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From ScottishReviewOfBooks - the new songs (poems) -
http://www.scottishreviewofbooks.org/in ... &Itemid=93

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 His most recent book, Poems and Songs (2011), features a number of unpublished poems, three of which are featured below.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

tomsakic wrote:And I guess that "Spring 2011" as release date is out of question now:) Let's hope for late Fall or something...

tomsakic wrote:I guess that when LC finishes the album, Sony needs 6 months to prepare and manufacture the release....

Eagerly awaited LPs from Bob Dylan
and Leonard Cohen still have not arrived
in town, but are expected "soon", "any
day now", "next week perhaps", or "God
knows when".

tomsakic wrote:

jarkko wrote:Leonard has a lot of new songs in progress. He is working with the band on some of them at sound checks. He has not decided which songs will be on the new album and how he will do the final versions - everything is still under construction. We know, however, that "Born in Chains" will be quite different on the album (he will sing all of it or most of it himself; on stage we hear the ladies sing many parts of it). We arrived from Krakow only less than one hour before the concert and missed the sound check. So I haven't hear "My Oh My", and the only thing I know is the working title!

1. Still Into That (A Thousand Kisses Deep No. 2), with Sharon Robinson, in production after Dear Heather.

My knowledge about the existence of this song comes from our 2004 interview with Sharon, when she said the rest of the verses from A Thousand Kisses Deep are still in process of making it into an another song. (She also said there are few songs left after Dear Heather in "back burner". One song, Different Sides, has been revealed in her talk to Reuters in February 2010.)

The title comes from early draft of Book of Longing, which I received from the publisher in 2005. Thousand Kisses Deep, published in the book in two parts, as 1 and 2, here was separated into two separate song-poems, the 2001 album version A Thousand Kisses Deep, and another titled Still Into That. Still Into That, or "1" under the title Thousand Kisses Deep in the book (page 56), has been recited as "Recitation w/ Neil Larsen" on the current tour and released on Live in London.

Current state: it is unknown is this song finished or will it be on the next record.

2. Born in Chains - WORLD PREMIERE in Salzburg July 27, 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv6aZ945StQ (shot by Maarten)
Sung by Leonard, Sharon, Hattie and Charlie; the album version will be by Leonard.

Earlier known as "Taken Out Of Egypt", it started as the original version of "I Can't Forget" and was discarded in 1987-88. Also titled at one point as "Born in Chains".

The song lyrics can be recognized in the sound check performance of an earlier version of I Can't Forget in Muenster, February 1, 1985. (Thank you to Artur Jarosinski for the info.) You can download this soundcheck from dimeadozen.

In 1988, Leonard recited the first verse ("I was born in chains...") in the radio interview with Pete Fornatale (Mixed Bag, WNEW FM New York, broadcast 31 July 1988, NYC)

"[...] that song started off as a song about the exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt. As a metaphor for the journey of the soul from bondage into freedom. It started out, 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. It went on like that for a long, long time, and I went into the studio and tried to sing this song about how "I was born in chains and I was taken..." But I wasn't born in chains and I wasn't taken out of Egypt, and not only that, but I was on the edge of what was going to become a very serious nervous breakdown. So I hadn't had the burden lifted and the whole thing was a lie! It was wishful thinking. And this song, "Taken Out of Egypt," took months and months to write. Nobody believes me when I say these things but I have the notebooks and I don't fill them in an evening. And there were many of them. So it wasn't as if I had an endless supply of songs: I had to start over. And I was saying to myself, "What is my life?" and that's when I started writing that lyric: I stumble out of bed / I got ready for the struggle / I smoked a cigarette / And I tightened up my gut / I said this can't be me / Must be my double / And I can't forget / I can't forget / But I don't remember what. That was really true." (Leonard Cohen, interviewed by Mark Rowland, "Leonard Cohen's Nervous Breakthrough", Musician, July 1988

Leonard was heard mumbling the first verse to the unknown melody in Lian Lunson's 2005 documentary Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. That's when I got the clue that he works on this old song again.

Out of the blue, he premiered it on the sound check in Zagreb, July 25, and in public show two days later in Salzburg, July 27. Since then the song is included in every show of the European Summer tour of 2010. I am still honoured that I was only person in the audience in the empty Zagreb Arena on July 25 afternoon soundcheck.

Versions from Sligo July 31, with recitation of the lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f37lh9LqRs, Malmo August 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDBOhN0V-Ew, Goteborg August 12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0fT0SH57EA, Odense August 14: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AfMWBuWl7U, Berlin August 18 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31fRbKyq1is, Gent August 22: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkndB4KcXtM

Current state: The song lyrics were published in April 2011 book "Leonard Cohen - Poems and Songs" (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) and the song is expected to be included on the next album.

3. I Know She Is Coming

Demo version played during KCRW interview in 2006, originally titled The Book of Longing, after the title poem of the book (it's basically its song version, with slightly different last verse.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_LvBbYOuQA

Current state: recorded (as reported by LC to Jarkko here viewtopic.php?p=234385#p234385)

4. Puppets, demo aired at KCRW in 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIMnOG6FDls
Spoken poetry piece based on the poem from Book of Longing.

Current state: The destiny of this spoken poetry piece is unknown since it was aired in 2006.

