Every Day I Disturb the Sound of Silence, but The Perpetrators of the Silence and Lies Hate Me For It

The 1964 Simon and Garfunkle song, Sound of Silence sung below by them in 1966 in a black and white video brings back lots of memories. That was over 50 years ago, I was 9 years old. I remember how popular it was.



David Draiman sings lead for a metal group called Disturbed, They have put out a new version of the song making it more relevant for the times we are in with his deeply emotional, nasally, bass voice. It mesmerized me. Apparently the first time Draiman listened to the recording he teared up himself.

My friend Terry posted this video and discussed how appropriate this song is for what is going on in our country now. It was appropriate back in the 1960s, but the sounds of silence were begun way before that decade.

The Sound of Silence

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 signs said
"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence

This is the Conan version which is so much more beautiful and emotional than the official music video. Even though I already knew the song, the words in this version jumped out and punched me in the gut.