Chords
The Sound Of Silence

The Sound of Silence was written by Paul Simon and is one of Simon & Garfunkels biggest hits. Composed in the aftermath of John F. Kennedys assassination in 1963, it articulates feelings of alienation and societal disconnection prevalent in American society at the time. The song was originally recorded in 1964 for their debut album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. but went unnoticed until it was overdubbed with electric arrangements and re-released in 1 ... 965, turning into a hit. See more [+]

Key: Am

Introduction:

difficulty
very easy |||||
 Am                         G 
   Hello darkness, my old friend,
                            Am 
I' ve come to talk with you again,
                      F        C 
Because a vision softly creeping,
                        F        C 
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
         F                              C 
And the vision that was planted in my brain
             C/B   Am 
Still remains
 C            G         Am 
Within the sound of silence.

                              G 
In restless dreams I walked alone
                         Am 
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
                    F         C 
' neath the halo of a street lamp,
                           F         C 
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
         F                                         C 
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
                     C/B   Am 
That split the night
  C               G         Am 
And touched the sound of silence.

                          G 
And in the naked light I saw
                            Am 
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
                    F        C 
People talking without speaking,
                    F         C 
People hearing without listening,
                F                        C 
People writing songs that voices never share
               C/B   Am 
And no one dare
 C            G         Am 
Disturb the sound of silence.

                          G 
Fools said I, you do not know
                       Am 
Silence like a cancer grows.
                      F            C 
Hear my words that I might teach you,
                     F            C 
Take my arms that I might reach you.
        F                            C    C/B  Am 
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
    C 
And echoed
        G         Am 
In the wells of silence

                          G 
And the people bowed and prayed
                      Am 
To the neon God they made.
                          F       C 
And the sign flashed out its warning,
                       F      C 
In the words that it was forming.
                        F 
And the sign said, the words of the prophets
                            C 
Are written on the subway walls
              C      C/B  Am 
And tenement halls.
          C            G          Am 
And whisper' d in the sounds of silence.

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