The Sound of Silence
Simon & Garfunkel 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
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 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
Within the sound of silence
The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel is a hauntingly beautiful and thought-provoking song. The song reflects a sense of loneliness, isolation and disconnectedness in a world where people are surrounded by endless chatter and meaningless communication. The singer addresses the darkness, which he personifies as an old friend, and confesses that he has come to talk with it again. The vision that has crept into his mind and left its seeds is the feeling of emptiness and despair that has been caused by his inability to connect with people despite being surrounded by them. He suggests that this feeling, which is the absence of sound or silence, is a part of him, and he cannot escape it.
In the second verse, the singer takes a walk in the city streets, where he sees numerous people, but none of them communicate in a genuine and meaningful way. After a sudden burst of light, he is blinded and touched by the sound of silence. He wonders why people are not able to hear the inner voice of others, which is drowned out by the constant noise around them. The singer's frustration and feeling of being ignored by society is emphasized in the next verse when he tries to teach the people to listen to his message, but it falls on deaf ears. He compares his words to raindrops in the silence, creating no impact. The final verse describes the people's reverence to the neon god that they made, a symbol of their reliance on technology and materialism. The warning on the signboard describes the words of the prophets written on the walls of tenements and subways, the echoes of the voiceless in the sound of silence.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello darkness, my old friend
I am returning to a state of sadness that I am familiar with
I've come to talk with you again
I want to explore this state of sadness and reflect on it
Because a vision softly creeping
I experienced a vision that was subtle and unobtrusive
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
This vision left a lasting impression while I was subconscious
And the vision that was planted in my brain
I cannot forget the vision that is imprinted in my mind
Still remains
It persists and lingers
Within the sound of silence
Only in this state of silence am I able to reflect clearly on that vision
In restless dreams I walked alone
I am wandering alone in a state of restlessness in my dreams
Narrow streets of cobblestone
I am wandering through isolated and confining spaces in my subconscious
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
The only source of light and illumination is a street light above me
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
I am shielding myself from the harshness of the environment I am in
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
My senses were jolted by a sudden, bright neon light
That split the night
It disrupted the serenity of the false peace in the night
And touched the sound of silence
It made me realize the stark contrast between this serenity and the chaos in reality
And in the naked light I saw
In the harsh reality that the neon light illuminated, I witnessed
Ten thousand people, maybe more
I saw a large crowd of people, potentially in the masses
People talking without speaking
They were communicating without truly reaching each other
People hearing without listening
They heard the words but did not listen to the message behind them
People writing songs that voices never share
There is an issue in society in which songs and voices are lost and unheard
No one dared
There is too much fear in society to address this problem
Disturb the sound of silence
No one wants to disrupt the false serenity that exists
"Fools" said I, "You do not know
I realize that the people around me are misguided
Silence like a cancer grows
The longer we stay silent, the worse we let the problem grow
Hear my words that I might teach you
I am sharing my thoughts to enlighten others
Take my arms that I might reach you"
I am making a genuine effort to connect with others and help them
But my words like silent raindrops fell
Unfortunately, my message was not well-received or impactful
And echoed in the wells of silence
My message was lost in the reverberating echo of the unspoken problem in society
And the people bowed and prayed
The masses turned to their false gods in a moment of weakness
To the neon god they made
They looked to the very thing that is causing the issue
And the sign flashed out its warning
The flashing neon sign is a warning of the further damage that will come
In the words that it was forming
The warning is contained in the message that it is sending
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
The sign is speaking of the important messages sent by leaders
Are written on the subway walls
But these messages are only found in obscure places like subway walls
And tenement halls
Or basic living accommodations
And whispered in the sounds of silence"
These problems are left to be discussed only in silence and obscurity
Lyrics © Too Lost LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@James-bv4nu
1962 my classmate bought a record player, high-fidelity, mono; and the sound just floored me.
Up until then we'd been listening to songs on an ancient, staticky tube radio.
The song was Paul Anka's Dance On Little Girl.
1964 my sister bought a stereo album and stereo player; the album, Hawaiian music type instruments, was called Jungle Sounds.
With birds chirping, monkey squeaking, drums, and electric steel guitar.
I was so stunned, when I realized that I have two ears.
1965 my brother got me to listen to Simon & Garfunkel's new song on his transistor radio; it was called the Sound(s) of Silence, plural.
We tried to decipher the lyrics, and gave up. I remember saying the song title was nonsensical.
But it eventually became my favorite song.
@mickflaire
Hi Kerri,
Yours was the last comment to this video before this one, and I decided to reply to you because this song meant so much to meas well, as an 11 year old in November 1965 when the 2nd version with the electric overdubs was released.
A little over an hour ago (12:35 am, PST, on Wednesday, December 28, 2022) I recorded a version of me singing along with Paul Simon who performed "The Sounds of Silence" at the end of the "Homeward Bound: a Grammy tribute to the Songs of Paul Simon" that CBS broadcasted on one week ago, on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.
This song was the life soundtrack of our generation!
Love & cheers,
Mick Flaire
@johnbergstrom7045
Incredible Story . . . . . “Hello darkness, my old friend…” Everybody knows the iconic Simon & Garfunkel song, but do you know the amazing story behind the first line of The Sounds of Silence?
