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Leonard Cohen : Songs From A Room
1969

  1. Bird On The Wire
  2. Story Of Isaac
  3. A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes
  4. The Partisan
  5. Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

  6. The Old Revolution
  7. The Butcher
  8. You Know Who I Am
  9. Lady Midnight
  10. Tonight Will Be Fine

Bird On The Wire

A
E
Like a bird on the wire
A
D
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
A
E
A
Asus4
A
I have tried in my way to be free Like a worm on a hook Like a knight from some old fashioned book I have saved all my ribbons for thee
D
A
If I, if I have been unkind
Bm
A
I hope that you can just let it go by
D
A
If I, if I have been untrue
Bm
E
Esus4
E
I hope you know it was never to you Like a baby, stillborn Like a beast with his horn I have torn everyone who reached out for me But I swear by this song And by all that I have done wrong I will make it all up to thee I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch He said to me, "You must not ask for so much" And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door She cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?" Oh like a bird on the wire Like a drunk in a midnight choir
A
E
D
A
I have tried in my way to be free

Story Of Isaac

|
Am
Am/f
|
Am/f
|
Am
Am/f
The door it opened slowly
Am
Am/f
My father he came in
G
F
E
I was nine years old
Am
Am/f
And he stood so tall above me
Am
Am/f
His blue eyes they were shining
G
F
E
And his voice was very cold
C
He said, "I've had a vision And you know I'm strong and holy
D
Am
B
I must do what I've been told"
F
Bb
So we started up the mountain
F
Bb
I was running, he was walking
F
G
A
Am
And his axe was made of gold Well, the trees they got much smaller The lake was like 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 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

A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes

A
Bm
A bunch of lonesome and very quarrelsome heroes
E
E7
A
Asus4
A
Asus2
A
Asus2
Were smoking out along the open road
A
Bm
The night was very dark and thick between them
E
E7
A
Asus4
A
Asus2
A
Asus2
Each man beneath his ordinary load
D
A
"I'd like to tell my story"
B
E
E7
Said one of them so young and bold
D
A
"I'd like to tell my story
F#m
E
E7
Before I turn into gold" But no one really could hear him The night so dark and thick and green Well I guess that these heroes must always live there Where you and I have only been Put out your cigarette, my love You've been alone too long And some of us are very hungry now To hear what it is you've done that was so wrong I sing this for the crickets I sing this for the army I sing this for your children And for all who do not need me "I'd like to tell my story" Said one of them so bold "Oh yes, I'd like to tell my story 'Cause you know I feel I'm turning into gold"

The Partisan

Am
C
E/b
Am
When they poured across the border
C
E/b
Am
I was cautioned to surrender
C
G
This I could not do
F
C
E/b
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
Ils me dirent, "Signe toi"
Mais je n'ai pas peur
J'ai repris mon arme
J'ai change cent fois de nom
J'ai perdu femme et enfants
Mais j'ai tant d'amis
J'ai la France entie're
Un vieil homme dans un grenier
Pour la nuit nous a cache
Les Allemands l'ont pris
Il est mort sans 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

Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

Bm
Bm
F#
Bm
It seems so long ago
F#m
C#m
F#m
Nancy was alone
A
Bm
Looking at the Late Late show
A
E
A
Through a semi-precious stone
C#
F#m
In the House of Honesty
D
A
Her father was on trial
E
F#m
In the House of Mystery
C#
D
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 |
Bm
|
E
|
A
|

The Old Revolution

E
A
E
I finally broke into the prison
B
B7
E
E7
I found my place in the chain
A
E
Am
Even damnation is poisoned with rainbows
E
G#
C#m
All the brave young men they're waiting now to see a signal
A
F#m
B
B7
Which some killer will be lighting for pay
A
E
Am
Into this furnace I ask you now to venture
E
B
A
E
You whom I cannot betray I fought in the old revolution On the side of the ghost and the King Of course I was very young and I thought that we were winning I can't pretend I still feel very much like singing As they carry the bodies away Into this furnace I ask you now to venture You whom I cannot betray Lately you've started to stutter As though you had nothing to say To all of my architects let me be traitor Now let me say I myself gave the order To sleep and to search and to destroy Into this furnace I ask you now to venture You whom I cannot betray Yes, you who are broken by power You who are absent all day You who are kings for the sake of your children's story The hand of your beggar is burdened down with money The hand of your lover is clay Into this furnace I ask you now to venture You whom I cannot betray

The Butcher

B7 x21202
E
E
I came upon a butcher
A
He was slaughtering a lamb
E
I accused him there
B7
With his tortured lamb
E
He said, "Listen to me, child
A
I am what I am
E
B7
A
E
And you, you are my only son" Well, I found a silver needle I put it into my arm It did some good Did some harm But the nights were cold And it almost kept me warm How come the night is long? I saw some flowers growing up Where that lamb fell down Was I supposed to praise my Lord Make some kind of joyful sound? He said, "Listen, listen to me now I go round and round And you, you are my only child" Do not leave me now Do not leave me now I'm broken down From a recent fall Blood upon my body And ice upon my soul Lead on, my son, it is your world

You Know Who I Am

Am
Am
Bm
I cannot follow you, my love
Am
Bm
You cannot follow me
D
A
I am the distance you put between
G
B7/f#
E
All of the moments that we will be
D
A
You know who I am
D
A
You've stared at the sun
D
A
Well I am the one who loves
G
E
Am
Changing from nothing to one Sometimes I need you naked Sometimes I need you wild I need you to carry my children in And I need you to kill a child You know who I am You've stared at the sun Well I am the one who loves Changing from nothing to one If you should ever track me down I will surrender there And I will leave with you one broken man Whom I will teach you to repair You know who I am You've stared at the sun Well I am the one who loves Changing from nothing to one I cannot follow you, my love You cannot follow me I am the distance you put between All of the moments that we will be You know who I am You've stared at the sun Well I am the one who loves Changing from nothing to one

Lady Midnight

C
G
G7
F
C
I came by myself to a very crowded place
G
G7
F
C
I was looking for someone who had lines in her face
C
C7
F
I found her there but she was past all concern
C
F
Dm
I asked her to hold me, I said, "Lady unfold me"
C
F
But she scorned me and she told me
G
G7
C
I was dead and I could never return Well, I argued all night like so many have before Saying, "Whatever you give me, I seem to need so much more" Then she pointed at me where I kneeled on her floor She said, "Don't try to use me or slyly refuse me Just win me or lose me It is this that the darkness is for" I cried, "Oh, Lady Midnight, I fear that you grow old The stars eat your body and the wind makes you cold" "If we cry now," she said, "It will just be ignored" So I walked through the morning, sweet early morning I could hear my lady calling "You've won me, you've won me, my Lord You've won me, you've won me my Lord Yes, you've won me, you've won me, my Lord Ah, you've won me, you've won me, my Lord Ah, you've won me, you've won me, my Lord"

Tonight Will Be Fine

A
E
A
Sometimes I find I get to thinking of the past
E
A
We swore to each other then that our love would surely last
E
A
You kept right on loving, I went on a fast
E
A
Now I am too thin and your love is too vast
D
A
But I know from your eyes
D
A
And I know from your smile
D
A
That tonight will be fine
E
E7
Will be fine, will be fine, will be fine
A
For a while I choose the rooms that I live in with care The windows are small and the walls almost bare There's only one bed and there's only one prayer I listen all night for your step on the stair But I know from your eyes And I know from your smile That tonight will be fine Will be fine, will be fine, will be fine For a while Oh sometimes I see her undressing for me She's the soft naked lady love meant her to be And she's moving her body so brave and so free If I've got to remember that's a fine memory And I know from her eyes And I know from her smile That tonight will be fine Will be fine, will be fine, will be fine For a while La, la, la, la, la...