"This had to go first because it has the Portuguese introduction about the … Read Full Bio ↴"This had to go first because it has the Portuguese introduction about the number three. Geoff had a sample of a voice from a record, talking Portuguese, introducing a band. It kind of glued the track together and started it, and we liked it. Geoff discovered something about the Wiccan theory of three — do three good things and three good things will come back to you, related to the idea of bad luck coming in threes (without getting deeply into it) — so we wrote a sort of small manifesto, and got this Portuguese guy from Bristol to translate it, and recreated the sample, but with him speaking different words.

"The song itself was started by Beth. An arpeggiated piano thing which is really beautiful — the timing is quite odd, there's bars of six, bars of four, bars of two, the cut–up of it is quite weird — and we messed about a long time on that before we came up with a way of playing it. Beth doesn't start singing for a long time. There's a mad guitar improvisation, which was out of time, and the echoes are out of time. So many records have perfectly timed echoes, it was interesting to make things not in time, obtusely different from the perfect triplet echoes you can set up if you want. So the sound of the whole thing is deliberately harsh straight away.

"There's a huge drama change when her voice does first come in. The drums drop out, and you're left with this echoey pick bass. Then the abrupt end: Geoff's idea, but it reminded me of compilation tapes, and of the jazz drummer Tommy Chase who I worked with for two years. He used to make me tapes of stuff he wanted me to learn, and as soon as it got past the bit he was interested in, it would just end."

Silence
Portishead Lyrics

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"Esteja alerta para a regra dos três
O que você dá retornará para você
Essa lição você tem que aprender
Você só ganha, o que você merece"

Tempted in our minds
Tormented inside lie
Wounded and afraid

Inside my head
Falling through changes

Did you know when you lost?
Did you know when I wanted?
Did you know what I lost?
Do you know what I wanted?

Empty in our hearts
Crying out in silence
Wandered out of reach
Too far to speak
Drifting unable

Did you know when you lost?
Did you know when I wanted?

Did you know what I lost?
Do you know what I wanted?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Portishead's "Silence" contain themes of karma and the consequences of one's actions. The phrase "Esteja alerta para a regra dos três," repeated at the beginning of the song, translates to "Be aware of the rule of three," which is a principle in many spiritual and magical belief systems. It suggests that whatever energy or actions a person puts out into the world will come back to them threefold. The following lines reinforce this idea, with the lyrics "What you give returns to you / This lesson you have to learn / You only gain what you deserve." The song urges listeners to consider the impact of their actions and the importance of taking responsibility for them.

The rest of the lyrics describe feelings of internal struggle and distance between two people. The lines "Tempted in our minds / Tormented inside lie" suggest that both parties may be feeling tempted or conflicted about something, leading to a sense of torment or internal struggle. The repeated questions throughout the song, "Did you know when you lost? / Did you know when I wanted? / Did you know what I lost? / Do you know what I wanted?" speak to a breakdown in communication and a lack of understanding between the two individuals.

Overall, "Silence" can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the importance of being mindful of one's actions and the potential consequences of those actions. It also explores the emotional toll of feeling misunderstood and disconnected from others.

Line by Line Meaning

Esteja alerta para a regra dos três
Be aware of the rule of three

O que você dá retornará para você
What you give will return to you

Essa lição você tem que aprender
This lesson you have to learn

Você só ganha, o que você merece
You only gain what you deserve

Tempted in our minds
Feeling enticed in our thoughts

Tormented inside lie
Tortured by our innermost secrets

Wounded and afraid
Hurt and fearful

Inside my head
In my thoughts

Falling through changes
Losing ourselves through transitions

Did you know when you lost?
Were you aware of your loss?

Did you know when I wanted?
Did you know when I desired?