The Sound of Silence
E.C.O. Lyrics

Hello darkness, my old friend,
Addressing the darkness within oneself as a familiar friend

I've come to talk with you again,
Expressing the willingness to embrace introspection by reaching out to the darkness

Because a vision softly creeping,
An idea that slowly arose in the mind

Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
Despite being dormant, the idea grew within the subconscious

And the vision that was planted in my brain
The idea that was nurtured by the darkness

Still remains
The idea persists despite being unnoticed

Within the sound of silence.
The idea thrives in the absence of external distractions

In restless dreams I walked alone
A reflection on the isolating nature of introspection

Narrow streets of cobblestone,
The path taken during introspection is difficult and uncertain

'Neath the halo of a street lamp,
The dimly lit atmosphere represents the obscurity of the introspective path

I turned my collar to the cold and damp
The cold and damp represents the negative emotions that are being faced alone

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
A sudden interruption to the introspective process by external stimuli

That split the night
The disruption to the introspective journey was jarring

And touched the sound of silence.
External stimuli connected with the concept of inner solitude

And in the naked light I saw
The stark reality of external influence on isolated introspection

Ten thousand people, maybe more.
The multitudes of people who are unaware of their need for introspection

People talking without speaking,
Engaging in meaningless conversation despite lacking introspection

People hearing without listening,
Ignoring the need to reflect on personal experiences despite taking in external information

People writing songs that voices never share
Expressing personal introspection through art, but failing to communicate it effectively

And no one dare
People avoid introspection due to fear of confronting themselves

Disturb the sound of silence.
The avoidance of introspection preserves the peace of isolation

"Fools" said I, "You do not know
Addressing those who refuse introspection as foolish

Silence like a cancer grows.
Introspection is necessary for personal growth, and the refusal to do so is detrimental

Hear my words that I might teach you,
Sharing personal insights gained from introspection with the intent of educating others

Take my arms that I might reach you."
Offering assistance in guiding others towards introspection

But my words like silent raindrops fell,
Despite the willingness to help others introspect, the message fails to reach them

And echoed
The message is stifled by external distractions

In the wells of silence
The message is absorbed by the introspective individual, but fails to reach others

And the people bowed and prayed
Despite the potential for introspection, people still resort to seeking external solutions

To the neon god they made.
External distractions are worshipped despite their inability to provide true guidance

And the sign flashed out its warning,
A warning from external stimuli of the true nature of introspection

In the words that it was forming.
The warning is presented through the language of external stimuli

And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
Personal insights gained through introspection are seen as the wisdom of the enlightened

Are written on the subway walls
Personal insights are often expressed in mundane or unexpected ways

And tenement halls."
Personal insights can come from even the most unremarkable places

And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
Despite being presented in unconventional ways, personal insights still persist within introspection