Sound of Silence
Dylan & Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare
Disturb the sound of silence
"Fools" said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made
And the sign flashed its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence
The song "Sound of Silence" is about the singer's realization of the emptiness and meaninglessness of the modern world. In the first verse, the singer personifies darkness and refers to it as an old friend, suggesting that he has encountered this feeling of isolation and loneliness before. He then speaks of a vision that comes to him in his sleep, leaving seeds in his mind that continue to influence him in his waking life, representing the idea that even though the world seems empty and devoid of meaning, there is still hope for something more. However, the vision becomes an obsession as it continues to stick with him, showing him that the sound of silence he hears all around him is not just an absence of noise, but an absence of meaningful communication between people.
The second verse continues the themes of isolation and emptiness, as the singer walks alone through the deserted streets, ultimately encountering a bright neon light that illuminates the darkness. In this light, he sees thousands of people talking, but not really saying anything, hearing, but not really listening. He realizes that the music that he and his fellow artists create is not enough to break through the sound of silence, as people are not truly connecting with each other on a meaningful level.
In the final verse, the singer tries to fill the void of emptiness he feels around him by speaking to the people, but his words fall on deaf ears as if they are silent raindrops. The people he encounters are more concerned with the neon god they have created and worship, which in turn feeds the sound of silence. The song concludes with the realization that the words of the prophets, which could bring about change, are ignored in the modern world, and the only place they can be found is written on the subway walls and tenement halls, whispered in the sounds of silence.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come back to my sorrowful state after a long break
I've come to talk with you again
I want to embrace my sadness as it's a part of me
Because a vision softly creeping
My imagination is taking over me subtly
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
It's growing within me unconsciously
And the vision that was planted in my brain
It's an idea that's stuck within me
Still remains
It's still with me
Within the sound of silence
In my loneliness, it's the only thing that echoes in my mind
In restless dreams I walked alone
I wander alone in my sleep
Narrow streets of cobblestone
Through the forgotten roads
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
Under the dim light of a lamp post
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
To protect myself from the gloom and chill
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
Suddenly confronted by the bright neon lights
That split the night
That brought light to the dark sky
And touched the sound of silence
But didn't break the stillness that was present
And in the naked light I saw
In the clear and bright light, I witnessed
Ten thousand people, maybe more
Many people, more than I could count
People talking without speaking
They converse, but no substantial meaning is exchanged
People hearing without listening
They hear, but don't give any attention
People writing songs that voices never share
They make music, yet they don't express themselves genuinely
And no one dare
And no one has the courage to
Disturb the sound of silence
To break the peacefulness of the stillness
Fools' said I, 'You do not know
I said to them, 'You're foolish, as you don't understand
Silence like a cancer grows
The more we neglect the stillness, the more it expands
Hear my words that I might teach you
Listen to me so I can instruct you
Take my arms that I might reach you
Let me embrace and help you
But my words like silent raindrops fell
My words were ignored like raindrops that silently touch the ground
And echoed
And kept repeating themselves in the silence
In the wells of silence
In the depths of the stillness
And the people bowed and prayed
The people submitted and prayed
To the neon God they made
To the man-made neon light they worshiped
And the sign flashed its warning
And the sign showed its cautionary message
In the words that it was forming
By the words that it displayed
And the sign said, 'The words of the prophets
The sign read, 'The wise words from respected thinkers
Are written on the subway walls
Are found in random public spaces
And tenement halls'
Like the tenement apartments
And whispered in the sounds of silence
And spoke quietly in the middle of the stillness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Edward Winters
Two great song writers. Two of my favorite song writers on the same stage singing with each other, who could ask for anything more.
Lillylane
Hauntingly beautiful, two masters of poetic musical imagery.
Lee Miller
Wow, deeply moving... the essence of music. And this is unrehearsed (in the beginning watch Dylan searching for guitar riffs, complementary vocal, and lyrics, before locking in). Both artists are long-term greats for a reason.
Michael Devlin
This to me is masterful.
Bob's harmonica is sublime.
James Germaine
It sure is. It hits the soul if you like. It sounds magic.
Ashok Kumar
Has even the goosebumps swaying.. Bob's harmonica..
Mauro Maier
Incredible song, incredible artists ... Incredible performance!!
Margaret Freeman
Perfect song & that beautiful harmonica sound that I always love to hear...
Monica Tolipan
What a great surprise! This duet is fabulous and Bob Dylan"s harmonica gives us such a special show.
thudthud
I never thought I'd see the day. The two best songwriters of the last forty yers and rivals to boot getting together to sing an iconic song. Oh to have ben there.