The Sound of Silence – English Lyrics

• By: Simon & Garfunkel
• Album: The Concert in Central Park

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the haunting beauty of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence," a timeless folk-rock classic. Explore the depths of its lyrics, understand its profound message about communication and alienation, and unlock the language of emotions through this iconic song. This is a song that will connect you more deeply with the human experience.

[English]

("The Sound of Silence")

(cheers and applause)

♪ 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 shared ♪

♪ And no one dared ♪

♪ 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 its warning ♪

♪ In the words that it was forming ♪

♪ Then the sign said, ♪

♪ "The words on the prophets are written on the subway walls ♪

♪ In tenement halls" ♪

♪ And whispered in the sound of silence ♪

(cheers and applause)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
darkness /ˈdɑːknəs/ B2	noun - the state of being dark or without light
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
vision /ˈvɪʒən/ B2	noun - the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom
creeping /ˈkriːpɪŋ/ B2	verb - moving slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed.
sleeping /ˈsliːpɪŋ/ A1	verb - being in a state of sleep
brain /breɪn/ A2	noun - an organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity.
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ B1	noun - the complete absence of sound
restless /ˈrestləs/ B2	adjective - unable to rest or relax as a result of anxiety or boredom
dreams /driːmz/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep
streets /striːts/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
halo /ˈheɪloʊ/ B2	noun - a circle of light shown around or above the head of a holy person to represent their holiness
lamp /læmp/ A1	noun - a device for giving light, either one consisting of an electric bulb or one burning gas or liquid fuel
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature
damp /dæmp/ B1	adjective - slightly wet
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs that detect light and send signals to the brain
flash /flæʃ/ B1	noun - a sudden burst of bright light
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively
songs /sɒŋz/ A1	noun - a musical composition with words sung or meant to be sung
words /wɜːdz/ A1	noun - a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed
cancer /ˈkænsər/ B2	noun - a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue.
rain /reɪn/ A1	noun - moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops.
god /ɡɒd/ A1	noun - a superhuman being or spirit worshipped as having power over nature or human affairs; a deity.