The Sound of Silence

A Paul Simon appreciation thread. I know next to nothing about making music but I appreciate when I find someone who does. Not just chords and melodies and stuff but words and sentiments

The Sound of Silence

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 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 whisper'd in the sounds of silence.

Awesome song.

We know another song about silence, don't we? It's by the estimable John Cage.

the boxer

I’ve squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises

I bloody love Paul Simon I do.

Taught myself to play the guitar to Simon & Garfunkel when I were a nipper and I think Paul Simon is the best.

Fucking superb

I was a punk through the 80s and was constantly ridiculed by my mates for liking Simon & Garfunkell. 'Sound of Silence' is my favourite track. Remember being awe-struck when they played Central Park all those years and thinking how cool it would have been to be there. So.....it was a treat to see them in Hyde Park last Summer.

I'd still go and see Crass again if they reformed though

Biffo said:

I was a punk through the 80s and was constantly ridiculed by my mates for liking Simon & Garfunkell. 'Sound of Silence' is my favourite track. Remember being awe-struck when they played Central Park all those years and thinking how cool it would have been to be there. So.....it was a treat to see them in Hyde Park last Summer.

I'd still go and see Crass again if they reformed though

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you must've heard the Dickies version then?

They teeter between cheesiness and genius in my opinion, eg:

Bridge Over Troubled Water - cheese

Only Living Boy in New York - genius

Yeah cheese bad. The only song I like off BOTW is The Boxer.

It took me years to recover from the fact that we were taught to sing I Am A Rock and The Sound Of Silence by the music teacher in my first year.

only last night i was demonstrating to folk how to make garfunkel appear to have a victorian mostache on bridge over troubled waters.

Phototropic said:

Yeah cheese bad. The only song I like off BOTW is The Boxer.

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Well I think The Boxer is pretty close to that brink myself.

Donna Ferentes said:

It took me years to recover from the fact that we were taught to sing I Am A Rock and The Sound Of Silence by the music teacher in my first year.

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That is a rather fucked up thing to be teaching kids

RubyToogood said:

Well I think The Boxer is pretty close to that brink myself.

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Incidentally:

I am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told.

Why "though"?

Classic tune.
I like Simon and Garfunkel, but can't bear Paul Simon's solo stuff.

Huge fan, agree with previous posters about The Boxer being their best song though Keep the Customer Satisfied is great for singing sarcastically at work when winding the boss up
Paul Simon was the talented one, can't think of anything decent Garfunkel did after they split

puts on "slip sliding away"