Seems so typical now

If we, as a people, were to debrief ourselves over the current state-of-affairs in the US today, we would likely hear ourselves saying, “This seems so typical of America now.”  And, while that is sad, it is brutally and honestly true, as evidenced in the song lyrics below:

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

For complete lyrics, click here

Sound of Silence was written in 1964 by Paul Simon who was shaken and also moved by the assassination of President JFK.  "The Sound of Silence" is the song that propelled the 1960s folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel to popularity, rising to number 1 in 1966.

I recall going to one of my College English Professors, who was also my Advisor, requesting that I be given permission to critically analyze several lyrics from rock bands as my Senior Thesis.  I wanted to delve into the lyrics of the following groups:  The Doors, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Jefferson Airplane, and The Lovin Spoonful.  I put The Doors first because Jim Morrison, the lead singer, took a Masters degree in English from UCLA and I just knew his lyrics would be “primo.”  But, my request was rejected, and to me is seem so wrong at the time.

Those poets of the 60’s are still alive today as all of us now realize what PROFOUND poetry they wrote and sung and how meaningful their messages still are today.  These messages still fall on deaf ears, in a thunderous sound of silence.