5. A Street, recited live in 2006, according to Leonard in an interview: music co-written by Anjani Thomas. Unfortunately the cellphone recording of the 2006 recitation is gone from YouTube. It can be traced in one of 2006 radio interviews I believe. Published in 2009 in The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry ... poem_cohen

Current state: The song lyrics were published in April 2011 book "Leonard Cohen - Poems and Songs" (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) and the song is expected to be included on the next album. That was confirmed by LC to Jarkko (viewtopic.php?p=234385#p234385).

6. Blue Alert, Leonard's own version, demo discarded after he heard Anjani's version and then given to her for her album.

Current state: This song was discarded forever, and it cannot be expected to make it to the new album.

7. Lullaby, performed live in 2009, in Grand Prairie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUjVhQc1aIY (sound), video from Dublin, July 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InQ69VP182s

Current state: The song lyrics were published in April 2011 book "Leonard Cohen - Poems and Songs" (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) and the song is expected to be included on the next album. That was confirmed by LC to Jarkko (viewtopic.php?p=234385#p234385).

In Malmo, August 2010, LC said he recorded completely different studio version for the album.

Mabeanie1 wrote:I asked Leonard about Lullaby when I met him in Malmo - that it was still on the setlist but they never seemed to play it any more and that I would love to hear it played live. He told me that he had recorded a completely different version of the song.

8. Amen, mentioned by LC in 2009 interviews as "finished".

Current state: The song lyrics were published in April 2011 book "Leonard Cohen - Poems and Songs" (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) and the song is expected to be included on the next album. That was confirmed by LC to Jarkko (viewtopic.php?p=234385#p234385).

9. The Darkness, performed for the first time in Venice, August 2009, at the sound check. Video by Maarten: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr7jptm02N4
Later performed in a number of lyrics variations in US tour, Fall 2009: in St. Louis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg398mnGlLU, in Nashville http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkWMqs67Lhw, in Las Vegas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--410yY3iHk, in San Jose http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w6zbMutzTw

Performed regularly on European Summer tour of 2010. Sligo July 31: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8CVlLa-sMI, Gent August 20: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5XlIPK-Hmc, Malmo August 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_aH9zGUCUs, Stockholm Aug 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmsmW6PmIO0, Goteborg August 12: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzbH8e3Byfg, Berlin August 18: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQgTWMnyzAU

Current state: The song lyrics were published in April 2011 book "Leonard Cohen - Poems and Songs" (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) and the song is expected to be included on the next album. That was confirmed by LC to Jarkko (viewtopic.php?p=234385#p234385).

10. Feels So Good, performed in the US, November 2009. Video from Chicago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oamvw_WFiZc, Las Vegas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGQ1vqrto7I and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uvHKa1s2oI, Kansas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWmY-LVQeuc, Durham: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnBFuFGmx5s, Asheville: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8iAKuvnHBQ, and San Jose: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GihhK_TyLAI

Performed regularly on European Summer tour of 2010. Salzburg July 27: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w5frYMa1aI, Sligo July 31: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtoP3jXQ1bU, Helsinki August 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXZiRmVzLGs, Goteborg August 12: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGotRpxylE4, Odense Aug 14: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJlvTYZMlfQ, Gent Aug 20: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIcfnbq7zM8, Berlin August 18: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0SaN8hQufQ

Current state: The song lyrics were published in April 2011 book "Leonard Cohen - Poems and Songs" (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) so we can expect it on the next album.

11. Different Sides, with Sharon Robinson. Sharon Robinson said the song has been recorded in Reuters' news from the Grammy Awards, February 2010.

12. My Oh My - performed on the sound checks in Ghent, August 21 and 22, 2010, and probably earlier in Helsinki. Blues song with melodic pattern similar to Feels So Good.

Ghent recording can be downloaded at http://1heckofaguy.com/2010/09/18/downl ... undchecks/

13. Whither Thou Goest - in 2006 or 2007, Anjani said they're working on this song (with which LC was closing his 1988 and 1993 shows) for her or his next album.

Whither Thou Goest was originally written and recorded by Guy Singer in 1954, with the lyrics and title adapted from the Bible (Ruth 1:16-17) (King James Version). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whither_Thou_Goest Later, LC continued to use his 1988/1993 a capella (with the full band) version in closing his 2008-2009 shows, sometimes adding the final blessing of the Kohanim (but not in 2010 tour), and it was released on Live in London CD/DVD. The music version was performed in New York City by Anjani Thomas and her band, with Leonard Cohen as guest vocal. It was Anjani's show in Joe's Pub on April 24, 2007, promotion of her Blue Alert CD. That duet was recorded by downtownTV.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=153wvZlx_kg (Whither Thou Goest song starts at 6:20). Here's the audience recording by birdonawire1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmfxf1DLLkM

More about the song and this duet was written by DrHGuy on his blog, but before the 2008-10. tours: http://1heckofaguy.com/2007/04/02/the-b ... ver-heard/ He also points out that Leonard/Anjani's 2006 version has the same lyrics as the Guy Singer original.

Whither Thou Goest, closing of the Toronto 1993 show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XRz2gwZ7X8
Whither Thou Goest, closing and the final blessing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSD8v-TXiis and Barcelona 2009, 75th birthday recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MDxjsrd5sY

Current state: unknown. It may be planned for Anjani's album, not for Leonard's. July 23, 2011, Anjani announced on her Facebook page that her album will be released in Winter 2011/2012 (i.e. early 2012) and that half of the songs were written with Leonard Cohen.