Paul Simon is an exceptional songwriter and one half of the '60s folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, along with his neighbourhood friend Art Garfunkel. The two started singing together in junior high under the name Tom and Jerry, (named for the cartoon cat and mouse since Simon is short and Garfunkel is tall) but later took the more sophisticated name that made them famous. I Am a Rock was written in 1965 while Simon was on a solo tour of the UK and when he returned to the US the duo included it on their 1966 album Sounds of Silence. It was their third single from the album and it reached the #3 spot in the Top 100.
Paul Simon’s songs often reflected feelings of isolation and loneliness and he became associated with the disaffection that the youth of the ‘60s were feeling at the time. His astute lyrics and gentle melodies were perfectly suited to the folk music that was becoming popular and he and Garfunkel quickly achieved success with their profound songs and unique sound. I Am a Rock shows Simon’s writing abilities as he maintains the illusion of the loner’s fortitude until finally revealing his vulnerability in the last two lines.
I Am a Rock
A winter’s day
In a deep and dark December
I am alone
Gazing from my window
To the streets below
On a freshly fallen, silent shroud of snow
I am a rock
I am an island
I’ve built walls
A fortress, steep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship
Friendship causes pain.
It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain.
I am a rock
I am an island
Don’t talk of love
Well, I’ve heard the words before
It’s sleeping in my memory
And I won’t disturb the slumber
Of feelings that have died
If I never loved, I never would have cried
I am a rock
I am an island
I have my books
And my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room
Safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock
I am an island
And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries
Inuksuit
An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit peoples of the Arctic region of North America. The word inuksuk means "in the likeness of a human" in the Inuit language and these structures can be found from Alaska to Greenland. This region, above the Arctic Circle, is dominated by the tundra and has areas with few natural landmarks.
The inuksuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for travel routes, fishing places, camps, hunting grounds, places of veneration, drift fences, used in hunting or to mark a food cache. Hunters would sometimes use inuksuit to assist in the herding of caribou into contained areas for slaughter. Varying in shape and size, the inuksuit have longtime roots in the Inuit culture.
At Enukso Point on Baffin Island, there are over 100 inuksuit. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1969.
The inuksuk symbolizes the fortitude and determination of the Inuit people and, though made of inanimate rock, it embodies the spirit and persistence of the inhabitants of one of the world’s harshest environments. Inuksuit represent strength, leadership and motivation. The traditional meaning of the inuksuk is "Someone was here" or "You are on the right path."
Canadian Heritage Minute
You will find the cache at:
Sitamat quliunngigaqtut tallimat pitaqangituq . tallimat pingasut tallimat Atausiq pitaqangituq pitaqangituq pitaqangituq marruuk . sitamaujunngigaqtut sitamaujunngigaqtut pitaqangituq
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
As with all of the Hits of the 60s series, some aspect of the song is significant to this location so have a look around. There is only room for a log so BYOP.
***Congratulations to myst354 on being FTF***