Leonard Cohen

Other Songs

from: Leonard Cohen Files

Songs written by Leonard Cohen but recorded only by other artists

Priests

Recorded by Judy Collins (Wildflowers, in 1967),
Richie Havens (Richard P Havens, 1983, in 1969,
and Enrique Morente (Omega, in Spanish, in 1996)

And who will write love songs for you
when I am lord at last
and your body is some little highway shrine
that all my priests have passed,
that all my priests have passed?

My priests they will put flowers there,
they will stand before the glass,
but they'll wear away your little window, love,
they will trample on the grass,
they will trample on the grass.

And who will aim the arrow
that men will follow through your grace
when I am lord of memory
and all your armour has turned to lace,
and all your armour has turned to lace?

The simple life of heroes,
and the twisted life of saints,
they just confuse the sunny calendar
with their red and golden paints,
with their red and golden paints.

And all of you have seen the dance,
that God has kept from me,
but he has seen me watching you
when all your minds were free
when all your minds were free.

And who will write love songs for you ...

My priests they will put flowers there ...

God is Alive, Magic is Afoot

Recorded twice by Buffy Saint-Marie Illuminations (1970) Up Where We Belong (1996)

God is alive, magic is afoot
God is alive, magic is afoot
God is alive, magic is afoot
God is afoot, magic is alive
Alive is afoot, magic never died
God never sickened
Many poor men lied
Many sick men lied
Magic never weakened
Magic never hid
Magic always ruled
God is afoot, God never died
God was ruler
Though his funeral lengthened
Though his mourners thickened
Magic never fled
Though his shrouds were hoisted
The naked God did live
Though his words were twisted
The naked magic thrived
Though his death was published
Round and round the world
The heart did not believe

Many hurt men wondered
Many struck men bled
Magic never faltered
Magic always lead
Many stones were rolled
But God would not lie down
Many wild men lied
Many fat men listened
Though they offered stones
Magic still was fed
Though they locked their coffers
God was always served
Magic is afoot, God is alive
Alive is afoot

Alive is in command
Many weak men hungered
Many strong men thrived
Though they boast of solitude
God was at their side
Nor the dreamer in his cell
Nor the captain on the hill
Magic is alive
Though his death was pardoned
Round and round the world
The heart would not believe

Though laws were carved in marble
They could not shelter men
Though altars built in parliaments
They could not order men
Police arrested magic and magic went with them
Mmmmm.... for magic loves the hungry
But magic would not tarry
It moves from arm to arm
It would not stay with them
Magic is afoot
It cannot come to harm
It rests in an empty palm
It spawns in an empty mind
But magic is no instrument
Magic is the end
Many men drove magic
But magic stayed behind
Many strong men lied
They only passed through magic
And out the other side
Many weak men lied
They came to God in secret
And though they left Him nourished
They would not tell who healed
Though mountains danced before them
They said that God was dead
Though his shrouds were hoisted
The naked God did live
This I mean to whisper to my mind
This I mean to laugh within my mind
This I mean my mind to serve
Til' service is but magic
Moving through the world
And mind itself is magic
Coursing through the flesh
And flesh itself is magic
Dancing on a clock
And time itself
The magic length of God

God is alive, magic is afoot ...

Bells

Writeen 1967 early Take This Longing (for Nico, LC New Skin For The Old Ceremony 1974)
Recorded by Buffy Saint-Marie (She Used to Be a Ballerina 1971)

I'm writing this to say goodbye
To what you never should reply
That all of the lords and demons that you leave
I stand entirely alone
That is to say your loving me
Would be our only crime

And isn't it a pity
You can see all her beauty clearly
In the midst of some grey city
In the midst of all this love

Many men have loved the bells
You fastened to the rain
And everyone who wanted you
Found what she would always want again
And I'd have been the dust for you
And I'd have been the grass for you

But you tell me with your beauty
You can see her duty clearly
In the midst of New York City
In the midst of all my love

Your body like a searchlight
In the prison of my need
Oh I would share your loneliness
And I demand your greed
And everything depends upon
How near you sleep to me

And isn't it a pity
You can see all her duty clearly
In the midst of New York City
In the midst of all our love

I will be writing this
When you are so very young again
That the forests that you burned away
And then sailed away are truly, truly gone
I will be waiting where a starfish is your head
And the jewels for your shoulders
Fall through the walls of sand
Fall through the walls of sand

Song of Bernadette

Written by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes
Recorded by Jennifer Warnes in 1986 on her album "Famous Blue Raincoat"

and later also by Christine Andreas, Arrandale,
Suzy Burke, Diane Davidson, Barbara Dickson,
Duo Balance, Tony Kenny, Deanna Kirk,
Bette Midler, Jane Mortifee, Anne Murray,
Aaron Neville, and Elizabeth von Trapp

There was a child named Bernadette
I heard the story long ago
She saw the Queen of Heaven once
And kept the vision in her soul
No one believed what she had seen
No one believed what she heard
That there were sorrows to be healed
And mercy, mercy in this world

So many hearts I find
Broke like yours and mine
Torn by what we've done and can't undo
I just want to hold you
Won't you let me hold you
Like Bernadette would do

We've been around, we fall, we fly
We mostly fall, we mostly run
And every now and then we try
To mend the damage that we've done
Tonight, tonight I cannot rest
I've got this joy inside my breast
To think that I did not forget
That child, that song of Bernadette

So many hearts I find ...

