I am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest, hmmmm
When I left my home and my family, I's no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin' scared, laying low
Seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know
[Hook]
Lie la lie
Asking only workman's wages, I come lookin' for a job
But I get no offers
Just a come-on from the whores on 7th Avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there
[Hook]
Lie la lie
I am older than I once was
And younger than i'll be that's not unusual
No it isnt strange after changes upon changes we are more or less the same
After changes we are more or less the same
And I'm laying out my winter clothes and wishing I was gone
Goin' home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleedin' me, leadin' me
Goin' home
In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
'Til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
[Hook]
Lie la lie
I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest, hmmmm
When I left my home and my family, I's no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin' scared, laying low
Seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know
[Hook]
Lie la lie
Asking only workman's wages, I come lookin' for a job
But I get no offers
Just a come-on from the whores on 7th Avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there
[Hook]
Lie la lie
I am older than I once was
And younger than i'll be that's not unusual
No it isnt strange after changes upon changes we are more or less the same
After changes we are more or less the same
And I'm laying out my winter clothes and wishing I was gone
Goin' home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleedin' me, leadin' me
Goin' home
In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
'Til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
[Hook]
Lie la lie
Track 6 on Bridge Over Troubled Water
Track 14 on Babel
About The Boxer
“The Boxer” is a folk rock ballad written by Paul Simon in 1968 and first recorded by Simon & Garfunkel. It was released as the follow-up single to their number one hit “Mrs. Robinson”, and reached #7 in the US charts. It later appeared on their last studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, along with its B-side “Baby Driver”. It is particularly known for its plaintive refrain, in which the singer sings the tune as ‘lie-la-lie’, accompanied by a heavily-reverbed drum (work of Hal Blaine), and the memorable guitar finger-picking by Simon and guitarist Fred Carter, Jr.. Rolling Stone ranked the song #105 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Mumford & Sons covered the song on their grammy-winning 2012 album Babel
