The Sound of Silence
Sergio Sylvestre 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
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.
The lyrics of Sergio Sylvestre's The Sound Of Silence paints a vivid picture of one’s struggle to understand personal reflection and introspection. The first stanza of the song incorporates darkness as a metaphor for one’s negative thoughts that begin to intensify during the night. The singer expresses how such negative thoughts has come to be his “old friend,” as they have been quite familiar yet elusive to him. In the second and third lines of the first stanza, the singer reveals the reason behind the meeting with darkness. There was a vision that crept in softly while he slept, sowing seeds leading to his inner contemplation.
The vision that the singer speaks of through the lyrics is an epiphany. The Fourth line of the song represents the moment of awakening leading to personal insight; the vision sprouting a seed within his consciousness. The seed keeps growing, and it remains within the “sound of silence.” The second stanza deepens the melancholic mood of the song by creating a contrast between the sight of ten thousand people and their silence. This contrast portrays the loneliness that the singer feels as he attempts to express his emotions and feelings but is met with indifference. In the third stanza, the singer speaks of writing songs, addressing the frustration of wanting to communicate his thoughts but without any success.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, darkness, my old friend
Greeting to the darkness, a companion from the past who is familiar and comforting.
I've come to talk with you again
The singer seeks solace in talking with the darkness once again.
Because a vision softly creeping
A vague and subtle vision appears, slowly making its way into the singer's consciousness.
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
The vision planted an idea during the artist's slumber that has taken root in their mind.
And the vision
The idea brought about by the vision.
That was planted in my brain
The idea was firmly set in the singer's mind.
Still remains
The idea persists and has not faded away.
Within the sound of silence
The idea continues to abide in the quiet, uninterrupted space of the artist's mind.
And in the naked light I saw
In a moment of vulnerability and exposure, the artist saw an image in stark clarity.
Ten thousand people, maybe more
A vast crowd of people, too many to count, came into view.
People talking without speaking
The people spoke, but there was no true communication or understanding occurring between them.
People hearing without listening
Although the people were present and heard what was said, they did not truly comprehend or pay attention to the words spoken.
People writing songs that voices never share...
Artists create works of art that do not convey the true depth of their emotions or experiences to their audience.
And no one dare
No one has the courage or desire to
Disturb the sound of silence.
Interfere with or disrupt the quiet, but unfulfilling status quo that exists between the people.
Contributed by Luke T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.