Tom, get your plane right on time
I know your part’ll go fine
Fly down to Mexico
Da-n-da-da-n-da-n-da-da and here I am
The only living boy in New York
[Verse 2]
I get the news I need on the weather report
I can gather all the news I need on the weather report
Hey, I’ve got nothing to do today but smile
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da and here I am
The only living boy in New York
[Bridge]
Half of the time we’re gone but we don’t know where
And we don’t know where
Here I am…
Half of the time we’re gone but we don’t know where
And we don’t know where
[Verse 3]
Tom, get your plane right on time
I know that you’ve been eager to fly now
Hey, let your honesty shine, shine, shine now
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da
Like it shines on me
The only living boy in New York
The only living boy in New York
Simon wrote this as a thinly veiled message to Art Garfunkel, referencing a specific incident where Garfunkel went to Mexico to act in the film Catch-22. Simon was left alone in New York writing songs for Bridge over Troubled Water, hence the lonely feelings of “The Only Living Boy in New York.” Simon refers to Garfunkel in the song as “Tom”, alluding to their early days when they were called Tom and Jerry, and encourages him to “let your honesty shine . . . like it shines on me”.[1] The background vocals feature both Garfunkel and Simon recorded together in an echo chamber, multi-tracked around eight times.[2]
The reggae hit “Weather Report”, by The Tennors, was adapted from this song.
A cover of the song was played by Everything but the Girl on their album Home Movies; video directed by Hal Hartley. Everything but the Girl’s version was a Top 50 single in the UK in 1993.[3]
This song was covered by The Coolies on their 1986 album dig..?, along with eight other tongue-in-cheek covers of Simon & Garfunkel classics.
Black 47 frontman Larry Kirwan covered the song on his 2001 solo project Kilroy Was Here.
Marc Cohn released a cover version as part of his 2010 album of tribute songs, Listening Booth: 1970.
Passenger, The Once and Stu Larsen covered the song as part of their American Tour series.
Kishi Bashi covered the song as one of two singles released July 12, 2017 exclusively on Spotify, both songs having been recorded in the company’s NYC studios in early April of the same year
