He began performing with his schoolfriend Art Garfunkel in 1956; together the two came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. The duo's blend of folk and rock music in hits like "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America", and "The Boxer" served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their career together peaked with their last album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970), at one point the best-selling album of all time. Throughout his subsequent solo career, Simon has continued to explore an eclectic mixture of genres, including gospel, reggae, soul, and more. His celebrated 1970s output—comprising Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)—kept him in the public spotlight and saw critical and commercial acclaim, spawning the hits "Mother and Child Reunion", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover".
Across his life, Simon has intermittently reunited with Garfunkel for several tours, including the famed Concert in Central Park. The widely lauded Graceland (1986) became Simon's biggest album of his career, melding his rock sound with worldbeat flavors; its single "You Can Call Me Al" became one of Simon's top hits. A sequel of sorts, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), preceded his own successful Concert in the Park, attended by a half-million fans. That decade, Simon focused his energies on a Broadway musical The Capeman (1997), which was poorly received. In the first quarter of the next century, Simon continued to record and tour; his later albums, such as You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011), and Stranger to Stranger (2016), have introduced him to new generations. He retired from touring in 2018. His most recent work, Seven Psalms, will see release in May 2023.
Simon is among the most acclaimed musicians and songwriters in popular music, and one of the world's best-selling music artists, both for his solo work and with Garfunkel. He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, have seen induction into National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress crowned him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is a co-founder of the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit that provides medical care to children.
In an in-depth interview reprinted in American Songwriter, Simon discusses the craft of songwriting with music journalist Tom Moon. In the interview, Simon explains the basic themes in his songwriting: love, family and social commentary (as well as the overarching messages of religion, spirituality and God in his lyrics). Simon explains the process of how he goes about writing songs in the interview: "The music always precedes the words. The words often come from the sound of the music and eventually evolve into coherent thoughts. Or incoherent thoughts. Rhythm plays a crucial part in the lyric-making as well. It's like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying."
The Sound of Silence
Paul 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
In Paul Simon's Sound of Silence, he personifies darkness as an old friend that he has come to talk to. Throughout the song, Simon depicts a vivid contrast between the silence and the noise in society, and how each has its own power. Simon describes a vision while he was sleeping that left its seeds in his brain, which still remain today. He goes on to talk about his experience walking alone in the streets, where he was surrounded by thousands of people talking without saying anything meaningful. He refers to them as "fools," who do not understand the importance of the sound of silence - a silence that is like a cancer that grows.
Simon's cries to teach and reach others with his message and words are silenced, and they fall like raindrops into the well of silence, echoing back to him without an audience. The people are consumed by the neon God they have made, and even the sign warns them of their foolishness. Simon concludes that the words of the prophets are no longer heard in the right places, where they should be written in the tenement halls and subway walls to be whispered in the sounds of silence.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello darkness, my old friend
I have returned to my state of melancholy, where the absence of light consumes me
I've come to talk with you again
I am acknowledging and embracing my feelings of despair
Because a vision softly creeping
A thought or idea gradually infiltrated my mind
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
It embedded itself in my subconscious while I was unaware of its presence
And the vision that was planted in my brain
The thought or idea that took root in my mind
Still remains
It has not gone away
Within the sound of silence
It thrives in the absence of meaningful communication or interaction
In restless dreams I walked alone
During my anxious moments, I felt isolated and disconnected from the world
Narrow streets of cobblestone
The paths I walked were rough, uncertain, and challenging
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
Beneath the light of a lamppost, an object that provides minimal illumination
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
I protected myself from the harsh and dreary environment
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
When I was jolted by a sudden, artificial outburst of light
That split the night
That seemingly broke through the quietness
And touched the sound of silence
That reached and disrupted the solitude, that defines the quietness
And in the naked light I saw
In a bright, bold, and straightforward world, I saw the truth
Ten thousand people, maybe more
An unimaginable number of people, hopeless and trapped in their silence
People talking without speaking
Despite their words, they express no real substance or emotion
People hearing without listening
They listen passively, without really trying to comprehend or understand
People writing songs that voices never share
They use art to cope with their isolation but remain too afraid to share those thoughts
And no one dare
No one is bold enough to
Disturb the sound of silence
Disrupt the peace of their muted existence
"Fools" said I, "You do not know
In my perception, naive people with no comprehension of the truth
Silence like a cancer grows
The suppression of expression, is as destructive and virulent as a disease
Hear my words that I might teach you
Listen carefully to my words, and I can show you a truth previously unknown to you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
Let me help you, by reaching out to you
But my words like silent raindrops fell
Despite my efforts, my words fell upon deaf ears
And echoed
They reverberated, symbolizing the lack of true interaction and understanding
In the wells of silence
Deep in the silence that permeates the culture, my words echoed
And the people bowed and prayed
They submitted themselves and entreated their collective silent power
To the neon God they made
They denoted their worship of an artificial adoration
And the sign flashed its warning
An ominous advisory was displayed in the form of an ethereal sign
In the words that it was forming
The meaning and warning was shaped through its words
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
The sign conveyed a warning that foretold
Are written on the subway walls
They would be found lurking in the mundane and forgotten corners of society
And tenement halls"
Society and the people who call it home alike, will contain the message
And whispered in the sounds of silence
The words will be heard, but only if one listens closely and attentively within the silence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vitormata665
Hello darkness, my old friend
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
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
No one dared
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 whispered in the sounds of silence
@vereelizabeth4176
@Camping Outlanders Association
The Sound of Silence’ is a hymn to resistance
The 1960s hit by Simon & Garfunkel conveys a powerful warning against the dangers of indifference, which still comes in handy today
Ever feel distressed and alienated by the shallowness of the social environment we live in, to the point of feeling unable to get in touch with others, or even with your own sensations? If so, Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence might be the song for you.
You probably already know this tune, and enjoy its relaxing, soothing rhythm, but it is plausible that you have never taken the time to fully unpack and internalize its profound meaning. In this article I will try to do just that, along with analyzing why this song can be read as an extremely powerful social statement.
The Sound of Silence has a very peculiar history. It was written by then 21-year-old Paul Simon and included in the duo’s 1964 debut album, called Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.. The work was a sales failure, which led the two friends to split their ways: Garfunkel went back to college, Simon left for England to pursue a solo career.
But producer Tom Wilson did not give up on the tune and decided to rearrange the music: he added drums and electric guitars to the original acoustic version, thus obtaining the song as we know it today. The republished single was an overnight sensation, skyrocketing to the top spots of the sales charts and reaching №1 in the Billboard Hot 100 by January 1966. The unexpected success led to Simon and Garfunkel’s reunion, resuming a partnership which would gift us with other wonderful songs, such as Mrs. Robinson, The Boxer and Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in 1964, around the time ‘The Sound of Silence’ was composed.
But what is the message conveyed by Paul Simon in The Sound of Silence? Let us try to interpret the lyrics, starting off with an explanation given by Art Garfunkel during a live performance: «This is a song about the inability of people to communicate with each other».
This topic is present right from the first, universally known verse: Hello darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again. The author has no one to talk to but the dark, to whom he tells, almost like a confession, about a dream he had. The first theme of the ‘vision’ is loneliness: the narrator finds himself walking alone on a narrow path, when the cold night is suddenly lit up by the flash of a neon light; he is dazzled by it, and we are told that the glare is icy, naked and unnatural. The neon conveys an idea of cold modernity, serving as a symbol for present-day industrial society, which has replaced the traditional warmth of the fireplace, bearer of communion and togetherness, with the impersonality of artificial light.
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 dared
Disturb the sound of silence
The third verse is probably the key of the song, as well as the core of Simon’s vision. The light reveals a multitude of people, likely meant to represent humanity as a whole. They are not acting normally in his eyes: their actions are void of significance, they seem disempowered and alienated.
The author realizes that too often people speak with each other just for the sake of it, without really communicating anything: talking without speaking and hearing without listening sound like oxymora, but they are instead carefully chosen expressions, hinting to the meaninglessness of most of present-day personal interactions.
It is undeniable that the society we live in pushes us to live frantic, stressful lives, leading to a pattern of self-absorption and detachment which most of us only put aside to engage in shallow small talk with strangers we do not care about. Think about how rare it is to have a deep, heartfelt conversation with another person; how excitingly strange it is to really connect with someone, to be able to exchange experiences and opinions without falling into cliché, and more importantly without feeling the compelling need to look at your phone!
In these circumstances, the human sensibility and creativity risk to get lost, also for fear of revealing our true self to the world: in Simon’s dream people are writing songs that voices never share. In loneliness and incommunicability art perishes, as we have no one to share it with, and we are terrified of non-acceptance and mortification if we did. This line could also be a criticism of the contemporary music and cultural industry, which only promotes what is considered ‘trendy’ by producers, and curbs the artists’ creative talent: a recurring topic in Simon’s work.
Cover for the 1965 remixed single, which reached №1 in the U.S. sales charts.
