Sound of Silence
Paul Simon  (Concert in the Park, 199?)



Hello darkness, my old friend
Come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeped in
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 cobble stones
Beneath 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
And it 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
No one dares
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 out to you"
But my words like silent rain drops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed its warning
And the words that it was forming
Said the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And the tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence
Sound of Silence
Paul Simon  (Concert in the Park, 1992)


Circle the words that you hear in the pairs below.  The first pair has been done for you.

Hello darkness, my old friend
Came/Come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeps/creeped in
Left/Leave its seeds while I was sleeping.
And the vision that was planted/plant in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.


In restless dreams I walk/walked alone
Narrow streets of cobble stones.
Beneath the halo of a street lamp
I turn/turned my collar to the cold and damp,
When my eyes were stabbed/stab by the flash of a neon light
And it splits/split the night,
And touch/touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw/see
Ten thousand people maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share,
No one dares/dared
Disturbed/Disturb the sound of silence.

"Fools," say/said I, "you do not know.
Silence like a cancer grows/grew.
Hear my words that I might teach/taught you.
Take my arms that I might reach/reached out to you."
But my words like silent rain drops fall/fell,
And echo/echoed in the wells of silence.

And the people bow/bowed and pray/prayed
To the neon god they make/made.
And the sign flash/flashed its warning,
And the words that it is/was forming
Said/Say "The words of the prophets were/are written on the subway walls
And the tenement halls
And whisper/whispered in the sound of silence."