Paul Simon - Wristband (Live From A Prairie Home Companion) Lyrics






I stepped outside the backstage door to breathe some nicotine
And maybe check my mailbox, see if I can read the screen
Then I heard a click, the stage door lock
I knew just what that meant
I'm gonna have to walk around the block if I wanna get it in

Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
If you don't have a wristband, my man, you don't get through the door
Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
And if you don't have a wristband, my man, you don't get through the door

I can explain it, I don't know why my heart beats like a fist
When I meet some dude with an attitude saying "hey, you can't do that, or this"
And the man was large, a well-dressed six-foot-eight
And he's acting like Saint Peter standing guard at the pearly...

Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
If you don't have a wristband, you don't get through the door
And I said "Wristband? I don't need a wristband
My axe is on the bandstand, my band is on the floor"

I mean it's just...
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)

The riots started slowly with the homeless and the lowly
Then they spread into the heartland towns that never get a wristband
Kids that can't afford the cool brand whose anger is a short-hand
For you'll never get a wristband and if you don't have a wristband then you can't get through the door
No you can't get through the door
No you can't get through the door
Say you can't get through the door, no





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Paul Simon Wristband (Live From A Prairie Home Companion) Comments
  1. c.... ....

    Such a clever song. Starts off as a funny story, ends as something so serious and thought-provoking. Great to see Paul Simon still producing masterpieces at this stage in his career.

  2. B.... H....

    He transposed his own lyrics! 1:50 But, recovered: Should be: "My AXE is on the bandstand, my BAND is on the floor"!!! Paul got "excited," you can see it! 🤗☘️🇮🇪🍀👊

  3. M.... B....

    Why we love Paul Simon....

  4. W.... R....

    Friggin' Doofus Chris Thile. Never Met A Peformance He Couldn't F**K Up With His Herkey-Jerky "Oooooooo I'm So Moved By The Music" Sloppy Bullshit.

  5. D.... C....

    Sarah Jarosz

  6. M.... B....

    Incredible...the sound...the clappin' rhythm...the storytelling...the stand up comedian like performance...The older the greater: The Phenomenan Paul Simon. Remembers one of Sinatra in his later years...at his best!! So, again, thanks for sharing...whoever did it - excellent musical taste!

  7. C.... B....

    So much in tune with the real world - he continues to tell it like it is  - what a treasure you are Paul Simon...

  8. S.... D....

    best paul simon song ever.

  9. B.... E....

    Paul Simon's contribution to the American songbook is amazing. This song brilliantly grows in its political message as the song proceeds.

  10. S.... R....

    I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SONG and everyone performing here, SO BRILLIANT !

  11. V.... R....

    I love the way Chris Thile is just about shitting himself with excitement....
    I also love the political twist about halfway through

  12. M.... ....

    I stepped outside the backstage door to breathe some nicotine
    And maybe check my mailbox, see if I can read the screen
    Then I heard a click, the stage door lock
    I knew just what that meant
    I'm gonna have to walk around the block if I wanna get it in

    Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
    If you don't have a wristband, my man, you don't get through the door
    Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
    And if you don't have a wristband, my man, you don't get through the door

    I can explain it, I don't know why my heart beats like a fist
    When I meet some dude with an attitude saying "hey, you can't do that, or this"
    And the man was large, a well-dressed six-foot-eight
    And he's acting like Saint Peter standing guard at the pearly...

    Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
    If you don't have a wristband, you don't get through the door
    And I said "Wristband? I don't need a wristband
    My axe is on the bandstand, my band is on the floor"

    I mean it's just...
    [Scat]
    (Wristband)
    (Wristband)
    (Wristband)
    (Wristband)
    (Wristband)
    (Wristband)
    (Wristband)

    The riots started slowly with the homeless and the lowly
    Then they spread into the heartland towns that never get a wristband
    Kids that can't afford the cool brand whose anger is a short-hand
    For you'll never get a wristband and if you don't have a wristband then you can't get through the door
    No you can't get through the door
    No you can't get through the door
    Say you can't get through the door, no

  13. s.... w....

    Love the way he turns his situation into a metaphor for life,still so cool Mr Simon ;)

  14. F.... F....

    Paul Simon's still got it! His voiced hasn't aged.

  15. R.... K....

    all the woman seem strong ! and most of the men are good looking, oh Gary if you could see them now...

  16. d.... ....

    What a great mix of musicians playing Wristband. Also Love Sarah Jarosz..she's played in Grass Valley, CA and had no clue that Tarantino played the mandolin.

  17. S.... H....

    The thumbnail for this clip is classic.

  18. S.... H....

    How is it possible that Paul Simon sounds like he did in the '60s?

  19. R.... R....

    Awesome.

  20. J.... O....

    I didn't know Aubrey Plaza was musically inclined.

    J.... O....

    Sep-at-birth! That's Sarah Jarosz =ly hot.

  21. k.... w....

    wristbands are harder to come by than handcuffs/ Long ben a fan of Paul Simon wonderful

  22. K.... B....

    fuckin love the mandolin players energy, diggin into it real deep hahaha

  23. n.... M....

    WRISTBAND!

  24. m.... ....

    And that is why I love Paul Simon.

  25. C.... S....

    I'm sure this would be lovely, if only I could hear it! Complete silence. I have everything turned on, speakers are at 100%, and working. But sdtill nothing. A youtube thing I think. Not impresed.

  26. D.... K....

    I just love this song!! love the rhythm it's so catching xx

  27. B.... B....

    Chris is losing his mind.

  28. 1.... ....

    Giddy Ham on mandolin!

  29. J.... �....

    Brilliant song!

  30. C.... S....

    Can I still call him Al? Do ya think? LOL! I'm really Mrs Simon x no relation. I think .

    C.... S....

    OH!!!! I could be related to Carly ..... obviously. Or not. Or not is always an option ....

  31. r.... t....

    ...like fine wine

  32. S.... W....

    In this life, did you get a wristband? Can anyone say musical genius? Love this guy

  33. G.... H....

    Yes!......🎈

  34. J.... G....

    Saw him at Jazz Fest. I now have every Paul Simon cd.

  35. �.... �....

    great melody, SUPPER message, welcome back SIR*PS

  36. S.... E....

    Love it

  37. l.... .....

    a great great song. Love it

  38. S.... M....

    My thanks to Simon Mayo BBC R2 Drivetime Show 18th May 2016 for airing this terrific track - so resonates with some of my club experiences and encounters with security - actually we all know that sometimes even well known people are refused entry when security is 'ignorant' Brilliant lyrics - linking that so much of society never gets a wristband and can ( metaphorically ) lead riots!

  39. A.... P....

    Still one of the coolest dude's on the planet, thank you so much for so many memorable song's,love this, love and peace from Liverpool England.

  40. D.... M....

    brilliant stuff

  41. F.... L....

    Great artist, great band, great song. And great audience. Only artists as great as Paul Simon deserve the fans who cheer at a new song, rather than demand the "greatest hits".

  42. j.... k....

    Ništa ljude ne vezuje tako kao zajednički i sretno proživljena nesreća...

  43. M.... ....

    Umm. You Google "Paul Simon" on your iPhone and show the image to the bouncer. What's the big deal? Oh, yeah. There are disenfranchised people to be taken into account.

  44. J.... Y....

    Amazing as usual!. Does Mr. Simon realize what he has done to the commercial market for wristbands? That's the least of it.

  45. D.... K....

    Nice not to have Garrison Keillor on stage "singing" and ruining his guest artist material.

  46. r.... b....

    Paul Simon, always the genius when it comes to songwriting! Who else could write a song about a "wristband" and make it meaningful?
    My other half normally hates Paul Simon, but he absolutely adores this song.

  47. D.... G....

    Shit song

  48. L.... ....

    His voice hasn't changed at all with age. Crazy.

    L.... ....

    I know. Have you heard his version of Duncan at this gig? Crazy.

    L.... ....

    Crazy, after all these years

  49. J.... D....

    Great artist, fun song, nice band! My favorite part? No Garrison singing along!!! I never liked his singing, and hated how he forced himself on the guest bands.

  50. A.... ....

    It might play with the hipsters and the Prarie Home Companion crowd, but...I don't think it stands up to even his mediocre work. Not enough there.

  51. P.... G....

    Fabulous!

  52. S.... F....

    I've been a Paul Simon fan my entire life, but unfortunately this was relatively weak sounding compared to anything on 'So Beautiful or So What'... Paul can do better than this.

  53. P.... M....

    I apologise. This is not his best but it has merit. Eventually the lyrics come round but I think the music is lazy.

  54. M.... ....

    One of the geniuses of American song. For God's sake, STAY WELL.

