If you've been looking for an excuse to buy better speakers for your computer, this instrumental version should do the trick:
How does the greatest poet of our time produce music this lovely? This time, it's not a chicken-and-egg scenario. Leonard began with these two lines:
C F G It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, Am F The minor fall, the major lift,
The actual chord progression, C-F-G Am-F, follows the text exactly: in
the key of “C”, “F” is the fourth, “G” the fifth, “Am” the minor fall,
“F” the major lift. The melody arose from that. (Remember: Alan and Marilyn Bergman created "The Windmills of Your Mind" from 8 notes!)
Among many other things, the lyrics are a recipe/blueprint for how to win elections. In order of appearance we hear: tap into private souls, add a touch of old time religion, don't sweat small differences, modulate, dignity, faith, intimacy (Would a little sex appeal in the entourage hurt?), a scintilla of vulnerability, secularity, critical analysis, fire, the common touch, truth, responsibility, and focus.
There may be far more beautiful renditions, but my favorite remains this Kate McKinnon SNL cold open, days after the death of Leonard Cohen on November 7th and of so many dreams on November 8th, 2016:
Of Kate McKinnon I will say only this: "Gods may not exist, but we know goddesses do."
C Am Now I've heard there was a secret chord C Am That David played and it pleased the Lord F G C G But you don't really care for music, do you? C F G It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, Am F The minor fall, the major lift, G E Am The baffled king composing, Hallelujah.
[Chorus] F Am F Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, C G C Am C Am Hallelu - jah.
[Verse]
C Am Your faith was strong but you needed proof, C Am You saw her bathing on the roof: F G C G Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya. C F G She tied you to a kitchen chair, Am F She broke your throne, and she cut your hair, G E Am And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah.
[Chorus] F Am F Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, C G C Am C Am Hallelu - jah.
[Verse]
C Am You say I took the name in vain, C Am Though I don't even know the name, F G C G But if I did, well really, what's it to ya? C F G There's a blaze of light in every word, Am F It doesn't matter which you heard: G E Am The holy or the broken Hallelujah.
[Chorus] F Am F Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, C G C Am C Am Hallelu - jah.
[Verse]
C Am I did my best, it wasn't much, C Am I couldn't feel so I tried to touch. F G C G I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool ya. C F G And even though it all went wrong Am F I'll stand before the Lord of Song G E Am With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.
[Chorus]
F Am F Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, C G C Am C Am Hallelu - jah.
On Day 45 (not to be confused with Dolt 45) we discussed the need for more expansive, inclusive language. For example, when Blue state residents use the word "swagger" they mean confidence, if not arrogance. Were a southerner to employ the term it would refer to quiet strength.
To wit, the stereotypical red stater prefers calm conviction to bombast, John Wayne's [fictitious] characters to Genghis Don's [equally fictitious] "character". This may seem like a trivial, tangential factoid but it may well lead to the ultimate departure of Schmuck à l'Orange.
Songwriter Bob Dylan.
The difference between morality and religion is the difference between Home Hardware and IKEA. Morality is the basic, undeniable logic of "The Golden Rule" underpinned by the primordial need to improve individually and collectively. Hierarchical religion is even simpler: open the book and do what it says. Notwithstanding the efforts of Jesuits, there isn't much need for reflection or discussion. As the Bob Dylan tune, "Highway 61", points out:
Oh, God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son." Abe said, "Man, you must be puttin' me on!" God said, "No." Abe say, "What?" God say, "You can do what you want, Abe, but The next time you see me comin', you better run!" Well, Abe said, "Where d'you want this killin' done?" God said, "Out on Highway 61."
Were an all-powerful being to demand that an atheist kill his own son the response might be more along the lines of "Go forth and multiply!"
Singer Suzanne Vega.
On Day 46 we made the point that local ministers may be uniquely qualified to "read the crowd" and render a political message in language tinged with theological overtones. In my estimation, and unlike that of every other anglophone demographic, southern speech is more likely to include biblical references than Shakespearean ones.
Leonard Cohen was a secular Jew who once conducted an interview with answers taken entirely from the Bible. He may have been un Canadien errant living most of his life in Greece but he understood the role of scripture in conservative America as a lingua franca.
"Who By Fire?" is more subtle and aesthetically pleasing. As such, it appeals to audiences within and beyond red state borders. The song is rooted in a Jewish prayer, "Unetanneh Tokef", ostensibly written by 11th century German rabbi Amnon of Mainz (whose feet and hands were cut off for refusing to convert to Christianity, and who subsequently unveiled his creation in his synagogue before collapsing) and recited on the Day of Atonement. This is the most relevant excerpt:
On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed – how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die at his predestined time and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by upheaval and who by plague, who by strangling and who by stoning. Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted?
There have been many covers but none captures the authenticity of Cohen's studio version.
Lyrics:
Who By Fire?
And who by fire, who by water, Who in the sunshine, who in the night time, Who by high ordeal, who by common trial, Who in your merry merry month of may, Who by very slow decay, And who shall I say is calling? And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate, Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt, And who by avalanche, who by powder, Who for his greed, who for his hunger, And who shall I say is calling? And who by brave assent, who by accident, Who in solitude, who in this mirror, Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand, Who in mortal chains, who in power, And who shall I say is calling?
The Story of Isaac:
The door it opened slowly, My father he came in, I was nine years old. And he stood so tall above me, His blue eyes they were shining And his voice was very cold. He said, "I've had a vision And you know I'm strong and holy, I must do what I've been told." So he started up the mountain, I was running, he was walking, And his axe was made of gold. Well, the trees they got much smaller, The lake a lady's mirror, We stopped to drink some wine. Then he threw the bottle over. Broke a minute later And he put his hand on mine. Thought I saw an eagle But it might have been a vulture, I never could decide. Then my father built an altar, He looked once behind his shoulder, He knew I would not hide. You who build these altars now To sacrifice these children, You must not do it anymore. A scheme is not a vision And you never have been tempted By a demon or a god. You who stand above them now, Your hatchets blunt and bloody, You were not there before, When I lay upon a mountain And my father's hand was trembling With the beauty of the word. And if you call me brother now, Forgive me if I inquire, "just according to whose plan?" When it all comes down to dust I will kill you if I must, I will help you if I can. When it all comes down to dust I will help you if I must, I will kill you if I can. And mercy on our uniform, