Paul Simon P.I.F.

Paul Simon's words enhance all our lives, a Poet in Fact, P.I.F.

Paul Simon's body of works provide us with emotional comfort, his words P.I.F., Poetry in Fact

Sounds of Silence

Video - sounds of silence, paul simon and art garfunkel

poemwriter: Paul Simon

Neon Sign

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 whispered in the sounds of silence

Commentary:

It's not often that my thoughts are directed toward interpretation of what others say. Here, that exception to the rule of "Bob's Order" expressly asks me to perform that travesty.   Here, in Paul Simon's ode to sociological order we have the exact same theme as Kris Kristofferson's "To Beat the Devil," previously presented. The question again is "will people listen when you try to talk to them." Here, listen means listen, absorb and act. Paul thinks not, Kris also thinks not, but feels the effort is worth a try. In fact, Kris thinks that even though there's nobody going to listen, he's going to talk to them anyway. The try itself justifies the effort, nothing else needed.

The poetic nuances of Paul's excellent poem are priceless, and timeless. Had we listened to him back then, nearly 50 years ago, we'd all be better off now.