And in the naked light I saw
And now the narrative opens up to give us a full look into this vision that is held inside the light
>Ten thousand people, maybe more
>People talking without speaking
>People hearing without listening
>People writing songs that voices never share
>No one dared
>Disturb the sound of silence
Ten thousand people - a very large number of people to behold - and a number suitably large that it serves to represent all of humankind, in its various population numbers in cities, towns and so forth.
And we see that somehow this vast number of people are talking, but without speaking... and hearing without listening.. how could this possibly be? Very simple, it is the vast populations of people - virtually all of the modern world - communicating on the Internet over text or other means - where talking can take place without speech. Where listening can be reading off a screen rather that listening with ones ears. Where songs are written that are never sung by human voices in person - where everyone sits alone, and together alone they are surrounded by the sound of silence... there are no people talking to each other, sharing each others actual company - instead they are all connected via artificial emulations of each other.. ultimately, they are all alone, and all existing in the midst of the sound of silence.
Given the time this was written, this makes this song extremely prophetic and displays a deep insight and understanding of the technology path that laid ahead of man. This makes me believe the song was highly liken given to Paul Simon, rather than actually being written by him.
>"Fools" said "(You)I, Yet 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
Here our author tries to reach out and warn the masses.. makes the point that humans teach humans using words.. that our physical connection is vital to us, to be able to talk and hear. to reach out and touch... that these things define our reality and without them, we are alone, isolated. That indeed, this sound of silence is anti-human, its gradual proliferation likened to a cancer on our societies..
>And the people bowed and prayed
>To the neon god they made
>And the sign flashed out its warning
>In he words that it was forming
And here we are given more insight into the thing that enabled this sound of silence.. the neon god they made.. Here we are given clear insight into the fact that this thing is something humanity actually made itself.... This clearly represents the technological system that the author knew was to arise, and grow and evolve.. into something of the level of what we have today - that we would be so beholding to it, so dependent and hooked on it, that it would to all intents and purposes something we worshipped... we submitted our autonomy too.. that we looked with reverence too for meaning and wisdom. Something that even in its earlier incarnations, gave flashing warnings in the words it was forming.. on the screen of early computers with glowing text.
>And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
>Are written on the subway walls
>And tenement halls"
>And whispered in the sounds of silence
And here we are told, that truth is not found on a computer screen, on the signs it flashes at us, but it is found amongst the communities of humans where thought can operate with as much freedom and communication between individuals as possible.. and thus you are more likely to see the genuine truth and wisdom in graffiti on the ways of the subway or some apartment building, than on the system of light that is our Neon God of computer screens.
Or if it is spoken about amongst our society that exists so much in silence, it is whispered about, because to speak it loudly would be in incur ridicule or persecution.
=====TL/DR========================
In summary this song is not as abstract as people generally imagine. Indeed is it a largely literal description of a concept of separateness, isolation, of something vital disappearing from our world - our societies, a loss of the people interacting with each other in person.. and that happening will be at the hands of something we actually create - this great neon god - our technological systems - which will replace that lost humanity with this horrifying sound of silence.. something we have all heard in our own homes.. as people silently continue human relationships remotely over the Internet, and in doing so, miss out on virtually all of the essential, meaningful and vital aspects of a human relationship. Something that can only exist in the realm of a (noisy) person to person "real world" environment - as was once common everywhere in the world that populations of people inhabited together.">
The Sound of Silence Meanings & Lyrics Discussion by MichaelNZ | SongMeanings
And in the naked light I saw
And now the narrative opens up to give us a full look into this vision that is held inside the light
>Ten thousand people, maybe more
>People talking without speaking
>People hearing without listening
>People writing songs that voices never share
>No one dared
>Disturb the sound of silence
Ten thousand people - a very large number of people to behold - and a number suitably large that it serves to represent all of humankind, in its various population numbers in cities, towns and so forth.
And we see that somehow this vast number of people are talking, but without speaking... and hearing without listening.. how could this possibly be? Very simple, it is the vast populations of people - virtually all of the modern world - communicating on the Internet over text or other means - where talking can take place without speech. Where listening can be reading off a screen rather that listening with ones ears. Where songs are written that are never sung by human voices in person - where everyone sits alone, and together alone they are surrounded by the sound of silence... there are no people talking to each other, sharing each others actual company - instead they are all connected via artificial emulations of each other.. ultimately, they are all alone, and all existing in the midst of the sound of silence.
