“The Sound Of Silence” written by Paul Simon an American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel (Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel). The song was recorded back in March of 1964 at Columbia Studios in New York City and was included on their first album, “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.”.
It hit the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 1, 1966, which led the duo to record their second album, named after this song. The was in top-ten charts in various countries around the world, including Australia, Austria, West Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.
Generally considered a classic folk rock song, the song was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important” in 2013 along with the rest of the Sounds of Silence album.
The song was originaly titled “The Sounds of Silence on Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.”, but was re-titled for later compilations.
Lyrics and chords:
[Verse 1]
Am G
Hello darkness, my old friend,
Am
I’ve come to talk with you again,
C F C
Because a vision softly creeping,
F C
Left it’s seeds while I was sleeping,
F C
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Am
Still remains
C G Am
Within the sound of silence.
[Verse 2]
Am G
In restless dreams I walked alone,
Am
Narrow streets of cobble stone.
C F C
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp,
F C
I turned my collar to the cold and damp,
F C
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
Am
That split the night
C G Am
And touched the sounds of silence.
[Verse 3]
Am G
And in the naked light I saw
Am
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
C F C
People talking without speaking,
F C
People hearing without listening,
F C
People writing songs that voices never shared,
Am
And no one dared
C G Am
Disturb the sounds of silence.
[Verse 4]
Am G
“Fools!” said I, “you do not know,
Am
Silence like a cancer grows.
C F C
Hear my words that I might teach you,
F C
Take my arms that I might reach you.”
F C
But my words like silent raindrops fell
C G Am
And echoed in the wells of silence.
[Verse 5]
Am G
And the people bowed and prayed
Am
To the neon gods they made.
C F C
And the sign flashed out its warning,
F C
In the words that it was forming,
F Am C
And the sign said, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
C
And tenement halls.”
G Am
And whispered in the sounds of silence.
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