Collection of the best songs of Leonard Cohen
The future
I'm your man
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Law
Who By Fire
The Partisan
Famous Blue Raincoat
Waiting For The Miracle
Everybody Knows
Lover Lover Lover
There is a War
Suzanne
Sisters of Mercy
Why Don't You Try
A Singer Must Die
Leaving Green Sleeves
The story of Isaac
Seems so long ago, Nancy
Tacoma Trailer
Introduction: Am Am Am
Give me back my broken night,
Dm
my mirrored room, my secret life
G6 E7 Am
it's lonely here, there's no one left to torture
Dm
Give me absolute control over every living soul
G6 Am
And lie beside me baby, that's an order!
Give me crack an anal sex,
take the only tree that's left
and stuff it up the hole in your culture
Give me back the Berlin Wall,
give me Stalin and St. Paul
I've seen the future, brother: it is murder.
Chorus:
Dm C
Things are gonna slide (slide) in all directions
Dm C
Won't be nothing (won't be) nothing you can't measure anymore.
Dm F
The blizzard, the blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold
Fm C
and it has overturned the order of the soul
G
When they said (they said) REPENT (repent) REPENT (repent)
Am
I wonder what they meant
G
When they said (they said) REPENT (repent) REPENT (repent)
Am
I wonder what they meant
G
When they said (they said) REPENT (repent) REPENT (repent)
Am
I wonder what they meant
You don't know me from the wind,
you never will, you never did
I'm the little jew who wrote the bible
I've seen nations rise and fall,
I've heard their stories, heard them all
but love's the only engine of survival
Your servant here he has been told
to say it clear to say it cold:
It's over, it ain't going any further
And now the wheels of heaven stop,
you feel the devil's riding crop
Get ready for the future: it is murder.
Chorus.
There'll be the breaking of the ancient western code
Dm
Your private life will suddenly explode
Am
There'll be phantoms, there'll be fires on the road
F7 E
and the white man dancing
Am
You'll see your woman hanging upside down
Dm
her features covered by her fallen gown
Am
and all the lousy little poets coming around
F7 E
trying to sound like Charlie Manson
Am
and the white man dancing
Give me back the Berlin Wall,
give me Stalin and St. Paul
Give me Christ or give me Hiroshima
Destroy another fetus now,
we don't like children anyhow
I've seen the future, baby: it is murder.
Chorus.
G Am
When they said (they said) REPENT (repent) REPENT (repent)
[end on Am]
Em
If you want a lover I'll do anything
D
you ask me to.
Em
And if you want another kind of love
D
I'll wear a mask for you.
Hm
If you want a partner take my hand,
G
or if you want to strike me down in anger,
A Hm
here I stand. I'm your man.
If you want a boxer I will step
into the ring for you.
And if you want a jewish doctor,
I'll examine every precious inch of you.
If you want a driver climb inside.
Or if you want a take me for a ride,
Whell, You know you can. I'm your man.
Refren:
D G
Ah, the moon's too bright, the chain's too tight,
A D
the beast won't go to sleep.
F#m
I've been running through all these promises to you
Hm
that I made and I could not keep.
F#m
Ah, but a man never got a women back,
Hm
not by begging on his knees.
G
Or I'd crawl to you, baby,
F#m G
and I'd fall at your feet,
G F#m
and I'd howl at your beauty like a dog in heat.
G E
And I'd claw at your heart and I'd tear at your sheet.
A Hm
I'd say, please, please, I'm your man.
And if you've got to sleep for a moment on the road,
I will steer for you.
And if you want to walk the street alone,
I'll disappear for you.
If you want a father for your child,
or only want to walk with me awhile
across the sand, I'm your man
Refren.
/* Repeat first lines and fade out ad lib. */
+ Dance Me To The End Of Love ++.
Am Em H7/F# Em E7
Am Em H7/F# Em
Am Em
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Am Em
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Am Em
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
H7/F# Em
Dance me to the end of love
H7/F# Em
Dance me to the end of love
Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love
La-la-...
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
How many times did you call me
And I knew it was late
I left everybody
But I never went straight
I don't claim to be guilty
But I do understand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
Now my heart's like a blister
From doing what I do
If the moon has a sister
It's got to be you
I'm going to miss you forever
Tho' it's not what I planned
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
Now the deal has been dirty
Since dirty began
I'm not asking for mercy
Not from the man
You just don't ask for mercy
While you're still on the stand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
[Instr]
I don't claim to be guilty
Guilty's too grand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
That's all I can say, baby
That's all I can say
It wasn't for nothing
That they put me away
I fell with my angel
Down the chain of command
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
There's a Law, there's an Arm, there's a Hand
Am G Am Am G Am
And who by fire, who by water,
C G7 C C G7 C
who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
who in your merry merry month of may,
who by very slow decay,
Asus4 Asus/Fbass E
and who shall I say is calling?
And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate,
who in these realms of love, who by something blunt,
and who by avalanche, who by powder,
who for his greed, who for his hunger,
and who shall I say is calling?
And who by brave assent, who by accident,
who in solitude, who in this mirror,
who by his lady's command, who by his own hand,
who in mortal chains, who in power,
and who shall I say is calling?
(by Anna Marly/Hy Zaret)
p i m a m i p i p i m a p i m a
Am Am / Am Am
C* E* Am
When they poured across the border
C* E* Am
I was cautioned to surrender,
C G
this I could not do;
F F C E Am
I took my gun and vanished.
I have changed my name so often,
I've lost my wife and children
but I have many friends,
and some of them are with me.
An old woman gave us shelter,
kept us hidden in the garret,
then the soldiers came;
she died without a whisper.
There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
but I must go on;
the frontiers are my prison.
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
through the graves the wind is blowing,
freedom soon will come;
then we'll come from the shadows.
Les Allemands e'taient chez moi, [The Germans were at my home]
ils me dirent, "Signe toi," [They said, "Sign yourself,"]
mais je n'ai pas peur; [But I am not afraid]
j'ai repris mon arme. [I have retaken my weapon.]
J'ai change' cent fois de nom, [I have changed names a hundred times]
j'ai perdu femme et enfants [I have lost wife and children]
mais j'ai tant d'amis; [But I have so many friends]
j'ai la France entie`re. [I have all of France]
Un vieil homme dans un grenier [An old man, in an attic]
pour la nuit nous a cache', [Hid us for the night]
les Allemands l'ont pris; [The Germans captured him]
il est mort sans surprise. [He died without surprise.]
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
through the graves the wind is blowing,
freedom soon will come;
then we'll come from the shadows.
+ Famous Blue Raincoat ++-
Am F
It's four in the morning, the end of December
Dm7 Em7
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
Am F
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
Dm7 Em7
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening
Am Hm Am Hm
I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
Am G
You're living for nothing now
Am G
I hope you're keeping some kind of record
CHORUS #1:
C G
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
Am
She said that you gave it to her
Hm G
That night that you planned to go clear
F Em7
Did you ever go clear?
Am F
It's four in the morning, the end of December
Dm7 Em7
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
Am F
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
Dm7 Em7
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening
Am Hm Am Hm
I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
Am G
You're living for nothing now
Am G
I hope you're keeping some kind of record
Chorus:
C G
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
Am
She said that you gave it to her
Bm G
That night that you planned to go clear
F Em7
Did you ever go clear?
Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene
And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.
Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake --
She sends her regards.
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.
If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.
Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.
And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear --
Sincerely, L. Cohen
Waiting For The Miracle ++-
(co-written by Sharon Robinson)
Baby, I've been waiting,
I've been waiting night and day.
I didn't see the time,
I waited half my life away.
There were lots of invitations
and I know you sent me some,
but I was waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.
I know you really loved me.
but, you see, my hands were tied.
I know it must have hurt you,
it must have hurt your pride
to have to stand beneath my window
with your bugle and your drum,
and me I'm up there waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.
Ah I don't believe you'd like it,
You wouldn't like it here.
There ain't no entertainment
and the judgements are severe.
The Maestro says it's Mozart
but it sounds like bubble gum
when you're waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.
Waiting for the miracle
There's nothing left to do.
I haven't been this happy
since the end of World War II.
Nothing left to do
when you know that you've been taken.
Nothing left to do
when you're begging for a crumb
Nothing left to do
when you've got to go on waiting
waiting for the miracle to come.
I dreamed about you, baby.
It was just the other night.
Most of you was naked
Ah but some of you was light.
The sands of time were falling
from your fingers and your thumb,
and you were waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come
Ah baby, let's get married,
we've been alone too long.
Let's be alone together.
Let's see if we're that strong.
Yeah let's do something crazy,
something absolutely wrong
while we're waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.
Nothing left to do ...
when you know that you've been taken.
Nothing left to do
when you're begging for a crumb
Nothing left to do
when you've got to go on waiting
waiting for the miracle to come.
When you've fallen on the highway
and you're lying in the rain,
and they ask you how you're doing
of course you'll say you can't complain --
If you're squeezed for information,
that's when you've got to play it dumb:
You just say you're out there waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.
(co-written by Sharon Robinson)
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long stem rose
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows
And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows
And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Oh everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows
I asked my father,
I said, "Father change my name."
The one I'm using now it's covered up
with fear and filth and cowardice and shame.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me,
yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me.
He said, "I locked you in this body,
I meant it as a kind of trial.
