What's In A Name?

If you've ever heard the song "Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel and really listened to the lyrics, you're probably wondering why we would ever want to reference the song when talking about our daughter.  We didn't name her after the song, we just loved the name, and the song it cute and catchy.  But we did do a little research into the lyrics just to see what the song was really about. 

Here are the original lyrics:

Cecilia, you're breaking my heart


You're shaking my confidence daily

Oh, Cecilia, I'm down on my knees

I'm begging you please to come home



Cecilia, you're breaking my heart

You're shaking my confidence daily

Oh, Cecilia, I'm down on my knees

I'm begging you please to come home

Come on home



Making love in the afternoon with Cecilia

Up in my bedroom (making love)

I got up to wash my face

When I come back to bed

Someone's taken my place



Cecilia, you're breaking my heart

You're shaking my confidence daily

Oh, Cecilia, I'm down on my knees

I'm begging you please to come home

Come on home



Jubilation, she loves me again,

I fall on the floor and I'm laughing,

Jubilation, she loves me again,

I fall on the floor and I'm laughing    


And here is the research we found behind the song: 

 The “Cecilia” of the title is generally interpreted as being a capricious lover, causing both anguish and jubilation to the singer. However, another interpretation is that Cecilia might refer to St. Cecilia, patron saint of music in the Catholic tradition, and thus the song might refer to the frustration of fleeting inspiration in songwriting. St. Cecilia is mentioned in another Paul Simon song, “The Coast” (from his 1990 album The Rhythm of the Saints): “A family of musicians took shelter for the night in the little harbor church of St. Cecilia.” 

 I'm not gonna lie, knowing the song is about a patron saint rather made me feel better about using the name Cecilia!