In these times of tragedy, nothing can console the families of the victims of course, nothing can ease the pain of the people who have lost a baby, a mother, a friend during the Sandy Hook Elementary School horrific shooting. However, things like these are nice gestures and, I am sure, brought some sort of comfort to this family.
Paul Simon attended teacher Victoria Soto’s funeral on Wednesday and, without any introduction, picked up his acoustic guitar to sing ‘The Sound of Silence’ midway through the ceremony held at the Lordship Community Church in Stratford. According to the NY Daily News, Simon, who knows the family through his sister-in-law, chose this song because it was Victoria Soto’s favorite one. After his performance, no applause were heard, but just a heavy silence, and probably a lot of tears.
She is of course the teacher who protected her young students by rushing them into a closet, managing to persuade the mad man with a gun that she was alone, taking the bullet to save the children,… a true hero if there are still some.
Now, this song may become a little too much associated with tragedy, Simon already sang it during the 10th anniversary commemoration of September 11th two years ago, and then he performs it again in connection to other awful devastation. But I guess Simon doesn’t care at all.