Uploaded February 2010 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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"A Hazy Shade of Winter" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966 for their 1968 album, Bookends (although it also appeared on their Live from New York City, 1967). It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the second most popular song on the album after "Mrs. Robinson," which earlier reached #1.

The lyrics evoke the passage of the seasons, but (as the title suggests) focusing on the gloominess of winter. The chorus of the song repeats:

But look around,
leaves are brown now
And the sky
is a hazy shade of winter

Look around,
leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground.