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Poetry - Leonard Cohen
Friday, 18 February 2011 22:10
Leonard Cohen was born in Montreal in 1934. He published his first volume of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies, in 1956. His early influences included Lorca, Whitman, and Yeats. The Spice-Box of Earth (1961), Cohen’s second volume of poetry, brought him to wider attention in Canada; a number of poems from that book feature in Canadian school textbooks. In 1963, Cohen published his first novel, the autobiographical The Favourite Game, with a second novel, Beautiful Losers, following in 1966; critics have called it Canada’s first post-modern novel. Since 1967 and the release of Songs of Leonard Cohen, he has concentrated on his musical career, and has recorded eleven studio albums, although he continues to write and publish poetry. His most recent book, Poems and Songs (2011), features a number of unpublished poems, three of which are featured below.
AMEN
Tell me again when I’ve been to the river
And I’ve taken the edge off my thirst
Tell me again when we’re alone and I’m listening Listening so hard that it hurts
Tell me again when I’m clean and sober
Tell me again when I’ve seen through the horror Tell me again, tell me over and over
Tell me that you want me then
Amen, Amen, Amen… Amen
Tell me again when the victims are singing
And the laws of remorse are restored
Tell me again that you know what I’m thinking But vengeance belongs to the lord
Tell me again when I’m clean and I’m sober
Tell me again when I’ve seen through the horror Tell me again, tell me over and over
Tell me that you love me then
Amen, Amen, Amen… Amen
Tell me again when the day has been ransomed And the night has no right to begin
Try me again when the angels are panting
And scratching at the door to come in
Tell me again when I’m clean and I’m sober
Tell me again when I’ve seen through the horror Tell me again, tell me over and over
Tell me again that you need me then
Amen, Amen, Amen… Amen
Tell me again when the filth of the butcher
Is washed in the blood of the lamb
Tell me again when the rest of the culture
Has passed through the eye of the cam
Tell me again when I’m clean and I’m sober
Tell me again when I’ve seen through the horror Tell me again, tell me over and over
Tell me that you love me then
Amen, Amen, Amen… Amen
DARKNESS
I caught the darkness
It was drinking from your cup
I got the darkness
From your little golden cup
I said is this contagious?
You said “Just drink it up”
I’ve got no future
I know my days are few
The present’s not so pleasant
Just a lot of things to do
I thought the past would last me
But the darkness got that too
I should have seen it coming
It was right behind your eyes
You were young and it was summer
I just had to take a dive
Winning you was easy
But the darkness was the prize
I don’t smoke no cigarette
I don’t drink no alcohol
I ain’t had no loving yet
But that’s always been your call
And nothing but the darkness
Makes any sense to me at all
I used to love the rainbow
And I used to love the view
I love the early morning
I pretend that it was new
But I caught the darkness
And I got it worse than you
I caught the darkness
I caught the darkness
It was drinking from your cup
I said is this contagious?
You said “Just drink it up”
LULLABY
I can’t break the code
of our frozen love.
It’s too late to know
What the password was.
If your heart is torn,
I don’t wonder why.
If the night is long,
here’s my lullaby.
Here’s my lullaby.
Though they twist the news
and the world believes,
we will live our truth,
be it on our knees.
If your heart is torn,
I don’t wonder why.
If the night is long,
here’s my lullaby.
Here’s my lullaby.
Through a net of lies,
oh, I will come to you.
When our dead arrive,
I will salute them too.
If your heart is torn,
I don’t wonder why.
If the night is long,
here’s my lullaby.
Here’s my lullaby.
Though it’s much too late,
And we’ve taken our stand.
And they call up your name,
we’ll go hand in hand.
If your heart is torn,
I don’t wonder why.
If the night is long,
here’s my lullaby.
Here’s my lullaby.
And a follow up post -
http://www.scottishreviewofbooks.org/in ... Itemid=122
Another Two New Poems by Leonard Cohen
1 week, 3 days ago #3
In the most recent issue of the SRB, we published three new poems by Leonard Cohen, all of which feature in his forthcoming collection, Poems and Songs (Everyman’s Library), which is edited by Robert Faggen. And highly recommended it is too. For reasons of space, we were unable to publish a further two Cohen poems, ‘Feels So Good’ and ‘Born in Chains’, both of which we present now, below. Let us know what you think about them. What do you consider Cohen’s finest lyrics? Do you regret he didn’t write more novels?
FEELS SO GOOD
Feels so good, not to love you like I did
Feels so good, not to love you like I did
It’s like they tore away my blindfold and they said,
we’re gonna let this prisoner live
It’s like they tore away my blindfold and they said,
we’re gonna let this prisoner live
Feels so good to wake up in the morning by myself
Cup of coffee in the kitchen, fire up a little danger to
my health
Ah, they’re selling freedom everywhere, it’s flying off
the shelf,
Yeah, they’re selling freedom everywhere but love,
that’s something else
Ah you drift into my dreams as if you had the right
And you show me how you broke me doing all the
little things I really like
But I let it all go by just so long as you and I don’t
have to fight
Yeah, I let it all go by just so long as you and I don’t
have to fight
Well I don’t know about tomorrow but I know what’s
coming next
I’ve used up all my questions; I have no answers left
In a while I won’t remember what I promised you
I never would forget
In a while I won’t remember what I promised you
I never would forget
Feels so good not to wonder who you’ll get
Who you love, who you touch and who you kiss
Oh baby, who’d ever guess that there’s a side of
loneliness as sweet as this
Would you ever guess that there’s a side of loneliness
as sweet as this
Feels so good, not to love you like I did
Feels so good, not to love you like I did
It’s like they tore away my blindfold and they said,
we’re gonna let this prisoner live
It’s like they tore away my blindfold and they said,
we’re gonna let this prisoner live
BORN IN CHAINS
I was born in chains
But I was taken out of Egypt
I was bound to a burden
But the burden it was raised
Lord I can no longer keep this secret
Blessed is the Name
The Name be praised
I fled to the edge
Of the Mighty Sea of Sorrow
Pursued by the riders
Of a cruel and dark regime
The waters parted and my soul crossed over
Out of Egypt
Out of Pharaoh’s dream
Word of Words
And Measure of all Measures
Blessed is the Name
The Name be blessed
Written on my heart
In burning Letters
That’s all I know
I cannot read the rest
There was total unemployment
When I heard that you could use me
Though I followed very closely
My life remained the same
But then you showed me why
The world was wounded
My eyes were opened
Broken is the Name
I was alone on the road
Your Love was so confusing
And all the teachers told me
That I had myself to blame
But in the Grip of Sensual Illusion
The sweet unknowing
Unified the Name
I’ve heard the soul unfolds
In the chambers of its longing
And the bitter liquor sweetens
In the hammered cup
But all the Ladders of the Night have fallen
And darkness now
To lift the Longing up
Word of Words
And Measure of all Measures
Blessed is the Name
The Name be blessed
Written on my heart
In burning Letters
That’s all I know
I cannot read the rest
Poems and Songs; by Leonard Cohen. Edited by Robert Faggen
Everyman’s Library £9.99 pp245 ISBN 978-1-84159-787-4
