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2019-08-19

【歌詞背後】The Sounds of Silence

#沉默之聲 #寂靜之聲 #六十年代的美國 #反戰 #反暴力 #反種族歧視

歌手： Simon and Garfunkel

作曲： Paul Simon

填詞： Paul Simon

創作/發行： 1963 – 1965

　　音樂所以引人入勝，歌詞旋律以外，創作人背後的動機和故事，從來都是大眾的關注點。於互聯網尚未普及的年代，「諸事八卦」的歌迷如我，對自己熱愛的歌曲，總會扭盡六壬、追本溯源，只求一探創作人內心深處，所思所想所慮。

　　The Sounds of Silence（沉默之聲／寂靜之聲）乃六十年代作品，創作人Paul Simon 當年才二十出頭，剛大學畢業。跟Paul Simon合唱此曲的為Art Garfunkel，二人既是鄰居，也是同學，十二歲開始一起參加校內音樂比賽，十六、七歲二人四出表演，賺經驗、賺外快。

1964年的Paul Simon (左) 及Art Garfunkel (右) （網絡圖片）

　　六十年代的美國，水深火熱、動盪不安……

　　1963年11月標示著美國自由民主精神的總統John F. Kennedy（約翰·甘迺迪）遇刺身亡及1968年4月美國黑人民權領袖Martin Luther King, Jr.（馬丁·路德·金）同遭遇刺、同樣身亡。另時值越戰，戰況慘烈，較美國預期糾纏、漫長，不斷升級。內憂外患，無有安寧。

The Sound of Silence（網絡圖片）

　　反戰反暴力反種族歧視之聲，不絕於耳，Paul Simon就在這樣的時代背景，寫下The Sounds of Silence。

（網絡圖片）

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

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

　　環境孕育思考，沉澱過後，激發創作，這是對所有創作理所當然的推論。但，放諸此曲，可能有點一廂情願！

　　由始至終，Simon及 Garfunkel 認為The Sounds of Silence不過是一首關於人與人之間溝通、關於愛與關懷的歌曲（This is a song about the inability of people to communicate with each other）。

　　歌曲以Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again揭開序幕，就知道故事主人翁多麼孤單寂寞，才會把「漆黑」當作老朋友般傾吐心事。

　　第二段寫自己處身夢境，於暗燈窄巷獨行，既濕且冷，氣氛更見蒼涼、冷漠及不安。

　　第三段算是歌曲點題：People talking without speaking / People hearing without listening / People writing songs that voices never share，不過短短幾句，用字也極其淺白，卻狠狠道破繁華現世，表面緊密實則疏離的人際關係。

　　天天相聚夜夜共醉，說著的，語言無味，聽著的，心不在焉。心靈冰封、靈魂靜止，令沉默成了常態，誰也不會、也不敢打破這種常態And no one dared / Disturb the sound of silence。

　　當成千上萬的人選擇了沉默Ten thousand people, maybe more，沉默即會像癌細胞般蔓延生長Silence like a cancer grows ，零碎微弱的心聲最終被徹底吞沒。