The Sound of Silence Quotes
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Source: The Sound of Silence
Speaker: Simon and Garfunkel
The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls.
Context
This line is from the song "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel from the album Wednesday Morning, 3AM (1964).
Much like trying to hear the sound of actual silence, the song "The Sound of Silence" is notoriously cryptic. Is it about the assassination of JFK? Or just trying to get some peace and quiet on the john (as in toilet, not Kennedy)?
The lyrics talk about a group of people making a "neon god," a sign with a strange phrase on it. What did the sign say? Not "Eat at Joe's," but "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls […] and whispered in the sound of silence."
Vaguest sign ever.
Where you've heard it
You've heard this from crazy people in the subway or advertising executives who are really good at pretending not to be crazy folks on the subway.
Additional Notable References
- This line is parodied in the song "The Spirit of Radio" by Rush.
- Referenced by Thomas L. Friedman in an article about a graffiti war in Beirut for the Times.
- The opening line of this song, "Hello, darkness, my old friend" is part of a recurring gag on Arrested Development.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
If "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls […] and whispered in the sound of silence," we guess silence sounds like ads for Apple products and H&M…