Song for Day 11 of a 4 Year Funeral - Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan"

Day 11:  "First We Take Manhattan" by Leonard Cohen

Songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934-2016)

     Some of Cohen's most interesting songs were not recorded by him--not originally, at least.  Judy Collins and a few others put out tracks of "Priests", which derives its title from an opening scene of a car passing a hitchhiker while the immodest songwriter's tune plays on the radio:

"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?"

     Jennifer Warnes beat Cohen to the market with the bold "First We Take Manhattan", with its characteristic Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar riff, in her 1986 All-Cohen tribute album, "Famous Blue Raincoat" (a song title from Cohen's second album, "Songs of Love and Hate").

        Cohen's own version came out in 1988 on the "I'm Your Man" album:

      R.E.M. did a cover in 1991 on their "I'm Your Fan" tribute album.  Joe Cocker (1944–2014) included the song on his 1999 "No Ordinary World" album.  Warren Zevon (1947-2003) included a sendup version (which sounded a bit like "Send Lawyers, Guns and Money") while on tour in 1998.

Lyrics:

They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin
I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby
I love your body and your spirit and your clothes
But you see that line there moving through the station?
I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those

Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just might win
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline
How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I don't like your fashion business mister
And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin
I don't like what happened to my sister
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby ...

And I thank you for those items that you sent me
The monkey and the plywood violin
I practiced every night, now I'm ready
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I am guided

Ah remember me, I used to live for music
Remember me, I brought your groceries in
Well it's Father's Day and everybody's wounded
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

Links:

Day 1 (The Inauguration) - "Hands" - Jewel

Day 2 (The Million Woman March) - "Testimony" by Ferron, sung by Marcelle Davies Lashley

Day 3 - "Ruins" - by Cat Stevens
 
Day 4 - "Eve of Destruction" (1964) - by P. F. Sloan performed by Barry McGuire

Day 5 - "Hypersensive Jester" - by Denny Guy

Day 6 - "Teresa" - by John Stewart

Day 7 - "Black Boys on Mopeds" by Sinéad O'Connor

Day 8 - "Burn, Baby, Burn" - by Bruce Cockburn

Day 9 - "Black Day in July" - by Gordon Lightfoot

Day 10 - "Democracy is Coming" - Leonard Cohen

Day 11 - "First We Take Manhattan" - Leonard Cohen

Day 12 - "Cactus" - Ferron