What were 'me and julio down by the school yard' up to anyway?

Underage sex, I've always thought!

In a July 20, 1972 interview for Rolling Stone, Jon Landau asked: "What is it that the mama saw? The whole world wants to know."

Paul Simon replied: "I have no idea what it is...something sexual is what I imagine, but when I say 'something', I never bothered to figure out what it was. Didn't make any difference to me."

This has not stopped speculation: Truman Capote said that he believed the protagonist and Julio were involved in a homosexual relationship; other commentators have detected references to recreational drug use, and believe that the mother saw the boy buying drugs.

I think Truman is wrong, simply because he didn't read the lyrics properly. The protagonists are clearly of opposite sexes.

Another theory is that the incident in the song refers to an arrest at an antiwar protest on a college campus (the "schoolyard"), with the "radical priest" (whom the singer claims will appear with him "on the cover of Newsweek") being either Philip or Daniel Berrigan, Jesuit priests noteworthy for their antiwar activity during the Vietnam War.

Yet another theory is that it's about Daniel Ellsberg, the government employee who leaked secret papers on the Vietnam war to the press. There was an investigation. The "radical priest" is Daniel Berrigan, the anti-war Jesuit who visited Ellsberg in jail. This event made the cover of Newsweek back in 1970 or 1971. The "mama pajama" is a euphemism for Robert McNamara and the "papa" is Richard Nixon.

Just worth noting that Paul Simon once wrote another song entitled: "A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Got Robert McNamaraed into Submission)". Hmmmmmmmm...

Many other theories are explored in the link below:

In a July 20, 1972 interview for Rolling Stone, Jon Landau asked: "what's it that the mama spoke of? the entire worldwide needs to precise ordinary." Simon spoke back "I somewhat have not have been given any concept what it somewhat is... something sexual is what i think of of, yet as promptly as I say 'something', I by no skill bothered to be sure what it grew to grow to be into. did now no longer make any massive distinction to me." This has now no longer stopped speculation: Truman Capote pronounced that he believed the protagonist and Julio have been in touch in a gay relationship; diverse commentators have detected references to leisure drug use, and have faith that the mum spoke of the boy looking out to purchase drugs.