentarios: Una de las canciones más melancólicas y narrativas de Simon & Garfunkel, y da título a su álbum debut, publicado en 1964. Es una balada breve pero poderosa, escrita por Paul Simon, que combina ternura, culpa y fatalismo en apenas unas estrofas. Canción que captura el conflicto entre el amor íntimo y la culpa personal, narrado con la sencillez y poesía típicas de Paul Simon. Es como una película en miniatura, donde una sola noche concentra todo el peso de una vida que se desmorona.
Paul Simon reviso la letra, la musica y el tono de esta canción años más tarde en "Somewhere They Can't Find Me".