Given the time this was written, this makes this song extremely prophetic and displays a deep insight and understanding of the technology path that laid ahead of man. This makes me believe the song was highly liken given to Paul Simon, rather than actually being written by him.
>"Fools" said "(You)I, Yet 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
Here our author tries to reach out and warn the masses.. makes the point that humans teach humans using words.. that our physical connection is vital to us, to be able to talk and hear. to reach out and touch... that these things define our reality and without them, we are alone, isolated. That indeed, this sound of silence is anti-human, its gradual proliferation likened to a cancer on our societies..
>And the people bowed and prayed
>To the neon god they made
>And the sign flashed out its warning
>In he words that it was forming
And here we are given more insight into the thing that enabled this sound of silence.. the neon god they made.. Here we are given clear insight into the fact that this thing is something humanity actually made itself.... This clearly represents the technological system that the author knew was to arise, and grow and evolve.. into something of the level of what we have today - that we would be so beholding to it, so dependent and hooked on it, that it would to all intents and purposes something we worshipped... we submitted our autonomy too.. that we looked with reverence too for meaning and wisdom. Something that even in its earlier incarnations, gave flashing warnings in the words it was forming.. on the screen of early computers with glowing text.
>And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
>Are written on the subway walls
>And tenement halls"
>And whispered in the sounds of silence
And here we are told, that truth is not found on a computer screen, on the signs it flashes at us, but it is found amongst the communities of humans where thought can operate with as much freedom and communication between individuals as possible.. and thus you are more likely to see the genuine truth and wisdom in graffiti on the ways of the subway or some apartment building, than on the system of light that is our Neon God of computer screens.
Or if it is spoken about amongst our society that exists so much in silence, it is whispered about, because to speak it loudly would be in incur ridicule or persecution.
=====TL/DR========================
In summary this song is not as abstract as people generally imagine. Indeed is it a largely literal description of a concept of separateness, isolation, of something vital disappearing from our world - our societies, a loss of the people interacting with each other in person.. and that happening will be at the hands of something we actually create - this great neon god - our technological systems - which will replace that lost humanity with this horrifying sound of silence.. something we have all heard in our own homes.. as people silently continue human relationships remotely over the Internet, and in doing so, miss out on virtually all of the essential, meaningful and vital aspects of a human relationship. Something that can only exist in the realm of a (noisy) person to person "real world" environment - as was once common everywhere in the world that populations of people inhabited together." />
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
The author has returned to a mental state characterised by darkness - that is one where is finds himself contemplating dark and possibly dystopian ideas. He has returned to this state to talk with himself - to think through yet again, concepts which are dark, upsetting, and difficult to deal with.
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
This is why our author has returned to the contemplation of dark and difficult ideas - because he had a vision.. one which was slow to form.. which came bit by bit, but once enough of the pieces of the concept had been assembled, ultimately, flowered into a full vision of the future in his mind. And this vision remains because it's been troubling enough to him, that he could not just forget about it or dismiss it from his thoughts.
The word vision is one that often portents of the future, and seems an unlikely word to be used to describe something contemporary to the author. Visions tend to be of the future. Otherwise words such as realisation or understanding would be better. And he puts his first reference to the sound of silence (not just the idea of silence) , that is, the sound of silence as distinct from the sound of a populated city centre, or anywhere that might be filled with the sounds of people. This creates a strong contrasting concept.. one of the lack of the sounds of life.. being a sound of its own..is an empty quiet silence.. and an unnatural one.
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
So this is setting up the picture of his vision (of the future). Restless dreams re-iterates his discomfort with the vision he is describing.. restless dreams are synonymous with bad dreams, or nightmares..
Our setting is given as a narrow street.. cobblestones, underneath the light of a streetlamp. This is a city or a town of people.. streets with streetlights.. this places us in a populated urban location. He expands our sense of this scene in his vision by bringing in the feeling of the place being cold and damp. Maybe a winters day.. but one without much joy or warmth certainly.
