The Boxer

In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that layed 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 (Simon)

This is part of the song entitled the boxer, written by Paul Simon and performed by him and Art Garfunkel as Simon and Garfunkel.   In the lyrics we see that the boxer is claiming he is leaving but he still remains.  I think a lot of us have reached a point where we say "I quit" and "I am not doing this anymore" but yet we keep doing it, mostly because it IS who we are.  I often times help people out and have often been taken advantage of, even stolen from, and sometimes I think that I am done being helpful.  I decide that I will develop more of a cynical outlook and stop trying to make things better for other people.  The truth remains that it is an ingrained part of my behavior and I cannot stop doing it.  Paul Simon wrote that this was a largely biographical song and that this part was in response to all the criticism he and Garfunkel had been receiving and how it made him want to give up.  When Dylan covered the song he replaced the word glove with the word blow, but I feel the original version is better.  I like that the word glove is being used to represent the people behind the blows, it is a more meaningful way to express it.  I have always liked the line  that  "he carries the reminders of ev'ry glove that layed him down", this idea that we carry with us reminders of the things that hurt us is compelling and true.  I have loved this song since I was a young angsty teenager, but I feel like it speaks more to me now that I am a person who has experienced the ups and downs of life.