The Sound of Silence
Peter Matz 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 lyrics of Peter Matz's song The Sound of Silence is about the inability of humans to communicate with one another, no matter how hard we try. The persona of the song is reaching out to darkness, a metaphor for his own mind or conscience he is attempting to address. The vision that softly creeps represents a deep message from within the persona that he wants to express but he has nowhere to direct it, and so it remains unheard among the "sound of silence" or the humdrum of the world's noise. In the second verse, the persona continues his narrative with a juxtaposition of an urban cityscape, where even though ten thousand people are present, none of them are truly communicating with one another. He then refers to people "writing songs that voices never share" which is an allusion to himself, who writes songs as means of communicating his thoughts and emotions but is unable to share or express them in the real world.
In the third verse, the persona tries to reach out to the people surrounding him, and he tells them that their world is becoming consumed by silence, which is slowly killing them like a cancer. He wants to share his wisdom with them, but once again, what he says falls on deaf ears. They continue to live in a world where they worship materialism represented by the neon god, rather than focusing on authentic communication which challenges individuals. The final lines of the song are a warning that the prophetic wisdom of the world should not simply be written off or ignored, for it might be the only avenue left in reaching an individual’s long-dormant voice within the "sounds of silence."
Line by Line Meaning
Hello darkness, my old friend,
I am addressing a feeling of emptiness that I am familiar with.
I've come to talk with you again,
I am reaching out to that feeling of emptiness once more.
Because a vision softly creeping,
An idea slowly entered my mind.
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
It took hold while I was not awake.
And the vision that was planted in my brain
The idea has now taken root in my mind.
Still remains
It has not gone away.
Within the sound of silence.
It persists in the silence that fills my life.
In restless dreams I walked alone
In my anxious state, I journeyed alone.
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
The roads were difficult, and the way was hard.
'Neath the halo of a street lamp,
Under the glow of a single light.
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
I huddled for warmth against the cold weather.
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
Suddenly, a bright light jolted me.
That split the night
It illuminated the darkness.
And touched the sound of silence.
And disrupted the stillness around me.
And in the naked light I saw
The same light revealed to me.
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
A multitude of people surrounded me.
People talking without speaking,
They communicate without meaningful words.
People hearing without listening,
They passively hear without ever truly listening.
People writing songs that voices never share
Their songs are hollow, without true expression.
And no one dare
No one is brave enough.
Disturb the sound of silence.
To break the stillness of this existence.
"Fools" said I, "You do not know
"You are ignorant, and unaware.
Silence like a cancer grows.
The empty silence is like a disease.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Listen to what I can teach you.
Take my arms that I might reach you."
Let me help you, let me touch you.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
My words met no response from anyone.
And echoed
The silence around me intensified.
In the wells of silence
The silence overwhelmed me.
And the people bowed and prayed
The people gave in to their fear and offered prayers.
To the neon god they made.
They worship the light that illuminated their false reality.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
The warning sign speaks out to us.
In the words that it was forming.
Through its words, it warns us.
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
The sign speaks of the ancient wisdom.
Are written on the subway walls
It was inscribed on the mundane walls that we pass by.
And tenement halls."
It was among the simplest and most forgotten places.
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
This wisdom is often overlooked in the silence around us.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind