We've all heard "The Sound of Silence" many many times, but today when Simon sang it at Ground Zero, it was like I heard it for the first time. It took on a new meaning and captured the spirit of the memorial and the day.
2:52 PM PT: A commenter noted that Paul changed to this at the last minute. He was supposed to do "Bridge."
Perhaps he made the change because he was struck by the massive black fountains installed in the footprints of the fallen towers, which project down like wells -- the "wells of silence."
When Paul got to the verse "Take my arms that I might reach out to you," I swear his voiced cracked, and I think it was emotion and not his age. Then he sang, "But my words, like silent raindrops fell, and echoed in the wells of silence.
I heard in that cracking voice, whether from emotion or age, despair, not only over the void between people who are divided in this country and cannot find common ground, but over the huge chasm between those who use peaceful means to try to effect change and those who resort to horrific acts of violence.