Simon & Garfunkel - Richard Cory Lyrics






They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town,
With political connections to spread his wealth around.
Born into society, a banker's only child,
He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style.

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard Cory.

The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes:
Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show.
And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got.

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard Cory.

He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch,
And they were grateful for his patronage and thanked him very much,
So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
"Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head."

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard Cory.





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Simon & Garfunkel Richard Cory Comments
  1. R.... C....

    I was in my did had a gun

  2. C.... L....

    So much suffering hiding behind our facades. Truth vs appearances.

  3. J.... H....

    I wonder how many poor people in Oakland , California wished that they could be William Knowland, or how many aspiring writers wished they could be Ernest Hemingway.

  4. T.... H....

    I dont think these fucks even understood the poem. It seems to be taken out of context
    But hey ho the young will always read wrong and ruin the truth
    Very sad.

  5. D.... F....

    My 6th grade teacher made us listen to this every morning for a month straight. We dissected the lyrics and studied their meaning. 25+ years later and the last line of the verse is still stuck in my head.

  6. C.... M....

    To me this says that everyone has vulnerabilities, everyone has insecurities, and just because someone in born into a life of privilege doesn’t make those insecurities any less debilitating than they are for people that are less fortunate.

  7. M.... ....

    Hey Mr Lynch

  8. I.... H....

    I remember the first time I heard this song, and how shocked I was. I had to immediately re-listen to the whole song and it's one of my favorites now

  9. T.... R....

    Amateurish rewrite of a classic poem. It's actually not a very good or strong song.

    T.... R....

    ¡Ya siéntese señora!🙄

    T.... R....

    Songs aren’t poems, numbskull.

  10. P.... M....

    I think the most interesting part of the song is that even after the speaker learns that Richard Cory killed himself, he still wishes he could’ve had that life. Really speaks to the ignorance of people.

  11. C.... P....

    This song came into my head when I read how Epstein killed himself, (Maybe).

  12. L.... W....

    I always thought this to be one of the best songs of Simon and Garfunkel. Just one thing I don't get, why does he not learn from the fact that "he put a bullet through his head?"

  13. T.... M....

    Citing for an essay on Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilyich."

  14. Y.... Y....

    I saw this in my English class....

  15. A.... L....

    It's a shame Richard Cory's dead, but wasn't he a most Peculiar man?

    A.... L....

    Is that a pun I smell

    A.... L....

    ThE peculiar Man was his employee

    A.... L....

    “He was a gentleman from sole to crown”

    I don’t think so.

  16. C.... G....

    Um, in 1965 (when this song was written) what US factory worker was in poverty? Thanks Paul Simon and your ilk for influencing future generations to disparage blue collar work. I wonder if any of your roadies ever considered you as Richard Cory?

    C.... G....

    1. There’s no indication this narrative takes place in 1965; it’s in fact based on a poem written decades earlier.
    2. It in no way disparages blue collar work; it is in fact about the class and status anxiety that even a reasonably comfortable factory worker might experience.
    3. Stop being dumb.

  17. s.... ....

    I have written a new, even darker twist, on Edwin Arlington Robinson's original Richard Cory: https://wordsofsocraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2019/04/richard-cory-redux.html

  18. L.... ....

    I always think Richard Cory would be more effective it it ended at the last verse without a last runthrough of the chorus
    Like if it just cut-off at 2:16 it'd be like :open_mouth: Plot Twist

    L.... ....

    I don't think so.
    The fact that he still sings ," Oh I wish that I could be Richard Cory", even after he knows the guy killed himself, leaves me wondering...

    L.... ....

    Well, that's where the poem ends. I think it has much more impact - the man, rich, handsome, generous and envied by all, is still wretched enough to end his own life. The shock of the last line, especially the first time I read the poem, was incredible.

    L.... ....

    @Master of procrastination 2.0 I think you're right he still hankers after the American materialist dream is the point PS is making.

  19. D.... B....

    The poem was recited by actor Paul Lambert playing poetry publisher Ben Nicholson in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Envious Editor"

  20. P.... D....

    Anyone else think this should've been played in Mortal Engines at some point?

  21. H.... 3....

    Irony at its finest

  22. J.... G....

    Heard this song many times in Vietnam. Made me realize that there were people worse off. I immediately thought of this song when Anthony Bourdain sadly took his own life.

  23. S.... S....

    I also like to imagine the songs got an American Psycho vibe to it. That the protagonist was so bitter that he shot Richard Corey, but got away with it because he's a nobody, unlike Richard Corey.

    Only because the line goes "they SAID RC went home last night and put a bullet through his head."

    Wouldn't the ultimate defeat of someone so cursed by RC's fame be denied his involvement?

    I'm not saying this Is how you should interpret the song, just a different perspective.

  24. B.... ....

    Folks, the truth is, i am not much of a S&G fan. I concede that they made beautiful music too. But i just don't buy these trust fund Jew boys singing the woes about how hard life on the street is. As if spending a night alone on the street even came close enough to cast a shadow on them as it sailed by to claim some one else. That fact alone mostly spoils their music for me.

    This song is an exception though. I remember as a small child, i didn't fully understand how to use the phonograph yet, but i knew where on the circles of the vinyl was that phrase "Richard Corey went home last night, and put a bullet through his head!" I kept bouncing the needle onto that spot, until my mother began panicking that i was obsessed with death.

    I have always been glad that i heard this song at such a young age. It taught me a basic fact that money does not buy peace of mind. I am not saying it doesn't buy happiness -ask any beggar in India. It does. But it does not buy you something worth living for. You have to find that yourself. And i am not saying that in the attitude of "sorry, your on your own on that one, it's none of my business.", no, i am just saying that satisfaction with your life is, and always has been, a personal discovery. Thinking that some one else has more satisfaction with their life simply because they are rich is a fallacy.

    B.... ....

    Trust the art, not the artist, I believe Bruce Springsteen said.

  25. T.... G....

    Donald Trump is an alien

  26. c.... k....

    They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town,
    With political connections to spread his wealth around.
    Born into society, a banker's only child,
    He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style.
    But I work in his factory
    And I curse the life I'm living
    And I curse my poverty
    And I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be
    Richard Cory.
    The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes:
    Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show.
    And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
    Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got.
    But I work in his factory
    And I curse the life I'm living
    And I curse my poverty
    And I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be
    Richard Cory.
    He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch,
    And they were grateful for his patronage and thanked him very much,
    So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
    "Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head."
    But I work in his factory
    And I curse the life I'm living
    And I curse my poverty
    And I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be
    Richard Cory.

  27. G.... P....

    One of the better poem-to-song(s) extant.

  28. M.... A....

    Somehow, in the aftermath of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain's suicides, this came to mind. As some have said, "Be kind to all you meet, for you have no idea what burdens they are struggling with." RIP Kate, RIP Anthony.

    M.... A....

    Beautiful, Mike. So very, very true. When in doubt, try to be kind. There will never be enough of it in this world.

    M.... A....

    Victims of the clinton hit squad..not suicides! Bodycount of those found dead that knew something is now around 176 people.

  29. d.... ....

    There's a theme going on here with "a most peculiar man". Apart from both being about suicide I think the main lesson in both songs is people don't learn. That's my take

  30. R.... A....

    Thought of this song when I heard the news about Anthony Bourdain.

    R.... A....

    Rachel Andelman I see I wasn't the only one.

    R.... A....

    When I heard of Anthony Bourdain's death I thought first of the poem “Richard Cory” by Edward Arlington Robinson and then was reminded of S&G's song.

    R.... A....

    His Illuminati buddies turned on his sense of taste, and when he first ate his own stuff he got a rope.

    R.... A....

    I always thought of Anthony Bourdain as a deeply depressed person. Don't know why, but in his face he looked disturbed and empty. I wondered if he was a substance abuser because of the tremendous amount of alcohol he consumed. He never seemed to be enjoying himself in the same way that I have seen genuinely joyful people living life to its fullest.

  31. T.... ....

    They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town,
    With political connections to spread his wealth around.
    Born into society, a banker's only child,
    He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style.
    But I work in his factory
    And I curse the life I'm living
    And I curse my poverty
    And I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be
    Richard Cory.
    The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes:
    Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show.
    And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
    Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got.
    But I work in his factory
    And I curse the life I'm living
    And I curse my poverty
    And I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be
    Richard Cory.
    He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch,
    And they were grateful for his patronage and thanked him very much,
    So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
    "Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head."
    But I work in his factory
    And I curse the life I'm living
    And I curse my poverty
    And I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be,
    Oh, I wish that I could be
    Richard Cory.

  32. D.... T....

    Jacob Teacher brought me here.

  33. D.... ....

    נודר קטלן רצח

  34. S.... M....

    שיר בן זונה

    S.... M....

