Additional Lyrics
2. Children have taken these pledges,
they have ferried them out of the past,
Oh, beyond all the graves and the hedges
where love must go hiding at last.
And here where there is no description,
here in the moment at hand,
No sinner need rise up forgiven,
no victim need limp to the stand.
Chorus
3. And look, dear heart, look at the virgin,
look how she welcomes him into her gown.
Yes, and mark how the stranger’s cold armor
dissolves like a star falling down.
Why trade this vision for desire
when you may have them both.
You will never see a man this naked,
I will never hold a woman this close.
Chorus
SISTERS OF MERCY
WORDS AND MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN
Additional Lyrics
2. 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 you’ve sinned.
3. 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 you with love
That is graceful and green as a stem.
4. When I left, they were sleeping,
I hope you run into them soon.
Don’t turn on the lights,
You can read their address by the moon.
And you won’t make me jealous
If I hear that they sweetened your night.
We weren’t lovers like that,
And besides, it would still be all right.
We weren’t lovers like that,
And besides, it would still be all right.
FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT
WORDS AND MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN
Additional Lyrics
2. 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 ev’ry train,
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.
Chorus: Well, I see you there with a rose in your teeth, one more thin gypsy thief.
Well, I see Jane’s away, she sends her regards.
3. 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,
Well, your enemy is sleeping and his woman is free.
Chorus: Yes, thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes.
I thought it was there for good, so I never tried.
Coda: 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.
AIN’T NO CURE FOR LOVE
WORDS AND MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN
(No) DIAMONDS IN THE MINE
WORDS AND MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN
Additional Lyrics
2. Well, you tell me that your lover has a broken limb.
You see, I’m kind-a restless now, and it’s on account of him.
Well, I saw the man in question, it was just the other night.
He was eating up a lady where the lions and Christians fight.
Chorus
3. Ah, there is no comfort in the covens of the witch.
Some very clever doctor went and sterilized the bitch.
And the only man of energy, yes, the revolution’s pride.
He trained a hundred women just to kill an unborn child.
Chorus
STORY OF ISAAC
WORDS AND MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN
Additional Lyrics
2. The trees, they got much smaller,
The lake a lady’s mirror,
We stopped to drink some wine.
Then he threw the bottle over,
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.
3. You who build the altars now
To sacrifice these children,
You must not do it any more.
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.
4. 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.
TONIGHT WILL BE FINE
WORDS AND MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN
Additional Lyrics
2. I choose the rooms that I live in with care.