It began 62 years ago, when Arthur “Art” Garfunkel, a Jewish kid from Queens, enrolled in Columbia University. During freshman orientation, Art met a student from Buffalo named Sandy Greenberg, and they immediately bonded over their shared passion for literature and music. Art and Sandy became roommates and best friends. With the idealism of youth, they promised to be there for each other no matter what.
Soon after starting college, Sandy was struck by tragedy. His vision became blurry and although doctors diagnosed it as temporary conjunctivitis, the problem grew worse. Finally after seeing a specialist, Sandy received the devastating news that severe glaucoma was destroying his optic nerves. The young man with such a bright future would soon be completely blind.
Sandy was devastated and fell into a deep depression. He gave up his dream of becoming a lawyer and moved back to Buffalo, where he worried about being a burden to his financially-struggling family. Consumed with shame and fear, Sandy cut off contact with his old friends, refusing to answer letters or return phone calls.
Then suddenly, to Sandy’s shock, his buddy Art showed up at the front door. He was not going to allow his best friend to give up on life, so he bought a ticket and flew up to Buffalo unannounced. Art convinced Sandy to give college another go, and promised that he would be right by his side to make sure he didn’t fall - literally or figuratively.
Art kept his promise, faithfully escorting Sandy around campus and effectively serving as his eyes. It was important to Art that even though Sandy had been plunged into a world of darkness, he should never feel alone. Art actually started calling himself “Darkness” to demonstrate his empathy with his friend. He’d say things like, “Darkness is going to read to you now.” Art organized his life around helping Sandy.
One day, Art was guiding Sandy through crowded Grand Central Station when he suddenly said he had to go and left his friend alone and petrified. Sandy stumbled, bumped into people, and fell, cutting a gash in his shin. After a couple of hellish hours, Sandy finally got on the right subway train. After exiting the station at 116th street, Sandy bumped into someone who quickly apologized - and Sandy immediately recognized Art’s voice! Turned out his trusty friend had followed him the whole way home, making sure he was safe and giving him the priceless gift of independence. Sandy later said, “That moment was the spark that caused me to live a completely different life, without fear, without doubt. For that I am tremendously grateful to my friend.”
Sandy graduated from Columbia and then earned graduate degrees at Harvard and Oxford. He married his high school sweetheart and became an extremely successful entrepreneur and philanthropist.
While at Oxford, Sandy got a call from Art. This time Art was the one who needed help. He’d formed a folk rock duo with his high school pal Paul Simon, and they desperately needed $400 to record their first album. Sandy and his wife Sue had literally $404 in their bank account, but without hesitation Sandy gave his old friend what he needed.
Art and Paul's first album was not a success, but one of the songs, The Sounds of Silence, became a #1 hit a year later. The opening line echoed the way Sandy always greeted Art. Simon & Garfunkel went on to become one of the most beloved musical acts in history.
The two Columbia graduates, each of whom has added so much to the world in his own way, are still best friends. Art Garfunkel said that when he became friends with Sandy, “my real life emerged. I became a better guy in my own eyes, and began to see who I was - somebody who gives to a friend.” Sandy describes himself as “the luckiest man in the world.”
Adapted from Sandy Greenberg’s memoir: “Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man’s Blindness into an Extraordinary Vision for Life."
@cecilferrell3479
John Bergstrom, I'm 58 yrs old and remember when Simon and Garfunkel were making hits, The Sound Of Silence. Thank you so much for sharing the knowledge you learned from Sandy's Documentary. I really am impressed by the life experiences that made that song between Art and Sandy. Again, thank you. I want to share with you since you shared knowledge with me.
This is a spiritual poem Jesus inspired me to write about the wife I'm waiting for him to bring to me. It's titled, She.
She
To awaken then see the beauty lying next to me.
Immediately I give thanks to He whom created she.
Can it be that she loves me as much as I love she.
So important to me happiness fills she to be a heart complete.
She fulfills me, dreams to reality, God made me One with she.
Can I be complete without she, I think not by me God's decree.
Love she for God and me need the bond three can be.
Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit are One, One then me with she are One.
That's she then me with God the way He meant it to be.
Love and thanks He that created me fused bond with she,
One love to be.
Copyright
Cecil Ferrell
6 - 17 - 2015
9:30 A. M.
Thank you again for sharing your wisdom, knowledge and understanding with me, John Bergstrom.
God bless you and family eternally. I love you as Jesus does. Be well, safe and happy, then walk complete in love.
@JayKayEllEmm
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 streetlamp
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 shared
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"
@charlottecharles3356
This song has always touched a deep part of my soul, from the age of 20 to 73..I'm now 76 and haven't changed my mind one whit....
@willardgragg3367
It always have with me ie a warning which has come to pass.
@tylerao
I thank my Dad for having this album playing, it definitely had a role in who I became
@Justin-zz3dq
For me, this song grabbed me at the age of 8. Then I really got it in my twenties.
@michaelmartinez2895
I agree completely one of those songs from the sixties that may be deeper than you think when you see people in public places playing with their smart phones instead of being a sociable friendly Human Being
@fury6078
This is 53 years old? No way
@pamelawilliams-d6t
I'm 76.........and, I remember when this song came out. One of my favorites to this very day. Real music which speaks to the very soul.
@janejanine1
It does!
@mrknotthall
I’m 78 and I hear ya. Takes me right back to the simpler days of my life.
@stormyweather1778
I am 90 and this was a favorite of mine.