Fire

Lyrics by Leonard Cohen, music by Lewis Furey, Soundtrack of Night Magic, France 1985

(Michael) I burnt the house of love tonight
It made a perfect ring
In which I saw some weeds and stone
Beyond not anything
Certain creatures of the air
Frightened by the night
They came to see the world again
And they perished in the light

So now I sail from sky to sky
And all the blackness sings
Against the boat that I have made
Of mutilated wings

Fire in this house of mine
Fire of my own design
Fire from the sky
Fire from the sea
Come fire come
Fire onto thee
Fire in the house of love

I burnt the house of love tonight
I burnt the house of love tonight
I burnt the house of love tonight

Way Down Deep

Written by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes, recorded by Jennifer Warnes (Hunter, 1992)

Way down, way way down
way way down deep
you're got me way down, way way down,
way way down deep
you're got me way down, way down deep
I wander with you in my sleep
I'm way down, way way down,
way way down deep

It came to me this morning
I was walking down the street
was like my soul could taste you
and God, you tasted sweet
finally I can breathe again
finally I can speak
I've got you in the glory place
I've got you way down deep

I've got you way down, way way down,
way way down deep
you're got me way down, way way down,
way way down deep
you're got me way down, way way down,
I wander with you in my sleep
I'm way down, way way down,
way way down deep

it's a funny feeling
but I cannot say I mind
I know that I'm dealing with
a love that's far from blind
I see every single angle
I look before I leap
how else can I put it
when you're got me way down deep
you've got me way down, way way down,
way way down deep
you've got me way down, way way down,
way way down deep
you've got me way down, way down deep
I wander with you in my sleep
I'm way down, way way down,
way way down deep

Don't matter what we gave away
was nothing we could keep
don't matter what we gave away
you know that talk is cheap
forgive me if I hate you
you're a liar and a thief
but I've got you in the glory place
I got you way down deep

you've got me way down, way way down ...

don't matter if the road is long
don't matter if it's steep
don't matter if the moon goes out
and darkness is complete
don't matter if we lose our way
I know we;re gonna meet
I've got you in the glory place
I've got you way down deep

you've got me way down, way way down ...

It Just Feels

Written by Leonard Cohen and David A Stewart,
recorded by Sylvie Marechal (Voie Lactee, France 1992)

It feels so good
And it feels so right
It feels like I've been rescued
In the middle of the night
And all the tricks and all the angels
And all the dirty rotten deals
They don't count now
They've been cancelled
And it feels, it just feels
Thank you Babe, thank you Babe

It feels so good
And it feels so right
It feels like I've been rescued
In the middle of the night
And the sweetest voice has spoken
And the deepest wound is healed
And the darkness is exploding
And it feels, it just feels
Thank you Babe, thank you Babe

It comes so sweet
And it comes so fast
It comes like windows breaking
I can take a breath at last
Thank you for the breaking
And thank you for the breath
And for sayin' it was nothing
Nothing meaning life or death
Thank you Babe…it just feels

Summertime

Written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson

recorded by Diana Ross (Red hot rhythm and blues, USA 1987)

and Roberta Flack (Set the night to music, USA 1991)

Summertime when will you come?
I wanna put my light things on
I wanna put my winter life away
Summertime I need a sunny day

I want those peaches on the table
Want the watermelon red
And the warm sun crepping through the window
To ease the outer pain

I want the sand out there to lie on
And the sea out there to swim
So my heart can take a holiday
From breaking over here

Summertime when will you come?
I wanna put my light things on
Wanna put my winter life away
Summertime I need a sunny day

And I wanna it dry forever
Wanna roll those windows down
Get the breeze back on my body
Get my feet back on the ground

I want the sand out there to lie on
And the sea out there to swim
So my heart can take a holiday
From breaking over here

Summertime when will you come?
I wanna put my light things on
I wanna put my winter life away
Summertime I need a sunny day

Thanks to Guadalupe Baquero for help

Lucky

Written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson
recorded by Sharon Robinson (Caffeine, 2015)

I thought the night went on forever
Everything that I did was wrong
But in your eyes I can’t remember
Why I felt so bad so long

I want to thank the Lord above
My mama and my papa too
And all the secret lights of love
That led my heart to you

Lucky, I’m so lucky
Is it, is it really true
Lucky, I’m so lucky
To be loved by you

I’ll love you with a wild desire
I’ll love you very carefully
I’ll love you like there’s no tomorrow
Love you through eternity

I want to thank the Lord above
My mama and my papa too
And all the secret lights of love
That led my heart to you

Lucky, I’m so lucky
Is it, is it really true
Lucky, I’m so lucky
To be loved by you

Na na na na
Na na na na