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The Sound Of Silence

The Sound of Silence was written by Paul Simon over several months in late 1963 and early 1964. One of the motivations behind the song was the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963. The song reflects feelings of alienation and desolation Simon felt at the time, which he believed were widely shared by his generation, and addresses the lack of communication and isolation. The song was originally released on their debut album Wednesday M ... orning, 3 A.M. but was not initially successful. It was only after producer Tom Wilson added electric instrumentation to the original recording and re-released the track as a single that it became a hit. See more [+]

Key: G

Introduction:

 Em                               D 
Hello darkness, my old friend
                                                           Em 
I've come to talk with you again
                                     C           G 
Because a vision softly creeping
                                       C           G 
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
                 C                           C2           C         G 
And the vision that was planted in my brain
               Em 
Still remains
                       D               Em 
Within the sound of silence
 Em                                               D 
In restless dreams I walked alone
                                     Em 
Narrow streets of cobblestone
                                       C               G 
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
                                               C               G 
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
                 C                                                   C2           C         G 
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
           Em 
That split the night
                               D               Em 
And touched the sound of silence
 Em                               D 
And in the naked light I saw
                                                   Em 
Ten thousand people, maybe more
                                     C             G 
People talking without speaking
                                     C             G 
People hearing without listening
                               C                   C2         C         G 
People writing songs that voices never share
                       Em 
And no one dare
                         D               Em 
Disturb the sound of silence
 Em                                         D 
Fools said I, you do not know
                                             Em 
Silence like a cancer grows
                                             C                   G 
Hear my words that I might teach you
                                           C                         G 
Take my arms that I might reach to you
               C                   C2         C                 G 
But my words like silent raindrops fell
        Em                   D             Em 
And echoed in the wells of silence
 Em                                           D 
And the people bowed and prayed
                                       Em 
To the neon God they made
                                           C             G 
And the sign flashed out it's warning
                                           C             G 
And the words that it was forming
And the sign said
           C                                               C2                         C             G 
The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
                                 Em 
And tenement halls
                 D 
And whispered in the sound

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