Hello darkness, my old friend,… Jelou daaknes, ma’ ol’ fren’
I’ve come to talk with you again,… Ay’ com tu tok wuit yiu aguen
Because a vision softly creeping,… Bicos e vishon softly cripin’
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,… Left its siids wua’l a’ wuas eslipin’
And the vision that was planted in my brain… An’ da vishon dat wuas planted in may brein
Still remains… Estil rimeins
Within the sound of silence…. Wuitdin de saund of sailens

In restless dreams I walked alone… In restles dshriims a’ wuok aloon
Narrow streets of cobblestone,… Narro estriits of cobelston
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp,… ‘Nitd de jeilo of e istriit lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp… A’ tern’ may colar tu de col’ en’ demp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light… Wuen ma’ ays wuer estab’ ba’ de flash of e nion lai’
That split the night… Dat esplit de nai’
And touched the sound of silence… En’ totch’ de saun’ of sailens And in the naked light I saw… En’ in de neiked lai’ a’ so
Ten thousand people, maybe more…. Ten tdausen’ pipol, meybi mor
People talking without speaking,… Pipol tokin’ wuidau’ espikin’
People hearing without listening,… Pipol jirrin’ wuidau’ lis’nin’
People writing songs that voices never share…. Pipol wruairin’ songs dat voices never sher
And no one dared… En’ nowuan der’
Disturb the sound of silence…. Disterb de saun’ of sailens

“Fools,” said I, “You do not know… “Fuuls”, seray, “Yiu du nat nou
Silence like a cancer grows… Sailens laik a cancer grous
Hear my words that I might teach you… Jiir ma’ wuords deray mai’ titch yiu
Take my arms that I might reach you.”… Teik ma’ arms deray mai’ rich yiu”
But my words like silent raindrops fell… B’ may wuords laik sailen’ reindrops fel
And echoed in the wells of silence… En’ ekou’ in de wuels of sailens

And the people bowed and prayed… En’ da pipol bau’ en’ preyd
To the neon god they made… Tu de nion gad dey meid
And the sign flashed out its warning… En’ da sai’n flash daut its wuarnin’
In the words that it was forming… In de wuords darit wuas formin’
And the sign said,… En’ de sain sed

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls… De wuords of de profets ar’ wruit’n on de sabwuey wuols
And tenement halls… En’ ten’men’ jols
And whispered in the sound of silence… ‘ Wuizper’ in de saun’ of sailens