The Sound Of Silence

  • Capo: 6 fret
  • Strumming pattern: Down up (x4)
  • Picking pattern:
    • Asus2: 3121 (x2)
    • G: 6132 (x2)
    • Am 5132 (x2)
    • F: 4132 (x2) or 6132 (x2)
    • C: 5132 (x2)
Asus2          G              Am             F              C              
x ◯     ◯ ◯        ◯ ◯ ◯      x ◯       ◯                   x     ◯   ◯    
╒═╤═╤═╤═╤═╕    ╒═╤═╤═╤═╤═╕    ╒═╤═╤═╤═╤═╕    ╒═╤═╤═╤═╤═╕    ╒═╤═╤═╤═╤═╕    
│ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ ◯ │    ◯-------◯-◯    │ │ │ │ ◯ │    
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    
│ │ ◯ ◯ │ │    │ ◯ │ │ │ │    │ │ ◯ ◯ │ │    │ │ │ ◯ │ │    │ │ ◯ │ │ │    
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    
│ │ │ │ │ │    ◯ │ │ │ │ ◯    │ │ │ │ │ │    │ ◯ ◯ │ │ │    │ ◯ │ │ │ │    
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    ├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤    
│ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │    
└─┴─┴─┴─┴─┘    └─┴─┴─┴─┴─┘    └─┴─┴─┴─┴─┘    └─┴─┴─┴─┴─┘    └─┴─┴─┴─┴─┘ 
[Verse 1]
Am x2                     G       G
   Hello darkness, my old friend,
                           Am     Am
I've come to talk with you again,
                     F ½     C 1 ½ 
Because a vision softly creeping,
                       F ½      C
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
        F                 F           C
And the vision that was planted in my brain
            C 1 ½  Am 1 ½ 
Still remains
C ½         G        Am       Am
Within the sound of silence.
 
[Verse 2]
                             G     G
In restless dreams I walked alone
                        Am      Am
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
                   F        C    
'neath the halo of a street lamp,
                          F        C
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
        F                                        C
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
                    C    Am   
That split the night
 C              G        Am       Am
And touched the sound of silence.
 
[Verse 3]
                         G
And in the naked light I saw
                           Am
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
                   F       C
People talking without speaking,
                   F        C
People hearing without listening,
               F                       C
People writing songs that voices never share
              C    Am
And no one dare
C           G        Am
Disturb the sound of silence.

[Verse 4]
                         G
Fools said I, you do not know
                      Am
Silence like a cancer grows.
                     F           C
Hear my words that I might teach you,
                    F           C
Take my arms that I might reach you.
       F                           C   C   Am
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
   C
And echoed
       G        Am
In the wells of silence
 
[Verse 5]
                         G
And the people bowed and prayed
                     Am
To the neon God they made.
                         F      C
And the sign flashed out its warning,
                      F     C
In the words that it was forming.
                       F
And the sign said, the words of the prophets
                           C
Are written on the subway walls
             C     C   Am
And tenement halls.
         C           G         Am
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.