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Leonard Cohen : The Future
1992

  1. The Future
  2. Waiting For The Miracle
  3. Be For Real
  4. Closing Time
  5. Anthem
  6. Democracy
  7. Light As The Breeze
  8. Always

The Future

G#dim 456464 or xx0101
Am
Give me back my broken night
Dm
My mirrored room, my secret life
G#dim
E7
Am
It's lonely here, there's no one left to torture
Am
Give me absolute control
Dm
Over every living soul
G#dim
E7
Am
And lie beside me, baby, that's an order! Give me crack and 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!
Dm
C
Things are going to slide, slide in all directions
Dm
C
Won't be nothing, nothing you can 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: repent, repent
Am
I wonder what they meant
G
When they said: repent, repent
Am
I wonder what they meant
G
When they said: 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 the 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! Things are going to slide... When they said...
Am
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
F
E7
And the white man dancing You'll see your woman hanging upside down Her features covered by her fallen gown And all the lousy little poets coming round Trying to sound like Charlie Manson
Am
Yeah 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 Things are going to slide... When they said...

Waiting For The Miracle

Ebdim xx1212
Em
Em
Baby, I've been waiting
D
Em
I've been waiting night and day
Em
I didn't see the time
D
Em
I waited half my life away
D
There were lots of invitations
Ebdim
B7
And I know you sent me some
Em
D
C
D
But I was waiting for the miracle
Ebdim
B7
Em
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
Am
(Waiting for the miracle)
Em
(There's nothing left to do)
B7
I haven't been this happy
Em
Since the end of World War II
Am
Nothing left to do when you know that you've been taken
Em
Nothing left to do when you're begging for a crumb
C
Nothing left to do when you've got to go on waiting
Ebdim
B
Waiting for the miracle to come Yeah 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 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

Be For Real

Capo:
II
G/d xx0003 or x55433
Gm/d xx0333 or x55333
G/e 020003 or xx2003
F#7/a# x14320 (if you really want to emphasize the a# in the bass)
D
A
G/d
A
D
G/d
Gm/d
D
G/e
D
A/c#
Are you back in my life to stay
Bm
A/f#
Bm
Or is it just for today
A
G
G/a
Oh that you're gonna need me?
D
G/e
D
A/c#
If it's a thrill you're looking for
Bm
A/f#
Bm
Honey, I'm flexible
A
G
Oh yeah
D/f#
G
D/a
G/a
Just be for real won't you, Baby
D/f#
G
D/a
G/a
Be for real oh, Baby
F#7/a#
Bm
D/a
G
D/f#
G/e
G/a
D
You see I, I don't want to be hurt by love again
D
A
G/d
Gm/d
So you see I'm not naive I just would like to believe Ah what you tell me So don't give me the world today And tomorrow take it away Don't do that to me, darling Just be for real won't you, Baby Be for real won't you, Baby You see I, I don't want to be hurt by love again
A
G/d
Been hurt so many times
Bm
D/a
G
D/f#
G/e
G/a
D
A
G/d
You see I, I don't want to be hurt by love again
D
G/e
D
A/c#
I don't give a damn about the truth, Baby
Bm
A/f#
Bm
A
G
Except for the naked truth, oh yeah
D/f#
G
D/a
G/a
Just be for real won't you, Baby
D/f#
G
D/a
G/a
Be for real won't you, Baby
F#7/a#
Bm
D/a
G
D/f#
G/e
G/a
D
A
G/d
You see I, I don't want to be hurt by love again, oh no, no, no
F#7/a#
Bm
D/a
G
D/f#
G/e
G/a
G/d
D/f#
It's just that I, I don't want to be hurt by love again
G/e
D
Thanks for the song Mr Knight

