The Sound
O.B Lyrics
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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.
In restless dreams I walked alone
'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 out 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 whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
The Sound of Silence by O.B is a song that delves into the theme of loneliness and the need for human connection. The first verse begins with the singer addressing "darkness" as an old friend and expressing the desire to converse with it. The "vision softly creeping" refers to the thoughts and ideas that come to a person's mind when they are alone, which can sometimes be overwhelming. The singer observes that the thought has taken root in his brain, and it continues to exist in the "sound of silence". This phrase could refer to the silence of the night when there are no noises around and a person is left alone with their thoughts.
The second verse discusses the singer's experiences in his dreams where he walks alone on the streets. The neon lights and the bustling city provide a sharp contrast to the loneliness the singer feels. He observes that people around him are talking, but they aren't communicating with each other, and they're writing songs that no one listens to. This could be a commentary on how people are disconnected in a world that's supposed to be more connected.
Moving on to the third verse, the singer appears frustrated that people around him aren't listening to him. He tries to teach them about the dangers of being disconnected, but his words fall on "silent raindrops", and nobody is interested in hearing him. In the final verse, the singer says that people have begun to worship materialism, and the "neon god" they've created is warning them that they're missing out on something important. The song ends with the words "whispered in the sound of silence", which could indicate that the message the singer is trying to convey is only heard in moments of silence.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello darkness, my old friend,
Addressing the concept of darkness as a personified friend who is familiar and comfortable to O.B.
I've come to talk with you again,
O.B is seeking comfort through conversation with darkness.
Because a vision softly creeping,
A vague vision starts to unveil itself in a slow and steady manner.
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
The vision planted an idea in O.B's mind while he was asleep.
And the vision that was planted in my brain
O.B is still haunted by the same vision.
Still remains
The vision remains unchanged.
Within the sound of silence.
The vision is only heard in silence.
In restless dreams I walked alone
O.B is walking in his dreams by himself.
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
O.B's dream takes place in a setting of narrow and uneven streets.
'Neath the halo of a street lamp,
O.B is walking under the soft flickering light of a street lamp.
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
O.B adjusts his clothing in response to the chilly and wet environment.
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
A sudden surge of neon light catches O.B's attention.
That split the night
The neon light was strong enough to divide the dark night.
And touched the sound of silence.
The neon light interrupted the peace of the silence.
And in the naked light I saw
O.B saw things clearly under the naked light.
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
There were a large number of people, possibly more than ten thousand.
People talking without speaking,
People were communicating without really expressing anything.
People hearing without listening,
People were hearing words, but not actually listening to the meaning behind them.
People writing songs that voices never share
People were creating songs that were never shared due to the lack of communication and listening.
And no one dare
No one had the courage.
Disturb the sound of silence.
No one dared to interrupt the peaceful silence.
"Fools" said I, "You do not know
O.B referred to these people as fools.
Silence like a cancer grows.
O.B makes a comparison of the negative impact of silence to that of cancer growth.
Hear my words that I might teach you
O.B requested to share his insightful words of wisdom and teach these people.
Take my arms that I might reach you."
O.B was willing to offer a helping hand to reach out to them.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
O.B's words of wisdom fell on deaf ears.
And echoed
His words echoed, but
In the wells of silence
they still remained unheard in the silence.
And the people bowed and prayed
These people resorted to bowing and praying.
To the neon god they made.
They turned to worship a false idol they created themselves.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
A warning was given through a flashing sign.
In the words that it was forming.
The sign's message was conveyed through the words it displayed.
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
The sign indicated that the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
Are written on the walls of the subway.
And tenement halls."
As well as the tenements people live in.
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
The message was only audible in the silent spaces.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind