It's the intelligence of the lyrics that really sets Simon's work apart; a poetry teacher I had describe as one of America's finest poets and I believe that to be true. Tenderness brings home an important point, that we can't afford to mistake honesty for compassion:

What can I do
What can I do
Much of what you say is true
I know you see through me
But there's no tenderness
Beneath your honesty

Right and wrong
Right and wrong
Never helped us get along
You say you care for me
But there's no tenderness
Beneath your honesty

You and me were such good friends
What's your hurry?
You and me could make amends
I'm not worried
I'm not worried

Honesty
Honesty
It's such a waste of energy
No you don't have to lie to me
Just give me some tenderness
Beneath your honesty
You don't have to lie to me
Just give me some tenderness

Simon is as careful with his arranging as with his lyrics, and the Dixie Hummingbirds (the black gospel/doo-wop group that sings the background of this piece) adds a rich texture. This is a song that grabs a place in your brain that it will never fully abandon.

You can order There Goes Rhymin' Simon from Amazon.Com for less than 12 bucks, and if you use that link to do so the Blender of Love gets a bit of a kickback. (Amazon also has a Real Audio sample of several of the works.) It's a wonderful album, and also features Paul Simon's love song "Something So Right".

If you're feeling like a big spender, you can get the three disc set 1964/1993, kind of a greatest hits collection. The book that comes with it has commentary by Paul Simon himself on all the included songs from his 70s-early 80s solo period, including Tenderness.