Info about song
"Duncan" is the second song on, and third Hot 100 hit from, Paul Simon's February 1972 album Paul Simon, his first solo endeavor after the dissolution of the duo Simon & Garfunkel. The song was also released as a single in July 1972 as "Duncan" b/w "Run That Body Down". A ballad in E-minor, "Duncan" tells the story of Lincoln Duncan, a fisherman's son. An inability to fall asleep in a cheap motel due to the loud sex that a couple is having next door sends Duncan off on a long reverie. He recalls his decision to leave "the boredom and the chowder" of his hometown in the Canadian Maritime Provinces and head towards New England. He recalls running out of money, losing his virginity to a young female street preacher – "just like a dog I was befriended" – and finally lying on the ground at night and thanking God for his musical (and broader tactile/sensual) abilities. Between the stanzas, the song features instrumental interludes, played on 2 flutes, by Los Incas, an Andean group which had previously collaborated with Simon & Garfunkel on "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" in 1970. Duncan" peaked at #52 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in 1972 Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.