    Sean Mil נודר בן זונה

  35. E.... Q....

    That bass in the beginning is really hitting the brown note.

  36. P.... ....

    McCartney does a great version of this on 'Wings Over America'

  37. P.... D....

    This is a pretty awful outtake .

  38. W.... T....

    The poem "Richard Cory" by Edward Arlington Robinson was reworked by Simon and Garfunkel and was the inspiration for this song.
    It' s basically the same but there are a few differences.

    W.... T....

    Wishful Thinking most notably the final chorus.

    W.... T....

    I think the poem is more about assumption but the song focuses on becoming someone like Richard Cory - who killed himself.

  39. T.... F....

    AP literature brought me here

  40. T.... ....

    So, was Pres Trump talking about Richard Cory to the boyscouts this week?

  41. J.... ....

    'Richard Cory went home last night And ate some bon-bons in his bed"

    J.... ....

    Well, at least stress-eating's gonna kill you a lot slower than suicide.

  42. G.... J....

    trump and hilary

  43. G.... J....

    both scumbags

  44. a.... S....

    Donald Trump or Richard Cory ?

    a.... S....

    for putting a bullet in his head

    a.... S....

    Hillary should put a bullet through her fat head

    a.... S....

    Giving to charity, spreading his wealth around? Doesn't sound like Trump

    a.... S....

    Lord christ in heaven, please don't ruin the meaning of such a song. It speaks that the way others will see a person's life is an illusion as they can never know what that person is living then and there.

    a.... S....

    Oh theres always some fucking asshole thinks hes clever using a 54 year old song to bash the president...why dont YOU go " richard corey" yourself???

  45. Z.... M....

    I read this story in English class last school year XD

    Z.... M....

    I read this in eighth grade in English class in 1979. My teacher brought in the album and played the song for us. That was when I REALLY began to appreciate S&G!

    Z.... M....

    My English, Mr. Charlie Phillips, played this back in 1971 and some other S&G songs. We talked about the lyrics.

    Z.... M....

    I’m here because of school too lol

    Z.... M....

    Same here

    Z.... M....

    Yeah some story called the necklace brought me here because my teacher lol

  46. J.... L....

    this song takes me back to my high school days when we had the Richard Cory story in our literary class. It gives me goose bumps every time I hear it.

  47. G.... ....

    We did this song in class and now I'm hooked!LOL

    G.... ....

    G35xS #d###d#d

    G.... ....

    Same!!!

    G.... ....

    sameeee

  48. S.... N....

    music of this caliber and depth simply does not exist nowadays...Thank you for the wonderful memories..

    S.... N....

    +Scott Nevison it probably does somewhere if you look well enough

    S.... N....

    Quack Dragon Ya well, keep lookin, lol

  49. W.... 1....

    RICHARD ORGYYYYYYYYY

    W.... 1....

    boi that just destroys the soing

  50. F.... W....

    He still wants to be the Richard Cory that put a bullet thru his head.  That's cursing the life you are living for sure.

    F.... W....

    He realises in the end to be his own man, I think it goes from "wish" to "wished"

    F.... W....

    Yeah. I guess it's about the vicious cycle of people thinking money can buy them happiness, then having that illusion ruin them.

    F.... W....

    +Ray Ogden The song is based on the poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson written when he was 28.

    F.... W....

    @Fabulous Metrocop A lot of people, myself included, see others' lives only from the outside in. You think because of people's wealth, status, beauty, relationships, etc., they are far more joyful inside than you are when you are battling depression. You see the outward things that you believe you would love to have that you don't have and they do. The truth is, those people may be struggling with depression far deeper than your own or maybe they really are as joyful as you imagine. Like Brother Chuck Berry sang, you never can tell.

    F.... W....

    Even after three years I still want to be Richard cory, dead and done.

  51. Y.... F....

    It´s a good music, I listened to this music by  first time with Paul McCartney & Wings , with Denny Laine, but this version is better than Wings.

    Y.... F....

    @Yann Costa hardly. Paul and co. did it far better.

    Y.... F....

    +br Both versions are good. Simon & Garfunkel did it first, and I grew up enjoying the orginal artists. I don't think it matters whether or not one is better or worse than the other. Enjoy both! :)

    Y.... F....

    I had no idea they did this. I was doing a quiz on Simon & garfunkel lyrics. "Wish that I could be...wish that I could be" i was supposewd to say what comes next. And I got it right because I have the album "Wingts over America." So this quiz was the first time I found out it's not a Paul Mcartney song.

