Lyrics & Translation
Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Disturbed's rendition of 'The Sound of Silence' offers a unique opportunity. The song's clear, deliberate enunciation at the beginning builds to a passionate and powerful climax, allowing learners to follow the lyrics and their emotional weight. Its poetic and metaphorical language provides a rich ground for exploring deeper meanings and expanding vocabulary in English.
[English]
Hello, darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you againBecause 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 cobbleston e
'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 whispered in the sound
Of silence"
Key Vocabulary
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Key Grammar Structures
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I've come to talk with you again
➔ Present perfect + infinitive
➔ The auxiliary "have" + past participle "come" forms the present perfect, followed by the infinitive "to talk".
-
Because a vision softly creeping
➔ Present participle clause (dangling participle)
➔ The present participle "creeping" modifies "vision" and creates a descriptive clause.
-
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
➔ Past simple + past continuous (while‑clause)
➔ "Left" is simple past; "was sleeping" is past continuous, linked by the conjunction "while".
-
the vision that was planted in my brain
➔ Relative clause (passive voice)
➔ "that was planted" is a passive relative clause describing "vision".
-
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
➔ Passive voice (past simple)
➔ "were stabbed" is the passive form of "stab", showing the action done to "my eyes".
-
People talking without speaking
➔ Gerund phrase as subject
➔ "talking" is a gerund that functions as the main verb of the noun "People".
-
And no one dare / Disturb the sound of silence
➔ Subjunctive after "dare" (bare infinitive)
➔ "dare" is followed by the bare infinitive "Disturb" to express a strong negative command.
-
Hear my words that I might teach you
➔ Modal verb "might" + infinitive (expressing possibility)
➔ "might" expresses a tentative possibility that the speaker "teach" you something.
-
The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
➔ Passive voice (present simple)
➔ "are written" is the present simple passive of "write", indicating a permanent state.