  55. j.... ....

    So great this new offering from Paul. He is legendary and looking and sounding great. Deserves to be number one.

  56. G.... C....

    One of the best songwriters in R & R history! And here is another one.....

  57. b.... ....

    He sang this on Later Live....with Jools Holland tonight :-)

    b.... ....

    +barrythemod hahaha me too, also reckon Paul Simon was impressed with Jools Holland's bass player Dave Swift on he's upright :)

  58. D.... G....

    What are the lyrics at 2:20?

  59. C.... O....

    Interesting seeing that Paul McCartney recently couldn't get through the door at a club.... i wonder whether that was an influence :))

  60. T.... M....

    Two days on, and the song still plays inside my head. Not knowing the words though, I occasionally blurt out "wristband" from nowhere, to the utter bewilderment of people around me.
    Great song! Can't wait for the album.

    T.... M....

    Hahahaha very familiar

    T.... M....

    I LOVE THIS STORY! WRISTBAND!

  61. J.... S....

    If I'm half as sharp as Paul when I'm his age, I'll be pretty damn satisfied.

  62. i.... ....

    Dude this happened to me once at a Grateful Dead concert in 1993. Cold rain and snow, cold rain and snow. Told me I got to know the band! Ever try to tell security guards you are the one they are singing about? Well, it didn't go over well, but that ol' Terrapin Station, apparently it takes a while, quite epic really, and then there's the whole fulfillment of Dark Star fantasies and... Oh, yes, me and Paul go way back too, before I was born. Apparently I'm supposed to be learning something down by the school yard, but I don't have many friends and tend to piss people off all the time with my honesty about their shit, so I need a body guard and I do quite a bit of boxing- given up many, many times but hey, they fighter still remains, la la la la la al alalalallalalallalla What a crock! But yes, I couldn't get into my own show without a wristband- which is a difficult thing for a poor person like me to do, but I have been unable to work and labeled as crazy, been put down time and time again, argued with and practically ran over while I was trying to get the stupid WRISTBAND.

    WWJD? Well, funny thing about that forgiveness, it is easy to forgive people if you realize the source of all thought and movement is God- so Paul and Jerry, Bob, Phil, Bob, Mick, Roger, Bill, etc... (the list goes on) didn't really mean to stalk me and my life this entire time- it was God, which makes it easier for me not to want to kill them after just taking advantage for so long and being total egomaniacs. But to forgive God for wasting my life and ripping me off like that then smuggly singing, "Got to have a wristband" after I had tried so desperately for years just to get a toe in the door, is really something else. I will NEVER forgive God for this bullshit. Epic.

  63. J.... ....

    woah, literally just heard of the punch brothers earlier today, and now I see them here the same day, with my FAV artist, wow

  64. M.... ....

    One viewer doesn't have a wristband.

  65. i.... ....

    Why does Jumping Jack Flash flashed up in my head? ... Wristband!

  66. D.... K....

    Truly transcendent. Music like this makes life worth living.

  67. P.... M....

    After reading so many other comments I feel upset that I feel the way I do about this song. I really am one of the biggest Paul Simon fans.

  68. P.... M....

    I have loved Paul all my life, there is no bigger fan but... this is terrible. I feel sorry for him. he has been brilliant for so long,even the capeman and 1 trick pony were great, but this should not be released. I is terrible.

    P.... M....

    His band looks like a bunch of goofballs. Just read a audio engineers book who did his live album and said what a prick he was.

  69. M.... g....

    New album?

  70. A.... w....

    Today I saw the movie "Inside Llewyn Davis" by the Coen brothers from 2013.. A original and good movie! In the extra material on the Blu-Ray I was suprised to see Chris Thile (the guy on the banjo!). He did some serious contribution to the music of the movie. If you like folkmusic al'a Bob Dylan the movie is highly recommended. It is recommended otherwise too!

    A.... w....

    +Georg Hägglund Christ Thile plays the mandolin.

    A.... w....

    +Georg Hägglund Not a banjo. It's a mandolin. :)

  71. F.... T....

    Chris Thile is SO cute.

  72. D.... k....

    Fun record 😊👌 like it!

  73. c.... ....

    Great fun little song... and then the ending comes and completely changes everything.

  74. D.... G....

    That banjo player is really excited to be up there with paul simon

    D.... G....

    +David Gottlieb Mandolin?

