If you want to write a song about the moon,
walk along the craters of the afternoon
when the shadows are deep
and the light is alien
and gravity leaps like a knife off the pavement.

If you want to write a song about the heart
think about the moon before you start
because the heart can howl like a dog in the moonlight
and the heart can explode like a pistol on a June night.

So if you want to write a song about the heart
and its ever-longing for a counterpart,
write a song about the moon.

Hey songwriter, if you want to write a song about a face
think about a photograph you really can't remember
but can't erase.
Wash your hands in dreams and lightning.
Cut off your hair and whatever is frightening
if you want to write a song about a face.

If you want to write a song about the human race,
write a song about the moon.
If you want to write a song about the moon,
if you want to write a spiritual tune,
then do it.
Write a song about the moon.

– Paul Simon,
Song About the Moon,
from Hearts and Bones, 1983