  52. L.... ....

    When I was little, my mom would put this album on for me almost every day. This was probably my favorite song in the album. I was fully aware of what was happening in the song, yet it never spooked me. I appreciate this song so much for teaching me real life lessons at such a young age in such a frank but eloquent manner.

    L.... ....

    you are right about the song being from the workers perspective but i was only talking about what was going in the life of Richard Cory

    L.... ....

    the thing is your being hypothetically and I don't see why we are having the conversation even though both sides have brought up valid pionts good day

    L.... ....

    Thanks to the Them! (The Band „Them“ mit Simon and Garfunkel xD)

    L.... ....

    littlereli shaking and cring right now

    L.... ....

    Beats Church. My big brother explained it to me when I was little. Albums often played.

  53. j.... ....

    What utter crap.  It adds NOTHING to the brilliant, understated poem, except maybe some insipid clichéd adolescent angst.

    j.... ....

    You flatter me with "analytical."  I meant it more as a rant.  I am very fond of the poem of the same name (by Edward Arlington Robinson), and the song is to the poem as a comic book to a novel.  But if I did wax analytical, it wouldn't convince anyone, so I didn't bother.     

    j.... ....

    @jamesbachreeves i think the song helps with the idea to nake people realise everybody interprets things differently. This is their interpretation while yours may be different.

    j.... ....

    You MUST know genius, as evidenced by your favor towards Hatsune Miku.

    j.... ....

    Luneth don't listen to the topic starter, just check his channel... Don't ever trust anyone on music with nothing but Japanese cartoons in their profile.. They are teenagers and just discovering

    j.... ....

    Er, it adds a melody and an involving, passionate performance. Poetry and music are different mediums, dude, and viewing the words to this song in isolation is some next-level missing-the-point crap.

  54. Y.... H....

    I would also say it describes Ned Vizzini the writer publishes numerous books, a film another book in the works and writing for tv. Then one day he jumps out of a window

    Y.... H....

    His death was actually caused by defenestration. JFGI.

  55. p.... ....

    I guess this song is very true to life, as exemplified by Robin Williams's tragedy.

    p.... ....

    Its actually based on a poem of Edwin robinson yes entitled RICHARD CORRY..
    Richard is a wealthy well educated and all but he find himself Unhappy and commited suicide shot his brains out

    p.... ....

    perfectsplit robin williams’ story is completely different. He had lewey body dementia, a terrible neurological disease which was the main cause of his suicide.

    p.... ....

    @perfectsplit Robin Williams was someone who was seen as very kind and generous. He was, by all accounts that I have read, a very good person. As wrong as it is to say, when someone whom you perceive as deserving of his good fortune ends his life, it goes against deeply held beliefs of what life's lessons are. I still believe the good deserve to be rewarded even though I know that very good people who have lived very good lives commit suicide every day.

    p.... ....

    Robin willams was an amazing actor comedian and beloved by many, even so he took his own life much like Richard cory

    p.... ....

    @perfectsplit or m Jackson

  56. K.... R....

    Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
    We people on the pavement looked at him:
    He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
    Clean favored, and imperially slim.

    The song is based on this poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson - http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/richard-cory

    K.... R....

    Yes, it is based upon Robinson's poem of the same title. As a lifelong lover of poetry, it is of my opinion this song is superior to the poem. The poem isn't bad, it simply does not simultaneously enlighten and gut punch the reader in the same way as this version does. Simon is a true poet as is Dylan. They are modern day troubadours, though Simon is retiring from the craft after one last tour. Sad. I would like to see him one last time but I don't believe he will be around my area and even if so, I imagine ticket prices are such only the Richard Corys are able to afford them.

  57. d.... ....

    Paul McCartney & Wings also performed this song on Wings Over America, with Denny Laine (original lead singer for the Moody Blues) singing lead.

    d.... ....

    Great version, too. Love Wings.

    d.... ....

    The Grateful Dead did this live too

  58. b.... ....

    I have a version of this by Van Morrison and Them, also, but it doesn't hold a candle to this version.

  59. b.... ....

    Super clean and clear recording. Haven't heard this track in over 30 years. One of the best S&G tunes in my opinion. An album cut....NOT a hit single, but shoulda been.
    Thank you for posting.

    b.... ....

    Best version is original MONO Columbia LP. Much better than Stereo version. Especially opening guitar licks.

  60. g.... ....

    love it remember when I was a little kid!

  61. b.... ....

    Finally! The only balanced version on yt so far-now i can dance