    D.... G....

    oops maybe. I don't know my instruments :)
    but boy is he happy

    D.... G....

    +David Gottlieb like at 1:20

    D.... G....

    +David Gottlieb Yep, a mandolin. Looks and sounds nothing like a banjo. :) lol

    D.... G....

    sorrrrry for killing the vibe :) I love paul simon tho

  75. F.... T....

    So excited for Stranger To Stranger, he is my favourite artist. I love this song on first listen as expected.

  76. A.... N....

    Amazing bass line!  so snazzy, wow.

  77. M.... W....

    I love the combination of Paul Simon looking totally at ease and laid-back on stage, and Chris Thile looking so giddy and thrilled to be on the same stage as Paul Simon.

    M.... W....

    +Michael Weaver Thank god I'm not the only one who noticed that adorable nerd with the massive smile lol

    M.... W....

    thank you! feel exactly the same, love this guy:-):-):-):-)

    M.... W....

    maryswilde n

    M.... W....

    He's not giddy and thrilled. He looks absolutely nuts. In a positive way.

    M.... W....

    Omg, thank you, I hoped someone else had noticed as well.... Just see that admiration, it is adorable. Though I would probably look at him the same way. ❤️

  78. J.... G....

    Could Paul Simon possibly be more amazing?

    J.... G....

    Jeremy Good Chandler Bing

  79. s.... l....

    I came upon this after previewing Paul's and Dion's (DiMucci) new album New York Is My Home.  This song is definitely different and I like it!!  Good to see the artists of our youth still grinding out new stuff.

  80. k.... l....

    Paul Simon for President. OK America you aren't all bad.

  81. N.... S....

    ...A new Paul Simon song hoot hoot!!!

  82. S.... M....

    I'd love to know if the clueless guard (REALLY??) knows Simon wrote a song about him and made him THE symbol of evil oppression.

  83. s.... r....

    We have been waiting forever for Kristin Andreassen to return as a musical guest.

  84. H.... ....

    There goes snappy Simon!

  85. A.... w....

    Nothing against Paul Simon's later work but this is one of the few songs in a long time I recognize "old Simon". The later day music has been good in it's own right but I think this has got that "something" which quite many songs haven't got the last decade or two. It should be a new album on the way, yes? If so.. Then I am thrilled!

  86. L.... W....

    "shorthand for you never get a wrist band...." powerful line

    L.... W....

    Yeah I love that. I must admit I never got the "meaning" till that line. He's still sticking it to "the man".

  87. L.... W....

    The man has the power in his voice and heart!

  88. A.... S....

    Oh my God I'll be listening to this over and over again! Thank you.

    A.... S....

    +Alexandra Soares that's so true

  89. A.... M....

    Paul Simon AND Andrew Bird on the same stage???? WOWOWOWWW

    A.... M....

    And Chris Thile!

  90. S.... M....

    I love how the real significance of the song comes out of nowhere at the end...

    S.... M....

    Paul has always been such a sublime writer. "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" has so much subtext, it still blows me away. My wife and I saw him last night. He was still crazy good after all these years.

  91. J.... O....

    WARNING! Earworm alert!
    I listened to this for the second time two hours ago - and it's still there! Which is actually pretty neat, since it's a great song.
    Thank you, Rhymin' Simon.

    J.... O....

    +Jim O'Donnelly YES. This has been stuck in my head ever since the show Saturday night.

  92. c.... ....

    parsley sage rosemary thyme....

  93. B.... S....

    No one can replace you Garrison but Curtis is great! Good choice!!

  94. C.... M....

    Just awesome! Thank you Paul Simon!

  95. f.... ....

    who would believe ...

  96. p.... ....

    I didn't know that Quentin Tarantino played the mandolin on the side.

    p.... ....

    +Emily Hartman Now that I think about it, he looks like a cross between young Quentin Tarantino and young Willem Dafoe...

    p.... ....

    +kinvoya  Mando Man Chris Thile has to be the maddest musician since Mick Fleetwood !  :D

    p.... ....

    Ha ha I was about to say the same thing. Great minds and all that. 🤐

    p.... ....

    Hahahaha! EXACTLY what I thought. Looks just like him!

    p.... ....

    +kinvoya it's actually the other way around. Chris Thile writes and produces movies on the side

  97. B.... C....

    Hearing Paul say "a new song" makes me smile.