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 share
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 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 sounds of silence
Why this song? It’s obtuse and uninspiring. Liberals confuse me.
It would have been appropriate to have Ronan Tynan sing God Bless America or Ave Maria. But, instead, we got some 1960s angry, little throwback.
Not appropriate. Not appreciated. Not a fan.
.They chose not to invite God’s representatives to the services. I chose not to watch
The words of the prophets are written on the subway wall? Those aren’t words, they’re graffiti. Those aren’t prophets, they’re vandals.
“PAUL SIMON SINGS SOUNDS OF SILENCE AT 9-11 MEMORIAL”
Why didn’t he sing his own “American Tune”?
Far more appropriate:
Many’s the time I’ve been mistaken,
And many times confused
And I’ve often felt forsaken,
And certainly misused.
But it’s all right, it’s all right,
I’m just weary to my bones
Still, you don’t expect to be
Bright and Bon Vivant
So far away from home,
So far away from home.
I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered
Don’t have a friend who feels at ease
Don’t know a dream that’s not been shattered
Or driven to it’s knees.
But it’s all right, all right,
We’ve lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road we’re traveling on,
I wonder what went wrong,
I can’t help it
I wonder what went wrong.
And I dreamed I was flying.
I dreamed my soul rose unexpectedly,
And looking back down on me,
Smiled reassuringly,
And I dreamed I was dying.
And far above, my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty,
Drifting away to sea
And I dreamed I was flying.
We come on a ship we call the Mayflower,
We come on a ship that sailed the moon
We come at the age’s most uncertain hour
And sing the American tune
But it’s all right, it’s all right
You can’t be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow’s gonna be another working day
And I’m trying to get some rest,
That’s all, I’m trying to get some rest.
I do not care for Simon or Garfunkel but they sure could turn out some good music.
I always thought “Kodachrome” was one of the coolest songs ever. I actually like “Sound of Silence” I remember my old girlfriend loved “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.
Liberals are weird.
Freaking liberals.... They love to indulge in a tub of misery. They can find the darkside of anything and enjoy spreading it on their socialism crackers. And when people don’t want to eat their social humus, they get offended. Today should be a day of honor, not a day to dwell in pity and finger pointing. Honor these men and women who died by saying we will not forget. Honor the brave souls who ran into the gates of hell in hope of saving those who were in danger. Honor those warriors who put on the uniform and carry the gun to combat the filth that infects the world with their hate. Life is short, but bravery is forever.
It’s a great song, but not appropriate to the occaison.
Amazing Grace,
Danny Boy,
Onward Christian Soldiers (my late father’s favorite at any time)
and The Battle Hymn of the Republic, yes.
I don’t expect a Bloomberg lib to understand these things.
So glad we didn’t have clergy at the memorial. Their prayers might have prevented us from hearing an aging hippie singing a pointless song that completely failed to apply to the situation at all.
How embarrassing.
I don’t get it. “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” seems more appropriate, although I don’t think I would have chosen either. Imho, this was a politically correct event, and therefore it was ultimately a failure.
I attended a Paul Simon concert in Minneapolis last May the day after Bin-Laden got his head blown off. Before Simon started his program, he commented on the previous days events telling the crowd how happy he was that justice was finally served.
The song was originally written as an emotional response to the JFK assassination in 1963.
Did anyone else note that when he sings:
“And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made”
the camera zooms into a shot of the American flag?