I have always considered Paul Simon to be a great American poet as well as an outstanding musician. His lyrics in "American Tune" speak so directly to the sense of bewilderment that we've all come to know in 2011. His choice of J. S. Bach's haunting melody helps complete the feelings of desperation and isolation that has become all too common "in a nation's most uncertain hour." Thank you Paul for expressing our shared fears that we might better understand and perhaps confront them. D. J.