Simon & Garfunkel, The Boxer

In the 190^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “The Boxer” by the iconic folk duo Simon & Garfunkel.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 190^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “The Boxer” performed by Simon & Garfunkel. 

“Lie la lie, lie la lie la lie la lie.”

The legendary, Grammy-winning duo Simon & Garfunkel, comprised of Paul Simon (b. 1941) and Art Garfunkel (b. 1941), excelled in the unforgettable rock/pop/folk gem “The Boxer”. “The Boxer” is the sixth track from the duo’s 1970, legendary, Grammy-winning, multi-platinum album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. Simon penned “The Boxer.” Simon & Garfunkel, along with Grammy-winning record producer Roy Halee (b. 1934), produced it. “The Boxer” earned the duo success on the pop charts, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. As always, they both perform vocals on the track.

From the beginning, the lyricism on “The Boxer” is deep, elite, and thoughtful. Masterful songwriting, period. “I am just a poor boy, though my story’s seldom told,” Simon sings in the first verse, and continues, “I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles.” In the second verse, the boxer-to-be, fighting for everything, shares his experience of leaving home at a young age. To quote The Carpenters, “We’ve Only Just Begun”! Following the beloved, punching chorus, excerpted above, there are three additional verses.  In the third verse, our boxer is lonesome and is acknowledged by prostitutes (“Just a come-on from the whores on 7th Avenue”). In the fourth, the winters are brutal, and he seeks to go home.  These brutal winters feel both literal and metaphorical. In the fifth, the key verse, the boxer is explicitly mentioned, having matured into a man who remains a fighter:

“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 till he cried out in his anger and his shame

‘I am leaving, I am leaving’, but the fighter still remains.” 

Yes, the lyrics are the biggest achievement of “The Boxer.” However, the track is a masterpiece through and through.  The vocals are well-rounded, conveying those memorable lyrics and tuneful melodies superbly. Simon sounds fantastic on lead, while Garfunkel provides amazing harmony. The musical accompaniment is stellar too, with its acoustic rhythmic guitar lines, percussion (congas, specifically), punching, cannon sound effect created by a hard snare drum hit during the chorus, and the boisterous but charming bass harmonica, performed by Charlie McCoy (b. 1941) in the second and fifth verses. There is also a unique instrumental break following the colorful third verse. “The Boxer” showcases the musical genius of Simon & Garfunkel, adding to the reasons why Bridge Over Troubled Water won the Grammy for Album Of The Year.