The Sound of Silence
Lyrics
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left it's 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
And the sign said
"The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sound of silence
Verse by verse interpretation:
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
-----
~
Hello Enlightened people,
To me, this song also represents the improper communication with our mind.
Our mind is The sound of silence.
It is ON when you close your eyes.
It has to be listened, respected to believe and followed.
As the writer did, and we get this ultimate song.
-----
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
Beneath 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
-----
~
Now we open our eyes.
We look everywhere around us.
We switch on our TV.
We get majority of our thoughts from Screens(TV/Movies) i.e. Neon god.
We fill ourself with thoughts of People, Lifestyle, War, Fashion, Money, Cars,etc.
This makes our mind ponder to a thought.
-----
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 deared
Disturb the sound of silence
-----
~
When we watch TV, we find that we try to follow it in our life to completeness.
We follow it even though its fake and manipulated
to fulfill some person's financial needs.
In screens, Actors just speak lines.
In screens, Actors just hear lines.
In screens, Actors don't express their actual thoughts.
Everyone is afraid to touch what one's mind feels like speaking.
They are mere spectators, powerless and hollow from inside.
As they don't touch their own mind(sound of silence).
So we follow them too by being spectators and powerless in our life too.
We don't touch our what our mind(sound of silence) say.
------
"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
-----
~
The writer here ask us to act(Hear my words,take my arms).
Because if we keep only following screens
and don't listen to our own mind(sound of silence)
Then we will run after things dictated by screens our whole life.
We have no idea why we are doing that way and complain till end.
Because we have no idea what we really want and where our happiness lies.
That's why everyday, we feel so hollow inside.
This hollowness(cancer) grows bigger and bigger.
But still nobody wants to touch that sound of silence(mind)
We look out for solution even though every solution is inside us.
We don't listen, we just hear it.
and its accumulated in the sound of silence(mind) which we never listen.
-----
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 signs said the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence
-----
~
But still we go on with our screens(Neon god).
Neon god laughs here and says to the writer
"Throughout ages, all the prophets of all the religions have been saying the same things. Earlier it was kings then society, now its screens.
Their have found their place in outside world only (on walls and books)
not inside (the mind).
If they weren't successful, where do you stand?
You will also find yourself at the same place i.e. outside the mind"
That's why millions may have listened to the songs.
Thousands have sung.
Hundreds have interpreted it.
But very few will follow it even then.
We will still follow our neon gods,
And not listen to our sound of silence.
Thus this song will hold significance till mankind remains,
and we will just laugh at this paradox.
