verse 1
Em D
Hello darkness, my old friend,
Em
I've come to talk with you again,
C G
Because a vision softly creeping,
C G
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
C G
And the vision that was planted in my brain
G/F# Em
Still remains
G D Em
Within the sound of silence.
verse 2
D
In restless dreams I walked alone
Em
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
C G
'neath the halo of a street lamp,
C G
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
C G
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
G/F# Em
That split the night
G D Em
And touched the sound of silence.
verse 3
D
And in the naked light I saw
Em
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
C G
People talking without speaking,
C G
People hearing without listening,
C G
People writing songs that voices never share
G/F# Em
And no one dare
G D Em
Disturb the sound of silence.
verse 4
D
Fools said I, you do not know
Em
Silence like a cancer grows.
C G
Hear my words that I might teach you,
C G
Take my arms that I might reach you.
C G G/F# Em
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
G
And echoed
D Em
In the wells of silence
Verse 5
D
And the people bowed and prayed
Em
To the neon God they made.
C G
And the sign flashed out its warning,
C G
In the words that it was forming.
C
And the sign said, the words of the prophets
G
Are written on the subway walls
G G/F# Em
And tenement halls.
G D Em
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.