Friday, August 18, 2006

Something So Right


They got a wall in China, it's a thousand miles long
To keep out the foreigners they made it strong...
Paul Simon, "Something So Right"

I'm sure every songwriter can name at least a few songs they wish they had written, and along with everything by the Beatles, a top one of mine is Paul Simon's 1973 song "Something So Right." It's a finely crafted love song that happens to mention the Great Wall of China. I visited a part of the Great Wall near Beijing today, and despite the hazy gray sky, it was amazing to see and experience a small part of this wonder of the world. I climbed a section of it, about an hour up and down steep flights of many, many stone steps of irregular height, sweating profusely and whistling that song to myself.

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