The Sound of Silence

In my previous post, I forgot to mention Brooke Fraser's cover of The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. (I think it's because I'm still trying to let it settle in.) When I heard it at the concert, I thought it was really beautiful. I was surprised to find that her cover of the song was on the deluxe edition of Albertine, which I had bought right before the concert. That made me really happy.

Listening to Brooke singing The Sound of Silence really stuck to me. After the concert, I couldn't help but listen to song over and over again. In fact, I am STILL listening to it...two whole days after the concert...there's just something about it.

It is haunting.

Brooke Fraser's voice and the lyrics combine to make a really beautiful song.

But the more I listened to the words, the more I found them...a little bit disturbing. I don't mean disturbing in the psychotic way. But disturbing in the way of how close to the truth it is. How real it is.

"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 dares
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 sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls."
And whispered in the sounds of silence."

The whole song is pretty disturbing. However, the part that got to me the most was the part that I've bolded above.

Are we a people who talk without speaking? Do we hear without listening? Are we a people who are numb?

I know this song isn't a "Christian" song, but it really made me think about the world and about God. I don't know if it's in Brooke Fraser's voice, or in the lyrics to the song, or both...but listening to it was like hearing God's breaking heart. I think God's heart really breaks for us. I mean, there are so many people who are numb, who go through life just being "silent". They want more, but they don't even dare admit it to themselves. And the sad thing is that God loves each and every one of us so much. These "silent" people are not what He created us to be. He created us to be alive in Him...alive in His love.

Listening to this song made me really sad. I wasn't going to admit this, but lying in bed last night, and listening to it...I couldn't help but cry. It was just one of those moments where you could feel God's heart breaking for his people. It's kind of overwhelming, too, to realize how much God loves us in order for His heart to break for us.

Knowing this just makes me feel SO alive. To be able to feel this sadness, and the joy that comes from knowing God's love...is just unbelievable. There's nothing that I can write that can quite explain it. But I pray that whoever is reading this, that you may be able to experience it too. God is real. And His love for you is real.



(If you have itunes and would like to hear this song, I'd be glad to send it to you. Just IM me or send me an email. It really is a great song.)