" The Boy in the Bubble " discusses starvation and terrorism , but mixes this with wit and optimism . Simon concurred with this assessment : " Hope and dread — that 's right . That 's the way I see the world , a balance between the two , but coming down on the side of hope . " The song retains the only lyric Simon managed to compose on his South African trip : " The way the camera follows us in slo-mo , the way we look to us all . " The imagery was inspired by film clips of the John F. Kennedy assassination , as well as Ronald Reagan 's attempted assassination . " The Boy in the Bubble " , like " Graceland " , took three to four months to create
attempted assassination
Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan
The Boy in the Bubble