The Sound Of Silence
View chords used in this chart
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.
How to play The Sound Of Silence
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is Em. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.