But the mother and child reunion...

[LoZoccolo]

Poll question: But the mother and child reunion...

(don't look it up!)

[Nicole]

1. is only a motion away.

Although I think "is only emotional weight" might be true for some people.

[Arugula Latte]

2. I've always wondered what that song is referring to, exactly.

It's sort of mysterious:

No I would not give you false hope
on this strange and mournful day
but the mother and child reunion
is only a motion away ...

[Bunny]

3. It's about chicken soup with an egg dropped in it.

Get it - the chicken and egg were reunited? I think I read somewhere that Paul Simon saw this on a Chinese menu, and liked the name. Don't hold me to this, though.

[CBHagman]

4. No, I remember his reference to the Chinese restaurant.

Only I recall that the dish in question was fried chicken and hard-boiled eggs that Mr. Simon had enjoyed in a Chinese restaurant, and he appropriated the name for his song.

The other thing I recall is Simon's reference to the "strange lyric about death" in the song. The album Paul Simon was the first record I ever bought with my own money, and I frequently think of the lyrics and arrangements from it.

[Bunny]

5. Ahh, that's right. I knew it had something to do with a Chinese menu.

Thanks!