You can use it for a weapon,
or to make some woman smile."
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me,
yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me.
"Then let me start again," I cried,
"please let me start again,
I want a face that's fair this time,
I want a spirit that is calm."
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me,
yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me.
"I never never turned aside," he said,
"I never walked away.
It was you who built the temple,
it was you who covered up my face."
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me,
yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me.
And may the spirit of this song,
may it rise up pure and free.
May it be a shield for you,
a shield against the enemy.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me,
yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me,
yes and lover, lover, lover, lover,
lover, lover, lover come back to me.
Am Em/A Am Em7
1 e + e 2 e + e 3 e + e 4 e + e
e:-|----|-----|--|--|--|--|--|---|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|
B:-|----|-----|--|--|--|--|--|---|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|
4 G:-|----|-----|--|--|--|--|--|---|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|
- D:-|----|-----|--|--|--|--|--|---|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|
4 A:-|----|-----|--|--|--|--|--|---|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|
E:-|----|-----|--|--|--|--|--|---|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|
Am Em/A Am Em7
There is a war between the rich and poor
Am Em/A Am |G C/G C C/D| G C/G G
A war be-tween the man and the woman.
Am Em/A Am Em7 Am
There is a war be-tween the ones who say there is a war
Em/A Am G/D |G C/G G C/D G C/G
and the ones who say there isn't.
G |D |C |
Why don't you come on back to the war, that's right, get
G C/G G C/G| G C/G
get in it,
G G| D |C |
why don't you come on back to the war, it's just beginning.
G C/G G C/G|G C/G G
Well I live here with a woman and a child,
the situation makes me kind of nervous.
Yes, I rise up from her arms, she says
"I guess you call this love";
I call it service. Why don't you come on
back to the war, don't be a tourist,
why don't you come on back to the war,
before it hurts us,
why don't you come on back to the war,
let's all get nervous.
You cannot stand what I've become,
you much prefer the gentleman I was before.
I was so easy to defeat, I was so easy to control,
I didn't even know there was a war.
Why don't you come on back to the war, don't be embarrassed,
why don't you come on back to the war, you can still get married.
There is a war between the rich and poor,
a war between the man and the woman.
There is a war between the left and right,
a war between the black and white,
a war between the odd and the even.
Why don't you come on back to the war, pick up your tiny burden,
why don't you come on back to the war, let's all get even,
why don't you come on back to the war, can't you hear me speaking?
E * + * +
Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river
F#m * + * +
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her
E * + * +
And you know that she's half crazy but that's why you want to be there
G#m * + A * +
And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China
E F#m
And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her
E
Then she gets you on her wavelength
F#m E
And she lets the river answer that you've always been her lover
G#m
And you want to travel with her
A
And you want to travel blind
E
And you know that she will trust you
F#m E
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind
And Jesus was a sailor when He walked upon the water
And He spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when He knew for certain only drowning men could see Him
He said, "All men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them"
But He Himself was broken long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human, He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind
Suzanne takes your hand, and she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever
while Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you will trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind
NOTE: To play this song better, you should switch to the sustained
position of each chord for just one note at a time. These occasions are
marked off in the first four lines. From there on it should be evident
enough. Here are the sustained chords you should use:
Esus: 0 2 2 2 0 0 F#msus: 2 4 4 4 2 2 G#msus: 4 6 6 6 4 4
Asus: 5 7 7 7 0 0
A D E A D A
Oh Sis-ters of Mer-cy they are not de-par-ted or gone
C#m G#m C#m G#m E Esus4 E
They were wait-ing for me when I thought that I just cant go on
D A G F#m E Esus4 E
And they brought me their com-fort and later they brought me their song
A D E A D
Oh I hope you into them you who've been trav-ling so long
G/D D/A A7 D G/D D/A A7 D A E
Yes you who must leave everything
That you cannot control
It begins with your family,
but soon it comes round to your soul
Well I've been where you're hanging
I think I can see how you're pinned
When you're not feeling holy
Your loneliness says that your've sinned
They lay down beside me
I made my confession to them
They touched both my eyes
And I touched the dew on their hem
If your life is a leaf
That the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind yoou with love
That is graceful and green as a stem
When I left they were sleeping
I hope you run into them soon
Dont turn on the lights
You can read their address by the moon
And you wont make me jealous
If I hear that they sweetened your night
D E
A D
We werent lov-ers like that
A E A
And besides it would still be all right
We werent lovers like that
And besides it would still be all right
Esus4
+---+---+
+---+---+
+---+---+
+---+-O-+
+---+-O-+
+---+-O-+
+---+---+
Why don't you try to do without him?
Why don't you try to live alone?
Do you really need his hands for your passion?
Do you really need his heart for your throne?
Do you need his labour for your baby?
Do you need his beast for the bone?
Do you need to hold a leash to be a lady?
I know you're going to make, make it on your own.
Why don't your try to forget him?
Just open up your dainty little hand.
You know this life is filled with many sweet companions,
many satisfying one-night stands.
Do you want to be the ditch around a tower?
Do you want to be the moonlight in his cave?
Do you want to give your blessing to his power
as he goes whistling past his daddy, past his daddy's grave.
I'd like to take you take you to the ceremony,
well, that is if I remember the way.
You see Jack and Jill they're going to join their misery,
I'm afraid it's time for everyone to pray.
You can see they've finally taken cover,
they're willing, yeah they're willing to obey.
Their vows are difficult, they're for each other,
so let nobody put a loophole, a loophole in their way.
Now the courtroom is quiet, but who will confess.
Is it true you betrayed us? The answer is Yes.
Then read me the list of the crimes that are mine,
I will ask for the mercy that you love to decline.
And all the ladies go moist, and the judge has no choice,
a singer must die for the lie in his voice.
And I thank you, I thank you for doing your duty,
you keepers of truth, you guardians of beauty.
Your vision is right, my vision is wrong,
I'm sorry for smudging the air with my song.
Oh, the night it is thick, my defences are hid
in the clothes of a woman I would like to forgive,
in the rings of her silk, in the hinge of her thighs,
where I have to go begging in beauty's disguise.
Oh goodnight, goodnight, my night after night,
my night after night, after night, after night, after night, after night.
I am so afraid that I listen to you,
your sun glassed protectors they do that to you.
It's their ways to detain, their ways to disgrace,
their knee in your balls and their fist in your face.
Yes and long live the state by whoever it's made,
sir, I didn't see nothing, I was just getting home late.
Alas, my love, you did me wrong,
to cast me out discourteously,
for I have loved you so long,
delighting in your very company.
Now if you intend to show me disdain,
don't you know it all the more enraptures me,
for even so I still remain your lover in captivity.
Green sleeves, you're all alone,
the leaves have fallen, the men have gone.
Green sleeves, there's no one home,
not even the Lady Green Sleeves
I sang my songs, I told my lies,
to lie between your matchless thighs.
And ain't it fine, ain't it wild
to finally end our exercise
Then I saw you naked in the early dawn,
oh, I hoped you would be someone new.
I reached for you but you were gone,
so lady I'm going too.
Green sleeves, you're all alone ...
Green sleeves, you're all alone,
the leaves have fallen, the men have all gone home.
Green sleeves, it's so easily done,
leaving the Lady Green Sleeves.
Am F Am F
The door it opened slowly, my father he came in
G F E
I was nine years old
Am F Am F
And he stood so tall above me, blue eyes they were shining
G F E
And his voice was very cold
C C/G C C/G
He said, "I've had a vision and you know I'm strong and holy
D (C) H
I must do what I've been told"
F F B
So he started up the mountain, I was running, he was walking
F G A
And his axe was made of gold
Well, the trees they got much smaller, the lake a lady's mirror
We stopped to drink some wine
Then he threw the bottle ove, broke a minute later
And he put his hand on mine
Thought I saw an eagle but it might have been a vulture
I never could decide
Then my father built an altar,he looked once behind his shoulder
He knew I would not hide
You who build these altars now to sacrifice these children
You must not do it anymore
A scheme is not a vision and you never have been tempted
By a demon or a god
You who stand above them now, your hatchets blunt and bloody
You were not there before
When I lay upon a mountain and my father's hand was trembling
With the beauty of the word
And if you call me brother now, forgive me if I inquire
"Just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust I will kill you if I must
I will help you if I can
When it all comes down to dust I will help you if I must
I will kill you if I can
And mercy on our uniform, man of peace or man of war
The peacock spreads his fan
+ Seems so long ago, Nancy +
Bm F# Bm F#m C#m F#m
It seems so long ago, Nancy was alone
A Bm A E A
Looking at the Late Late show through a semi-precious stone
C# F#m D A
In the House of Honesty her father was on trial
E F#m C#m D
In the House of Mystery there was no one at all
A E F#m
there was no one at all
It seems so long ago, none of us were strong
Nancy wore green stockings and she slept with everyone
She never said she'd wait for us although she was alone
I think she fell in love for us in nineteen sixty one
In nineteen sixty one
It seems so long ago, Nancy was alone
A forty five beside her head, an open telephone
We told her she was beautiful, we told her she was free
But none of us would meet her in the House of Mystery
The House of Mystery
And now you look around you, see her everywhere
Many use her body, many comb her hair
In the hollow of the night when you are cold and numb
You hear her talking freely then
She's happy that you've come
She's happy that you've come
[instrumental]
Last-modified: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 06:35:12 GMT