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
Suddenly our vision is changed. We go from a cold damp cobblestone street under lamp light, to the stabbing flash of a neon light. This neon light is the thing that has changed the world as it once existed into something else.. This symbolic flash splits the night - splits past from future... and this flash touched this sound of silence..
We have the sense of this flash being fast, dramatic and something unexpected, unnatural. That this Neon Flash has some causal relationship with the "sound of silence" as well as being the thing which heralded it's arrival in our story.
And in the naked light I saw
And now the narrative opens up to give us a full look into this vision that is held inside the light
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
Ten thousand people - a very large number of people to behold - and a number suitably large that it serves to represent all of humankind, in its various population numbers in cities, towns and so forth.
And we see that somehow this vast number of people are talking, but without speaking... and hearing without listening.. how could this possibly be? Very simple, it is the vast populations of people - virtually all of the modern world - communicating on the Internet over text or other means - where talking can take place without speech. Where listening can be reading off a screen rather that listening with ones ears. Where songs are written that are never sung by human voices in person - where everyone sits alone, and together alone they are surrounded by the sound of silence... there are no people talking to each other, sharing each others actual company - instead they are all connected via artificial emulations of each other.. ultimately, they are all alone, and all existing in the midst of the sound of silence.
Given the time this was written, this makes this song extremely prophetic and displays a deep insight and understanding of the technology path that laid ahead of man. This makes me believe the song was highly liken given to Paul Simon, rather than actually being written by him.
"Fools" said "(You)I, Yet 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
Here our author tries to reach out and warn the masses.. makes the point that humans teach humans using words.. that our physical connection is vital to us, to be able to talk and hear. to reach out and touch... that these things define our reality and without them, we are alone, isolated. That indeed, this sound of silence is anti-human, its gradual proliferation likened to a cancer on our societies..
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In he words that it was forming
And here we are given more insight into the thing that enabled this sound of silence.. the neon god they made.. Here we are given clear insight into the fact that this thing is something humanity actually made itself.... This clearly represents the technological system that the author knew was to arise, and grow and evolve.. into something of the level of what we have today - that we would be so beholding to it, so dependent and hooked on it, that it would to all intents and purposes something we worshipped... we submitted our autonomy too.. that we looked with reverence too for meaning and wisdom. Something that even in its earlier incarnations, gave flashing warnings in the words it was forming.. on the screen of early computers with glowing text.
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence
And here we are told, that truth is not found on a computer screen, on the signs it flashes at us, but it is found amongst the communities of humans where thought can operate with as much freedom and communication between individuals as possible.. and thus you are more likely to see the genuine truth and wisdom in graffiti on the ways of the subway or some apartment building, than on the system of light that is our Neon God of computer screens.
Or if it is spoken about amongst our society that exists so much in silence, it is whispered about, because to speak it loudly would be in incur ridicule or persecution.
=====TL/DR========================
In summary this song is not as abstract as people generally imagine. Indeed is it a largely literal description of a concept of separateness, isolation, of something vital disappearing from our world - our societies, a loss of the people interacting with each other in person.. and that happening will be at the hands of something we actually create - this great neon god - our technological systems - which will replace that lost humanity with this horrifying sound of silence.. something we have all heard in our own homes.. as people silently continue human relationships remotely over the Internet, and in doing so, miss out on virtually all of the essential, meaningful and vital aspects of a human relationship. Something that can only exist in the realm of a (noisy) person to person "real world" environment - as was once common everywhere in the world that populations of people inhabited together.
The author has returned to a mental state characterised by darkness - that is one where is finds himself contemplating dark and possibly dystopian ideas. He has returned to this state to talk with himself - to think through yet again, concepts which are dark, upsetting, and difficult to deal with.
This is why our author has returned to the contemplation of dark and difficult ideas - because he had a vision.. one which was slow to form.. which came bit by bit, but once enough of the pieces of the concept had been assembled, ultimately, flowered into a full vision of the future in his mind. And this vision remains because it's been troubling enough to him, that he could not just forget about it or dismiss it from his thoughts. The word vision is one that often portents of the future, and seems an unlikely word to be used to describe something contemporary to the author. Visions tend to be of the future. Otherwise words such as realisation or understanding would be better. And he puts his first reference to the sound of silence (not just the idea of silence) , that is, the sound of silence as distinct from the sound of a populated city centre, or anywhere that might be filled with the sounds of people. This creates a strong contrasting concept.. one of the lack of the sounds of life.. being a sound of its own..is an empty quiet silence.. and an unnatural one.
