Paul Simon - Thelma Lyrics






If a baby is born and no one complains
Then it's good luck running through young veins
And if life is a blessing that brushes the tops of the trees
Well it's a short walk in a sweet breeze

I will need you, feed you
Seed you, plead with you
All for a taste of your sweet love, Thelma

If the heart is an open memory book
That was the chance I took
The more I searched
The more I shook for Thelma

Last night I slept on a rented pillow
A silver moon above my head
A thirsty dreamless sleep released me
And I reached for the phone by the side of the bed

Now the first time that I saw you I thought
She's beautiful but she's too young to be caught
People aware of my history
Trying to steer you away from me
I left a message at your hotel
Don't let management poison the well

I will need you, feed you
Seed you, plead with you
All for a taste of your sweet love, Thelma

The phone is ringing and I realize
We are time zones and oceans apart
The words I speak in the middle of my night
Fall on your yesterday's heart

If the sun don't shine
If the wind don't break
If the clock don't jump off the wall
Thelma, my darlin' I will cushion your fall

I will need you, feed you
Seed you, plead with you
Without the taste of your sweet love, Thelma
I am only a man who skirted the edge of despair
For a long time
And I don't care

I watch you sleeping in a hospital bed
The baby curled up in a ball
Winter sunlight hits the family tree
And everything else becomes nothing at all





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Paul Simon Thelma Comments
  1. E.... ....

    This song sounds so modern... ahead of its time. And Adrian Belew on guitar! Should have been on the album!

  2. B.... S....

    It was considered too upbeat and contemporary for the record ;) I see what they mean in a way. The imagery is also much more Americanized, and far less spiritual and obscure... So I see why they would avoid using it, but they should have pushed it more as a single or stuck it on a new greatest hits package as the lead single...

    B.... S....

    They were right -- it is too upbeat for Rhythm of the Saints. The album contains the most fantastic rhythms I've ever heard -- in songs about dying (leaving the valley of shadows behind me now), breakups ("the strength to let you go", and abandonment "abandoned, forsaken in her cold coffee eyes." Did I mention the lyrics are genius as well as the music? Could be the best album of all time.



    What I'd give for another one like it.

  3. N.... P....

    Brother Mr. Simon... what a waker? what a dreamer... who's judging.. but us and the we in them and the he in him

  4. N.... P....

    He and his entourage .. who are WELL selected and BLESSED in their musical integrity

  5. N.... P....

    OMG i haven't heard this... and "Rhythm of the Saints" is like my all time favorite album. And i'm a musician. So yeah... he's holding back too much... he's a genius

  6. G.... C....

    This is a terrific track. The fact that it didn't make it on to the album would be remarkable in normal circumstance. In my opinion, though, "Rhythm Of The Saints" is the best album that Paul Simon has ever made (and therefore it's also one of the best albums that *anyone* has made). I think the success of Graceland not only restored his confidence but also alleviated the pressure that he was feeling from the record company which hadn't been overjoyed with the commercial performance of "Hearts And Bones" and "One Trick Pony".
    Graceland's massive success put Paul in a perfect position in which he was able to confidently pursue whatever artistic direction he wanted while the bean-counters and executives were still assessing just how many millions of dollars they could expect to profit by. The results were so brilliant that even a great track such as Thelma couldn't make it into the final tracklising for the album.

  7. D.... S....

    My favorite from the album, even though it's not on the album. <3

  8. J.... S....

    "I watch you sleeping in the hospital bed, the baby curled up in a ball. Winter sunlight hits the family tree, and everything else becomes nothing at all."

  9. V.... E....

    Why didn't this song make it on the record??!

    V.... E....

    it's a great song but what song would you replace?

    V.... E....

    It's one of my favorite Paul Simon songs. I'm glad they held onto it until the reissue