The Sound of Silence
Fausto Papetti Lyrics

Hello darkness, my old friend,
Greetings, obscurity, my longtime companion,

I've come to talk with you again,
I have arrived to engage in conversation once more,

Because a vision softly creeping,
Due to a subtle and gradual image,

Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
Planted its ideas when I was in slumber,

And the vision that was planted in my brain
And the idea that took root in my mind

Still remains
Continues to persist

Within the sound of silence.
Inside the realm of tranquility.

In restless dreams I walked alone
In troubled fantasies, I roamed solitary

Narrow streets of cobblestone,
Constricted paths made of uneven stones,

'Neath the halo of a street lamp,
Beneath the glow emanating from a street light,

I turned my collar to the cold and damp
I adjusted my coat collar against the chilly and moist air

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
At the moment my eyes were pierced by the sudden brightness of a neon sign

That split the night
Which divided the darkness

And touched the sound of silence.
And brushed against the realm of stillness.

And in the naked light I saw
And under the revealing illumination, I witnessed

Ten thousand people, maybe more.
An estimated multitude of ten thousand individuals.

People talking without speaking,
Individuals conversing without conveying true meaning,

People hearing without listening,
People perceiving sounds without truly comprehending,

People writing songs that voices never share
People composing melodies to which their true feelings are never expressed

And no one dare
And no one has courage

Disturb the sound of silence.
To disrupt the peacefulness of silence.

"Fools" said I, "You do not know
"Ignorant individuals," I proclaimed, "You lack understanding

Silence like a cancer grows.
Silence, similar to a malignant disease, thrives and spreads.

Hear my words that I might teach you,
Listen to my words so that I may impart knowledge upon you,

Take my arms that I might reach you."
Accept my help so that I can make a connection with you."

But my words like silent raindrops fell,
However, my words descended like gentle, unheard raindrops,

And echoed
And resounded

In the wells of silence
Within the depths of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
And the individuals humbled themselves and offered prayers

To the neon god they made.
To the deity they themselves constructed from neon lights.

And the sign flashed out its warning,
And the signal emitted its cautionary message,

In the words that it was forming.
Through the words it was composing.

And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
And the sign stated, "The messages of the seers

Are written on the subway walls
Are inscribed on the walls of underground passages

And tenement halls."
As well as the apartments in run-down buildings."

And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
And softly murmured among the quietness of silence.