The Sound of Silence – English Lyrics

• By: Simon & Garfunkel

Lyrics & Translation

Learning English through "The Sound of Silence" offers a unique opportunity to delve into poetic and metaphorical language. The song's rich imagery and vocabulary around themes of communication, or the lack thereof, can help expand your expressive abilities in English. Its clear, deliberate enunciation also provides an excellent model for practicing pronunciation.

[English]

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 streetlamp

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

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 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

In tenement halls"

...

And whispered in the sounds of silence

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
darkness /ˈdɑːrk.nəs/ B2	noun - the absence of light
vision /ˈvɪʒ.ən/ B2	noun - the ability to see or imagine something
silence /ˈsaɪ.ləns/ B1	noun - the absence of sound
dreams /driːmz/ B1	noun - thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep
light /laɪt/ A2	noun - something that makes things visible or affords illumination
people /ˈpiː.pəl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively
words /wɜːrdz/ A1	noun - the smallest unit of language that can stand alone
sound /saʊnd/ A1	noun - vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard
cancer /ˈkæn.sər/ B2	noun - a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells
arms /ɑːrmz/ A2	noun - the upper limbs of the human body
echoed /ˈɛk.oʊd/ B2	verb - to reflect sound or to be repeated
neon /ˈniː.ɒn/ B2	adjective - a bright, colorful light often used in signs
bowed /baʊd/ B2	verb - to bend the upper part of the body forward as a gesture of respect
prayed /preɪd/ B1	verb - to speak to a deity in order to express thanks or ask for help

Key Grammar Structures

• Hello darkness, my old friend

  ➔ Appositive

  ➔ "my old friend" is an appositive, renaming or further describing "darkness". It adds a layer of intimacy and personification to the abstract concept.

• Left its seeds while I was sleeping

  ➔ Past Continuous (was sleeping) within a past simple context

  ➔ The use of "was sleeping" highlights the duration of the sleeping state, emphasizing the vulnerability and unawareness during which the vision took hold. It suggests a gradual process.

• In restless dreams, I walked alone

  ➔ Adjective order (restless dreams)

  ➔ The adjective "restless" comes before the noun "dreams" to describe the quality of the dreams. The order follows standard English adjective-noun structure.

• When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

  ➔ Passive voice ("were stabbed")

  ➔ The passive voice is used to emphasize the action being done to the subject ("my eyes") rather than the agent performing the action (the neon light). It creates a vivid and dramatic image.

• People talking without speaking

  ➔ Gerunds/Participles ("talking", "speaking")

  ➔ "talking" and "speaking" are present participles functioning as gerunds, describing the *manner* of the people. "Without speaking" modifies "talking", indicating the conversation lacks substance.

• Hear my words that I might teach you

  ➔ Subjunctive mood (might)

  ➔ "might" expresses possibility or a less direct purpose/reason. Here it softens the intent, suggesting a hope or wish to teach rather than a certainty.

• But my words like silent raindrops fell

  ➔ Simile ("like silent raindrops")

  ➔ The simile compares the speaker's words to silent raindrops. It emphasizes their ineffectiveness and lack of impact, as raindrops are gentle and easily absorbed.

• And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made

  ➔ Relative Clause ("they made")

  ➔ "they made" is a defining (or restrictive) relative clause, providing essential information to identify which neon god is being referred to. It's the neon god that *they* specifically created.