The incapability to share feelings, ideas, art also means that we become desensitized to the evil around us, as we are no longer able to raise our voice against cruelty and injustice. No one dares to disturb the sound of silence, meaning nobody has the courage or the strength to ‘rock the boat’ by questioning the status quo. Silence is thus characterized not as something positive and peaceful, but as an enemy that must be fought in order to get rid of our moral numbness and regain some sort of unity and togetherness. If we do nothing, if we stay silent, we are allowing and enabling all that is wrong in our society, when we should stand up and denounce it instead.
According to many, it is no coincidence that Simon wrote the lyrics around the time of John F. Kennedy’s assassination: in The Sound of Silence he paints the picture of a disheartened, dazed people, mirroring the uncertainty of most Americans and their inability to react in the face of the violence and chaos breaking loose both inside their country and on the international stage.
Having noticed this, the songwriter begins the next verse with a wake-up call:
“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”
The author tries to warn the people in his dream – and his listeners – about the dangers of incommunicability: he compares silence to a tumor, spreading relentlessly through society and which is eventually going to consume it. He then invites them to listen to his guidance and offers them his arms, almost as if to physically rescue them from their ‘illness’. But all is in vain: his cry remains unheard, falling like silent raindrops and getting lost in the deafening silence.
In this verse all of Simon’s juvenile frustration comes to light: he feels misunderstood and unappreciated; he realizes that most people are not easily shaken out of their paralysis, and the dissenting voices are often muffled by indifference.
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 whispered in the sound of silence”
The fifth and final verse – which is also the longest one – contains a fierce attack against modern consumerism. The people idolize the neon sign they themselves have created, worshiping it as a god; the author means to show how modern men have converted to a new religion, whose holy cows are money, appearances and shiny futility. Serving as prophet of the new god is obviously the advertising industry, which covers up with billboards every corner of the cities, while ads and commercials are whispered in the sound of silence and are the only audible noise, brainwashing people into buying things they do not really need.
The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls.
Paul Simon’s criticism is also aimed at the alienating power of mass media, capable of detaching people from reality and making them prefer fake, passive interactions to the real, genuine ones. This also provides another interpretive angle to the lines about people talking without speaking and hearing without listening mentioned earlier in the song. It is worth noting that the early Sixties – when The Sound of Silence was written – were the years in which television reached its mass diffusion in the U.S., exiting the status of ‘luxury item’ and spreading its use among the middle and working class: according to Cobbett Steinberg’s TV Facts, by 1962 90% of American households counted with at least one television.
To sum up, the key message of The Sound of Silence is that we never have to stay quiet and we should not be afraid of speaking out, both in our personal and our social life. The way towards a better society passes through effective communication, which is essential to draw attention to our needs and to demand justice and decency for all. To accomplish this, we should be careful with everything that can alienate us, leading us to think of ourselves only as individuals rather than as members of a worldwide community. In a nutshell, this song reminds us to avoid the neon gods our daily life is littered with, which can trick us into selfishness and indifference.
Paul Simon singing ‘The Sound of Silence’ at a protest march against gun violence in Stamford, Connecticut (March 24, 2018).
By the time The Sound of Silence became a hit the Vietnam War was raging, so it was adopted by many as an anti-war song, along with others such as Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind and John Lennon’s Imagine. Especially nowadays, as our society grows more and more antagonistic and divided and while many remain passive in the face of inequality and discrimination, I think we should rediscover these songs not only for their artistic value, but also and foremost for their powerful social meaning, which can still teach us a great deal about the world we live in.
@Marc443
One of the greatest ever. A man and a guitar, nothing else. No special effects, no laser show etc. This will never die!
@ln4553
Best of bests
@cosyhomes9622
Hopefully not 👌👍💪
@cathynuytten798
You can see in his eyes he feels every note of the music.
@craenor
And what a guitar.
@ballareviaggiando
NEVER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iai6m7FBLDQ&ab_channel=PaulSimonVEVO
@bob10tn
The way he sang it this time is different and it just gets better as it ages... he sang it with so much sorrow... regrets of past mistakes... sadness of the enough time that he hasn't spent with the ppl he loved... he sang it with all the beautiful memories from the past... he sang with a great hope for a better future... but mostly he sang it to heal his own soul before entertaining any of the audience... this is how legend artists performs.. this song is eternal gold.. respect ❤
@photographerjonathan
The Sound of Silence is such a classic, it never seems to get old or outdated, if anything it gets better every year.
@pi286
LOL I was thinkin the same thing and laughed when I saw this.
@appolop8273
The older they get, the better they are. A legendary performer.