Hello Darkness

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“Hello Darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again.”

Do you know these lyrics?

I have listened to the song “The Sound of Silence” by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel many times. There are a few versions of Simon and Garfunkel singing this particular song. Here are a couple of links to them – Simon – Garfunkel – Sounds of Silence and The Sounds of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel

Paul Simon wrote the song when he was only 21. Additionally, he created it in February 1964 in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. In fact, “The Sound of Silence” propelled the singer-songwriter duo to mainstream popularity. In the U.S., it was the duo’s second most popular hit after “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.

But I especially enjoy the version sung by the metal band known as Disturbed from Chicago, Illinois. Additionally, I even like the video. David Michael Draiman, the lead singer for Disturbed has a distorted, operatic baritone voice and percussive singing style. He is a Jewish American musician born March 13, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York.

I think Disturbed’s version of “The Sound of Silence” is outstanding. How Draiman has such intensity and depth singing this song is unbelievable and so moving. He performs a masterful cover for a great song. You can hear the range and flexibility of his voice that is further demonstrated through the rise and fall of tension and fierceness during his performance.

I have shared this particular version with friends, family and continue to listen to it over and over. One of my favorites. Emotion, passion, and talent cant’ be ignored in Draiman’s performance of the song. If you would like to listen to it, here is the link:

Disturbed Singing “The Sounds of Silence”

Hello Darkness Acrylic Abstract Diptych

I named this small acrylic diptych “Hello Darkness” for sometimes darkness can come creeping into our lives and only we can recognize its arrival and tackle it before it overcomes us.

 

The Sound of Silence Lyrics

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 dared
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

Within the sound of silence

 

Dare to Feel,

Red (Linda Harrison)

See more of Red’s Creations in her gallery. 

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