Resistance Song for Day 37 - "The Partisan" by Leonard Cohen

Day 37 - "The Partisan" by Leonard Cohen

Songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934-2016)

     "The Partisan" may be the ultimate resistance song, written by the greatest verser of our time.  Before picking up an instrument Cohen authored not one, not two, but three bestselling poetry collections ("Let Us Compare Mythologies" in 1954, "The Spice-Box of Earth" in 1961, and  "Flowers for Hitler" (1964), back in the day when "bestselling poetry" wasn't an oxymoron.  He also squeezed in two award-winning novels:   "The Favorite Game" (1963) and "Beautiful Losers" (1966).  He won his country's highest award for both poetry and performing arts.  For an entire generation before the World Wide Web began to flourish, circa 1993, the Internet consisted of email, a few university databases and, primarily, a billboard structure known as "Usenet".  The latter had forums for almost everything but, for most of that time, only one was dedicated to a contemporary poet, songwriter or lyricist:  alt.music.leonard.cohen. 

      It is unclear as to whether or not Hollywood can produce a quality film, let alone one without a soundtrack by Leonard Cohen [or Loreena McKennitt].  Like John Stewart (who needed money for his wife's hospital bills), Leonard Cohen was forced to come out of retirement [because of his manager's handling of his finances].  On November 7th, 2016, the world suffered the first of two tragic days:  to quote another great 21st century poet, Leonard left "the garden darker for lack of one golden flower."

      Originally written entirely in French as "La Complainte du Partisan", "The Partisan" has been covered by almost as many singers as Cohen's "Hallelujah".   It is a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have opposed oppression in the past, and a tribute to those among us who continue to do so.

Lyrics:

When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender
This I could not do
I took my gun and vanished

I have changed my name so often
I've lost my wife and children
But I have many friends
And some of them are with me

An old woman gave us shelter
Kept us hidden in the garret
Then the soldiers came
She died without a whisper

There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
But I must go on
The frontiers are my prison

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we'll come from the shadows

Les Allemands étaient chez moi
Ils me dirent, "Résigne toi"
Mais je n'ai pas peur
J'ai repris mon arme

    The Germans were at my house
    They said:  "Give yourself up"
    but I didn't fear.
    I took up arms.

J'ai changé cent fois de nom
J'ai perdu femme et enfants
Mais j'ai tant d'amis
J'ai la France entière

    I've changed by name 100 times
    I lost my wife and children
    but I've many friends
    I have all of France

Un vieil homme dans un grenier
Pour la nuit nous a caché
Les Allemands l'ont pris
Il est mort sans surprise

    An old man in an garret
    gave me shelter for the night
    The Germans took him
    He died without a whisper.

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we'll come from the shadows