Closing Time

G
D
x2
G
Ah we're drinking and we're dancing and the band is really happening
Em
And the Johnny Walker wisdom running high
Bm
And my very sweet companion, she's the angel of compassion
Em
She's rubbing half the world against her thigh
C
And every drinker, every dancer, lifts a happy face to thank her
G
B7
Em
The fiddler fiddles something so sublime
D
All the women tear their blouses off, and the men they dance on the polka-dots
C
And it's partner found, it's partner lost, and it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops
G
It's closing time
C
Yeah the women tear their blouses off, and the men they dance on the polka-dots
G
B
Em
C
And it's partner found, it's partner lost, and it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops
G
D
It's closing time Ah we're lonely, we're romantic, and the cider's laced with acid And the Holy Spirit's crying, "Where's the beef?" And the moon is swimming naked, and the summer night is fragrant With a mighty expectation of relief So we struggle and we stagger down the snakes and up the ladder To the tower where the blessed hours chime And I swear it happened just like this, a sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss The gates of love, they budged an inch, I can't say much has happened since But closing time I swear it happened just like this, a sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss The gates of love they budged an inch, I can't say much has happened since But closing time, closing time
Em
I loved you for your beauty, but that doesn't make a fool of me
D
You were in it for your beauty too
Em
And I loved you for your body, there's a voice that sounds like God to me
A
D
Declaring, declaring, declaring that your body's really, really, really, really you
C
And I loved you when our love was blessed And I love you now there's nothing left
G
B7
Em
But sorrow and a sense of overtime And I missed you since the place got wrecked, and I just don't care what happens next Looks like freedom but it feels like death, it's something in between, I guess It's closing time Yeah I missed you since the place got wrecked, by the winds of change and the weeds of sex Looks like freedom but it feels like death, it's something in between, I guess It's closing time Yeah we're drinking and we're dancing, but there's nothing really happening And the place is dead as heaven on a Saturday night And my very close companion gets me fumbling gets me laughing She's a hundred but she's wearing something tight And I lift my glass to the awful truth Which you can't reveal to the ears of youth Except to say it isn't worth a dime And the whole damn place goes crazy twice And it's once for the devil and it's once for Christ But the Boss don't like these dizzy heights We're busted in the blinding lights Of closing time The whole damn place goes crazy twice And it's once fore the devil and it's once for Christ But the Boss don't like these dizzy heights We're busted in the blinding lights, busted in the blinding lights Of closing time, closing time
G
Oh the women tear their blouses off, and the men they dance on the polka-dots
D
It's closing time And it's partner found, it's partner lost, and it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops It's closing time I swear it happened just like this, a sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss It's closing time The Gates of Love they budged an inch, I can't say much has happened since But closing time I loved you when our love was blessed, I love you now there's nothing left But closing time I miss you since the place got wrecked, by the winds of change and the weeds of sex It's closing time...

Anthem

Capo:
I
Am
G
C
Csus4
C
Csus4
The birds they sang at the break of day
G
C
C7
"Start again," I heard them say
E
E7
Am
Asus2
Don't dwell on what has passed away
Gsus4
G6
G7
G
Or what is yet to be Ah the wars, they will be fought again The holy dove, she will be caught again Bought and sold and bought again The dove is never free
F
Bb
F
Fsus4
Ring the bells that still can ring
F
Bb
F
Forget your perfect offering
C
Bb
F
There is a crack, a crack in everything
Dsus4
That's how the light gets in |
Gsus4
|
G
|
G7
We asked for signs, the signs were sent The birth betrayed, the marriage spent Yeah the widowhood of every government Signs for all to see I can't run no more with that lawless crowd While the killers in high places say their prayers out loud But they've summoned, they've summoned up a thundercloud And they're going to hear from me Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That's how the light gets in You can add up the parts, but you won't have the sum You can strike up the march, there is no drum Every heart, every heart, to love will come But like a refugee Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That's how the light gets in

Democracy

Capo:
I
C
C
F
C
It's coming through a hole in the air
C
G
C
From those nights in Tiananmen Square
F
Bb
F
It's coming from the feel that this ain't exactly real
C
Or it's real, but it ain't exactly there
E
Esus4
E
From the wars against disorder
Am/e
Esus4
Am/e
From the sirens night and day
E
Esus4
E
From the fires of the homeless
Am/e
Esus4
Am/e
From the ashes of the gay
G
F
C
Fm
C
Fm
Democracy is coming to the USA
C
x4
It's coming through a crack in the wall On a visionary flood of alcohol From the staggering account of the Sermon on the Mount Which I don't pretend to understand at all It's coming from the silence On the dock of the bay From the brave, the bold, the battered Heart of Chevrolet Democracy is coming to the USA It's coming from the sorrow on the street The holy places where the races meet From the homicidal bitchin' that goes down in every kitchen To determine who will serve and who will eat From the wells of disappointment Where the women kneel to pray For the grace of God in the desert here And the desert far away Democracy is coming to the USA
G
F
C
Sail on, sail on, oh mighty Ship of State!
G
F
To the Shores of Need, past the Reefs of Greed
C
Through the Squalls of Hate
Dm
G
F
C
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on It's coming to America first The cradle of the best and of the worst It's here they got the range and the machinery for change And it's here they got the spiritual thirst It's here the family is broken And it's here the lonely say That the heart has got to open In a fundamental way Democracy is coming to the USA It's coming from the women and the men Oh baby, we'll be making love again We'll be going down so deep that the river's going to weep And the mountain's going to shout Amen! It's coming like the tidal flood Beneath the lunar sway Imperial, mysterious In amorous array Democracy is coming to the USA Sail on, sail on, oh mighty Ship of State! To the Shores of Need, past the Reefs of Greed Through the Squalls of Hate Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean I love the country but I can't stand the scene And I'm neither left or right, I'm just staying home tonight Getting lost in that hopeless little screen But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags That Time cannot decay I'm junk but I'm still holding up This little wild bouquet Democracy is coming to the USA

Light As The Breeze

G#dim xx0101 or 456464
Gsus4 320013 or 355533
C
/g
C
/g
x2
C
She stands before you naked
Dm
You can see it, you can taste it
G
G7
C
And she comes to you light as the breeze
C
Now you can drink it or you can nurse it
Dm
It don't matter how you worship
G
C
As long as you're down on your knees So I knelt there at the delta At the alpha and the omega At the cradle of the river and the seas And like a blessing come from heaven For something like a second I was healed and my heart was at ease
E7
Oh baby I waited
Am
So long for your kiss
E7
For something to happen
F
C
|
/g
| Oh something like this
G#dim
|
/d
|
Gsus4
|
/d
|
G
|
/d
| And you're weak and you're harmless And you're sleeping in your harness And the wind going wild in the trees And it ain't exactly prison But you'll never be forgiven For whatever you've done with the keys Oh baby I waited So long for your kiss For something to happen Oh something like this It's dark now and it's snowing Oh my love I must be going The river has started to freeze And I'm sick of pretending I'm broken from bending I've lived too long on my knees Then she dances so graceful And your heart's hard and hateful And she's naked but that's just a tease And you turn in disgust From your hatred and from your love And she comes to you light as the breeze Oh baby I waited So long for your kiss For something to happen Oh something like this
G#dim
Something like this There's blood on every bracelet You can see it, you can taste it And it's Please baby please baby please And she says, Drink deeply, pilgrim But don't forget there's still a woman Beneath this resplendent chemise
E7
So I knelt there at the delta
Am
At the alpha and the omega
E7
F
I knelt there like one who believes
C
And the blessings come from heaven
G#dim
And for something like a second
Gsus4
G
I'm cured and my heart is at ease

Always

C11+ x33334 or x30111
Gm11 333333
F
/c
F
Dm7
C11+
F
Dm7
C11+
F
Oh friends... don't matter if you're a man or a woman
F
Dm7
C11+
If you're in love with somebody
F
Dm7
C11+
F
These are the words that you gotta learn to say
F
Now listen carefully
Dm7
C11+
F
/c
F
F7
C11+
Bb
Here it comes...
F
Dm7
C11+
F
F7/a
Bbsus4
I'll be loving you always
C
Dm7
C
F
Dm7
C11+
With a love that's true, always
F
G7
A
When the thing you've planned
A
/f#
E
Needs my helping hand
E
A
D7
G
C11+
Dm7
I will understand, always, always
F
Dm7
C11+
F
Days may not be fair, always
F
E7
Eb
D
Gm
/d
Gm
/a
Bb
Yeah but that's when I'll be there, always
Bb
Bbm
F
Not for just an hour
F
G7
Gm
Not for just a day
Gm
C
Gm11
Bb
F
Not for just a year, always
F
Dm7
C11+
F
I said that I'll be loving you, always
F
C
Dm
C
F
Dm7
C11+
With a love that's true, a love that's true, always
F
G7
When the thing you've planned
A
Needs my helping hand
E
A
D7
G
C
I will, I will understand, always, always
F
/c
x3
F
E7
Eb
D
/a
D
/a
Gm
/d
Gm
/d
Bb
/f
Bbm
Oh that's pretty...
F
/c
G7
That's pretty too...
Gm
C
Oh darling...
F
F
The days may not be fair, always
F
E7
Eb
D
Gm
Yeah but that's when I'll be there, always
Bb
Bbm
Not for just a second, or a minute, or an hour
F
G7
Not for just a weekend and a shake down in the shower
Gm
C
Not for just the summer and the winter going sour
F
But always, always, always |
F
|
/c
|
F
|
Dm7
C11+
|
x3
OK, if you don't want to quit, let's try it one more time...
|
F
|
/c
|
F
|
Dm7
C11+
| I'll be loving you, always With a love that's true, always When the thing you've planned Needs my helping hand I will understand, I will, I will understand, always, always
F
The days may not be fair, always... don't worry, baby
D
Gm
That's when I'll be there, always
Bb
Bbm
Not for just an hour
F
G7
Not for just a day
Gm
C
F
Not for just a year, but always...