Mrs. Robinson

Listen while you read:  Simon & Garfunkel

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know
Wo, wo, wo
God bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files
We'd like to help you learn to help yourself
Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know
Wo, wo, wo
God bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

Hide it in the hiding place where no one ever goes
Put it in your pantry with your cupcakes
It's a little secret, just the Robinson's affair
Most of all, you've got to hide it from the kids

Koo-koo-ka-choo, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know
Wo, wo, wo
Gold bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon
Going to the candidates' debate
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at it, you lose

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you
Wu, wu, wu
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?
Joltin' Joe has left and gone away
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

~  Paul Simon (for Simon & Garfunkel)

"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me." If you are of a certain age, you cannot forget that line, delivered by Dustin Hoffman to Anne Bancroft in the 1967 movie, The Graduate. That movie, in fact, was released this month fifty years ago! The song, "Mrs. Robinson," was part of the soundtrack, but also appeared on Simon & Garfunkel's fourth album, Bookends, released in 1968.

As coincidence would have it, it was on this day in 1951 that Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from baseball. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? And why is he referred to in the song? Paul Simon was a Yankees fan and more fond of Mickey Mantle than Joe DiMaggio. When asked on The Dick Cavett Show why Mantle wasn't mentioned in the song instead of DiMaggio, Simon replied, "It's about syllables. It's about how many beats there are." After DiMaggio's death in 1999, Simon said this: "We mourn the loss of his grace and dignity, his fierce sense of privacy, his fidelity to the memory of his wife, and the power of his silence." It is interesting to note how relatively easy it is to be remembered as a hero. Future public figures, take note.

I remember well when The Graduate came out. I was a senior in high school, intimidated by the prospect of leaving home for college. I remember watching the scenes that were filmed at the University of Southern California (referred to in the movie as Berkeley) and being frozen in fear that in a few months, I would be living on a college campus, albeit not in California. And that fear tied right in with the general theme of "loss of innocence" that pervaded the movie. I also remember that classic line that Mr. McGuire delivered to Benjamin in regard to his future: "Just one word: plastics." Oh, if he only knew!

Aside from its connection to the movie, "Mrs. Robinson" is a catchy little tune that belies its somber content. The loneliness, the discontent, the sorry remedy for all of our unhappiness . . . it's all there in a jaunty little melody that easily gets stuck in the head. Is it stuck in yours right now?

You're welcome.