Homeward Bound – English Lyrics

• By: Simon & Garfunkel
• Album: The Concert in Central Park

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a lyrical journey with Simon & Garfunkel's timeless classic, "Homeward Bound." This poignant folk-rock tune offers a beautiful exploration of longing and the universal desire for home. By delving into its simple yet profound lyrics, you can gain insight into expressions of homesickness and travel experiences, making it a perfect song for learners to grasp everyday emotions and narrative songwriting in English.

[English]

I'm sittin' in the railway station, got a ticket for my destination

Mm, mm

On a tour of one-night stands, my suitcase and guitar in hand

And every stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band

Homeward-bound

I wish I was homeward-bound

Home, where my thoughts are escaping

Home, where my music's playin'

Home, where my love lies waitin' silently for me

Every day's an endless stream of cigarettes and magazines

Mm, mm

And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories

And every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be

Homeward-bound

I wish I was homeward-bound

Home, where my thoughts are escaping

Home, where my music's playin'

Home, where my love lies waitin' silently for me

Tonight I'll sing my songs again, I'll play the game and pretend

Mm, mm, mm

But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity

Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me

Homeward-bound

I wish I was homeward-bound

Home, where my thoughts are escaping

Home, where my music's playin'

Home, where my love lies waitin' silently for me

Silently for me

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
station /ˈsteɪʃən/ A2	noun - a place where trains or buses regularly stop so that passengers can get on and off
ticket /ˈtɪkɪt/ A1	noun - a piece of paper or card that gives you the right to enter a place or travel on a vehicle
destination /ˌdestɪˈneɪʃən/ B1	noun - the place to which someone or something is going or being sent
tour /tʊr/ A2	noun - a journey for pleasure in which you visit several different places verb - to go on a tour
suitcase /ˈsuːtkeɪs/ A2	noun - a rectangular case with a handle for carrying clothes and other personal possessions when travelling
guitar /ɡɪˈtɑːr/ A1	noun - a musical instrument with six strings that you play by pulling or strumming the strings
stop /stɒp/ A1	noun - an act of stopping; a place where a bus or train regularly stops verb - to (cause something to) finish doing something
poet /ˈpoʊɪt/ B2	noun - a person who writes poems
band /bænd/ A2	noun - a group of musicians who play popular music
thoughts /θɔːts/ A2	noun - the act or power of producing ideas
escaping /ɪˈskeɪpɪŋ/ B1	verb - to get free from something, or avoid something
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A1	noun - a set of notes combined in a way that is pleasant to listen to
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to have a strong feeling of affection for
waiting /ˈweɪtɪŋ/ A1	verb - to stay in a place until someone comes, or something happens
stranger /ˈstreɪndʒər/ A2	noun - a person you do not know
comfort /ˈkʌmfərt/ B1	verb - to make someone feel better when they are sad or worried noun - a feeling of not being worried or in any pain
mediocrity /ˌmiːdiˈɒkrəti/ C1	noun - the quality of being not very good
emptiness /ˈemptinəs/ B2	noun - the state of containing nothing
harmony /ˈhɑːrməni/ B2	noun - a situation in which people are peaceful and agree with each other, or when things seem right or suitable together

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm sittin' in the railway station, got a ticket for my destination

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense (sitting) used for an action happening now/around now; Ellipsis (omission of 'I have' in 'got a ticket')

  ➔ This line uses the present continuous tense, "sittin'", to describe an action happening at the moment of speaking. The ellipsis of "I have" in "got a ticket" is common in informal speech and song lyrics.

• And every stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band

  ➔ Passive Voice (is planned); Use of "for" to indicate purpose

  ➔ "Is planned" is in the passive voice, emphasizing that the planning was done to the speaker/performer, not by the speaker. "For" indicates the purpose of the planning: to accommodate the performer.

• Home, where my thoughts are escaping

  ➔ Relative Clause (where my thoughts are escaping) using "where" as a relative adverb.

  ➔ "Where" introduces a relative clause modifying "Home." It refers to the place where the action of the clause happens.

• Every day's an endless stream of cigarettes and magazines

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement (Day's/is); Use of genitive "'s" to indicate possession/attribution.

  ➔ "Day's" is a contraction of "Day is." The 's shows that the endless stream is attributed to or a characteristic of every day on the tour.

• And every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement (face reminds); Noun Clause (that I long to be) as object of "reminds".

  ➔ The singular subject "face" agrees with the singular verb "reminds." The clause "that I long to be" functions as the direct object of the verb "reminds".

• But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase (in shades of mediocrity); Subject-Verb Agreement (words come)

  ➔ "In shades of mediocrity" is a prepositional phrase modifying the verb "come back". "Words" is plural, so the verb is also plural.

• Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me

  ➔ Inversion (I need someone; normal word order); Infinitive of purpose (to comfort me).

  ➔ The structure "I need someone to comfort me" is a typical structure. "To comfort me" shows the purpose for needing someone.