So this is setting up the picture of his vision (of the future). Restless dreams re-iterates his discomfort with the vision he is describing.. restless dreams are synonymous with bad dreams, or nightmares.. Our setting is given as a narrow street.. cobblestones, underneath the light of a streetlamp. This is a city or a town of people.. streets with streetlights.. this places us in a populated urban location. He expands our sense of this scene in his vision by bringing in the feeling of the place being cold and damp. Maybe a winters day.. but one without much joy or warmth certainly.
Suddenly our vision is changed. We go from a cold damp cobblestone street under lamp light, to the stabbing flash of a neon light. This neon light is the thing that has changed the world as it once existed into something else.. This symbolic flash splits the night - splits past from future... and this flash touched this sound of silence.. We have the sense of this flash being fast, dramatic and something unexpected, unnatural. That this Neon Flash has some causal relationship with the "sound of silence" as well as being the thing which heralded it's arrival in our story.
And now the narrative opens up to give us a full look into this vision that is held inside the light
Ten thousand people - a very large number of people to behold - and a number suitably large that it serves to represent all of humankind, in its various population numbers in cities, towns and so forth. And we see that somehow this vast number of people are talking, but without speaking... and hearing without listening.. how could this possibly be? Very simple, it is the vast populations of people - virtually all of the modern world - communicating on the Internet over text or other means - where talking can take place without speech. Where listening can be reading off a screen rather that listening with ones ears. Where songs are written that are never sung by human voices in person - where everyone sits alone, and together alone they are surrounded by the sound of silence... there are no people talking to each other, sharing each others actual company - instead they are all connected via artificial emulations of each other.. ultimately, they are all alone, and all existing in the midst of the sound of silence. Given the time this was written, this makes this song extremely prophetic and displays a deep insight and understanding of the technology path that laid ahead of man. This makes me believe the song was highly liken given to Paul Simon, rather than actually being written by him.
Here our author tries to reach out and warn the masses.. makes the point that humans teach humans using words.. that our physical connection is vital to us, to be able to talk and hear. to reach out and touch... that these things define our reality and without them, we are alone, isolated. That indeed, this sound of silence is anti-human, its gradual proliferation likened to a cancer on our societies..
And here we are given more insight into the thing that enabled this sound of silence.. the neon god they made.. Here we are given clear insight into the fact that this thing is something humanity actually made itself.... This clearly represents the technological system that the author knew was to arise, and grow and evolve.. into something of the level of what we have today - that we would be so beholding to it, so dependent and hooked on it, that it would to all intents and purposes something we worshipped... we submitted our autonomy too.. that we looked with reverence too for meaning and wisdom. Something that even in its earlier incarnations, gave flashing warnings in the words it was forming.. on the screen of early computers with glowing text.
And here we are told, that truth is not found on a computer screen, on the signs it flashes at us, but it is found amongst the communities of humans where thought can operate with as much freedom and communication between individuals as possible.. and thus you are more likely to see the genuine truth and wisdom in graffiti on the ways of the subway or some apartment building, than on the system of light that is our Neon God of computer screens.
Or if it is spoken about amongst our society that exists so much in silence, it is whispered about, because to speak it loudly would be in incur ridicule or persecution.
=====TL/DR======================== In summary this song is not as abstract as people generally imagine. Indeed is it a largely literal description of a concept of separateness, isolation, of something vital disappearing from our world - our societies, a loss of the people interacting with each other in person.. and that happening will be at the hands of something we actually create - this great neon god - our technological systems - which will replace that lost humanity with this horrifying sound of silence.. something we have all heard in our own homes.. as people silently continue human relationships remotely over the Internet, and in doing so, miss out on virtually all of the essential, meaningful and vital aspects of a human relationship. Something that can only exist in the realm of a (noisy) person to person "real world" environment - as was once common everywhere in the world that populations of people inhabited together.