《寂靜之聲》中英文歌詞對照:
Hello darkness, my old friend,I've come to talk with you again
妳好黑暗,我的老夥計,我又來和妳海闊天空神侃
Because a vision softly creeping,Left its seeds while I was sleeping
因為有個影子悄悄潛入,趁我熟睡埋下了它的種子
And the vision that was planted in my brain
這影子根植於我的大腦裏
Still remain,with in the sound of silence
至今還留在,靜默之聲的地盤中
In restless dreams I walked alone,Narrow streets of cobblestone
在不安的夢境中我獨自遊蕩,鵝卵石的街道狹窄幽長
Neath the halo of a street lamp,I turned my collar to the cold and damp
在壹盞街燈的光暈下,我豎起衣領抵擋寒冷潮濕
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
就在我的眼睛被壹盞霓虹燈的閃光刺穿的同時
That split the night,And touched the sound of silence
光芒劃破了夜空,打破了這份靜默
And in the naked light I saw,Ten thousand people, maybe more
在孱弱的燭光中我看到,成千上萬的人們,或許更多
People talking without speaking,People hearing without listening
人們緘口卻傾述心聲,人們罔聞卻聲聲貫耳
People writing songs that voices never share
人們寫歌卻從沒嗓音分享
And no one dare disturb the sound of silence
靜默之聲沒人敢打擾
"Fools" said I, "You do not know,Silence like a cancer grows”
“傻瓜”,我說,“妳見識不長,靜默像癌細胞壹樣生長”
Hear my words that I might teach you,Take my arms that I might reach you
有益的教誨妳當聽取,有助的臂膀妳該挽起
But my words like silent as raindrops fell,And echoed in the wells of silence
話語如雨滴悄然落下,在靜默的源泉中久久回蕩
And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made.
人們向自己塑造的霓虹神靈膜拜祈禱
And the sign flashed out its warning,And the words that it was forming
告示牌上閃爍出神靈的警告,若隱若現顯示成行
And the sign said:"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
告示牌上寫道:“先賢們的箴言塗鴉在地鐵的大墻
and tenement halls,And whispered in the sound of silence."
以及公寓走廊上,也在靜默之聲中被低聲傳送”
西蒙於1964年創作的《寂靜之聲》曲調舒緩輕柔,歌詞卻犀利深刻。借助該曲,西蒙針砭時弊,並試圖尋求出路。創作背景是60年代的美國經歷著反戰潮流、民權運動、以及越南戰爭,社會的動蕩不安使當時的美國人迷茫且不知所措。雪上加霜的是,當時的美國總統約翰·肯尼迪(John?F.Kennedy)在1963年11月22日在德州的達拉斯遇刺身亡,這更是讓美國舉國上下沒有了精神支柱。這首歌基本上含蓋了兩個主題,壹為抨擊資本主義的拜金主義,二為人際之間的疏離(alienation)與冷漠(apathy)造成了人類喪失了溝通的能力,其實這兩個主題是互為因果的。
西蒙與加芬克爾的《寂靜之聲》像壹面旗幟,對處於情感困惑的年輕壹代產生了深遠的影響。另外,民謠搖滾簡單純凈的曲風,輕柔舒緩、富有節奏的旋律使它成為年輕人最喜愛的音樂形式之壹。這些歌曲深邃的內涵,清新的風格不僅恰當地反映了涉世之初的大學生單純的心理狀態,而且對整部影片的主基調及風格的定位起了極為關鍵的作用。