Lyrics of
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 [+]


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 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 dare
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 it's warning
And the words that it was forming
N.C.
The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence