FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Leonard Cohen's posthumous album (2019)
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jarkko
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FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by jarkko »

We have now something very special for the Forum/Files members and visitors.
Leonard wants to share his new poem with the community gathered around his work,
and asked me to post it here and on The Files (it's at http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/happens.html)





HAPPENS TO THE HEART

I was always working steady
But I never called it art
I was funding my depression
Meeting Jesus reading Marx
Sure it failed my little fire
But it's bright the dying spark
Go tell the young messiah
What happens to the heart

There’s a mist of summer kisses
Where I tried to double-park
The rivalry was vicious
And the women were in charge
It was nothing, it was business
But it left an ugly mark
So I’ve come here to revisit
What happens to the heart

I was selling holy trinkets
I was dressing kind of sharp
Had a pussy in the kitchen
And a panther in the yard
In the prison of the gifted
I was friendly with the guard
So I never had to witness
What happens to the heart

I should have seen it coming
You could say I wrote the chart
Just to look at her was trouble
It was trouble from the start
Sure we played a stunning couple
But I never liked the part
It ain’t pretty, it ain’t subtle
What happens to the heart

Now the angel’s got a fiddle
And the devil’s got a harp
Every soul is like a minnow
Every mind is like a shark
I've opened every window
But the house, the house is dark
You say Uncle, then it's simple
What happens to the heart

I was always working steady
But I never called it art
The slaves were there already
The singers chained and charred
Now the arc of justice bending
And the injured soon to march
I lost my job defending
What happens to the heart

I studied with this beggar
He was filthy he was scarred
By the claws of many women
He had failed to disregard
No fable here no lesson
No singing meadow lark
Just a filthy beggar blessing
What happens to the heart

I was always working steady
But I never called it art
I could lift, but nothing heavy
Almost lost my union card
I was handy with a rifle
My father's .303
We fought for something final
Not the right to disagree

Sure it failed my little fire
But it's bright the dying spark
Go tell the young messiah
What happens to the heart


June 24, 2016

Copyright 2016 Leonard Cohen.
All rights reserved
Posted here by permission of Leonard Cohen.
Any other use forbidden
1988, 1993: Helsinki||2008: Manchester|Oslo|London O2|Berlin|Helsinki|London RAH|| 2009: New York Beacon|Berlin|Venice|Barcelona|Las Vegas|San José||2010: Salzburg|Helsinki|Gent|Bratislava|Las Vegas|| 2012: Gent|Helsinki|Verona|| 2013: New York|Pula|Oslo|||
199Dan
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by 199Dan »

Wow !!
yoeri
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by yoeri »

Thank you!
2008: Athens
2009: Madrid
2010: Gent, Lille
2012: Gent, Berlin, Madrid
2013: Antwerp, Brussels, Pula, Amsterdam
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musicmania
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by musicmania »

Oh, what an absolute treat :D What happened to my heart, on seeing this beautiful, and wonderfully crafted poem.

Thank you Leonard, and thank you Jarkko!
2009 Dublin 2010 Lissadell Katowice LV x2 2012 Ghent x2 Dublin x4 Montreal x2 Toronto x2 2013 New York x2 Brussels Dublin x2

Gwen's Leonard Cohen Journey: http://myleonardcohenjourney.wordpress.com/

"I did my best, it wasn't much"
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basecamp
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by basecamp »

Beautiful!
Thanks for sharing!
Berlin 90ies /2008: Amsterdam/Berlin/Hamburg/ London RAH /2009: Berlin/Barcelona 2010: Odense/Berlin/Ghent(3x)/Wiesbaden/Strasbourg/Marseilles/Hannover/Las Vegas(2x),2012: Ghent(5x)/Amsterdam(2x)/Berlin/London/Verona/Toulon/Paris(2x)/Barcelona
2013: Paris-Antwerp-Mannheim-Brussels-Rome-Lucca-Berlin-Lodz-Prague-Vienna-Pula-Odense-Zurich-Manchester-Leeds-London-Rotterdam
cohenadmirer
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by cohenadmirer »

First impression is this is a great piece of work,,,certainly a lovely and kind gift from Leonard to publish it on the forum
Thankyou
Leonard's work resonates
Brighton 1979; Dublin , Manchester june 2008; glasgow, manchester Nov 2008; Liverpool july 2009 ; Barcelona Sept 2009 ;marseille, lille september2010: Ghent August 2012;Barcelona October 2012;Montreal x2 November 2012: 2013; Saint John NB April 2013; Brussels June 2013;Manchester August 2013; Leeds , Birmingham September 2013; Amsterdam September 2013
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Hartmut
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by Hartmut »

Great!
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by pironi »

For me this is more than a poem - it's a honest account of everything he has experienced in the past. Anybody feels the same?
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Hartmut
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by Hartmut »

I seem to remember the title from somewhere. Has this poem {or song?) been mentioned somewhere recently?
yopietro
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by yopietro »

Blown away. Some monumental lines and images here. Every soul is like a minnow, every mind is like a shark.
I imagine I'm not the only one who heard Leonard's voice in his head reciting this poem as I was reading it.
JudasPriest
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by JudasPriest »

Thanks Leonard - this is quite the treat but it has such a lyrical flow that surely it deserves to be put to music and sung on your next album... or in the alternative recited live A Thousand Kisses Deep style!
blethers
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by blethers »

Love this. The first time I've read one of his poems more or less hot off the press - what an impact. Thanks for posting, and to LC for giving his blessing.
JudasPriest
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by JudasPriest »

The more I read it, definitely too good not to be transposed into song...
yopietro
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by yopietro »

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... s-20150317

"We had another song on the album, which was called 'Happens to the Heart,' which will be on the next album. It's a very good lyric, a very good tune, but we didn't nail it."
JudasPriest
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Re: FROM LEONARD: HAPPENS TO THE HEART

Post by JudasPriest »

Ah... Makes sense. Stick at it Leonard and let's get this sucker nailed as soon as possible...
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