Loud Bipolar Whispers in the “Sounds of Silence”

I absolutely love this song and especially this version of the song.

This song is sung with so much raw and powerful emotion, it fills my heart and soul with beauty, joy and sorrow all combined together as one. Also, when I am in a more melancholy or lower negative or depressive mood pole it is a song that feels like a very familiar friend and place of solitude that I can go to. This song welcomes me back as a frequent visitor.

As I listen to this song, my emotions explode with a wide array of emotions from joy and  excitement from the beauty of the song and lyrics to feelings of sorrow. There is so much truth, honesty and familiarity of the lyrics to my own life and feelings.

I chose to post this song as I believe these beautiful lyrics speak loudly and truthfully to bipolar disorder, mental illness, mental illness stigma and suicide.

Please try to listen very closely to all of the words and hopefully you will be able to relate to the words in your own unique ways. This song means many different things to every person that listens to it. I think this song was written for all of us in some way. What a gift it is. Please listen to it over and over like I have and enjoy it hopefully reaching a relaxing, comforting and peaceful place in your own mind, heart and soul as you listen to it.

Try to hear all the analogies related to mental illness that this song shouts out at us through the sounds of silence.

“Hello darkness my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again.”Luckily for me, at this very moment and time in my life my old friend “darkness” is not visiting me. I am so thankful and blessed that my familiar “frenemy” has left me for a while. I pray and hope that darkness would never come back to visit and horrify me again. However, I have lived with severe bipolar 1 disorder my entire life and was diagnosed over 25 years ago, so I know the reality of my severe bipolar 1 disorder 1 with rapid cycling and mixed episodes and PTSD. Unfortunately, I know the nature of my illness and my mood poles of both mania and depression can change frequently at varying rates randomly throughout the day, months and years.

I realize that soon darkness will come back to haunt me and blind me and bury me in a dark grave once again. Darkness will take away all of the beauty and light in my life. My best friend hypomania is with me right now and has given me light and the sunshine rays of hope and happiness and endless bounds of energy, creativity and racing thoughts.

“Because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping… and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains.” This is what happens to my bipolar brain as my mind changes unexpectedly planting thoughts, ideas and visions, and voices in my brain that I do not want here, nor do I know how they got there or how my brain changed so quickly without warning.

“In restless streets I walk alone.” When I was first diagnosed I lost all of my friends, husband, family and identity. This illness caused me to isolate myself for many years, causing me to feel very lonely often.

“People talking without speaking, hearing without listening, writing songs that voices never share and no one dare.” These words share the meaning to me of my continuous nonstop ruminations, rapid and racing thoughts. It also shares what causes mental illness stigma. We may write and say many beautiful words full of wisdom concerning our illness, but no one dares to speak about it and no one wants to hear, listen or learn about it. They can’t understand it and some people are still afraid of mental Illness and people who have any type of mental illness.

“Fools say you do not know. Silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you.” These lyrics are very important and powerful as it relates to mental illness stigma and our huge need to increase awareness and educating others about mental illness, bipolar disorder, suicide and stigma. Most people do not want to listen or learn about mental illness.

The fact that not enough people are speaking about it and no one is listening and learning about it, is sadly increasing the suicide rate in our country and around the world. Because of the lack of awareness and education, suicide is increasing at alarming rates. So, the words “silence like a cancer grows” are extremely important and honest.

Silence is killing people. Cancer can kill people and so can mental illness due to deaths by suicide as a severe side effect and reality of the severe symptoms of depression, bipolar and other mental illnesses.

Let’s stop being silent. Turn the silence and whispers into shouts of wisdom, joy and praise for everyone with bipolar disorder and other mental illness. We are all strong, great people and we are all survivors. Let’s talk about it. Let’s shout about it. Let our voices and words be heard. This is a very beautiful song, but…

no more “sounds of silence.”

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“The Sound of Silence” Lyrics

written by Paul Simon

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 dare
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 it’s 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

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Copyright © By Susan Walz and myloudbipolarwhispers.com – All written content and personal artwork is © myloudbipolarwhispers.com and Susan Walz. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner/artist is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to My Loud Bipolar Whispers and/or Susan Walz with appropriate and specific directions to the original content. 

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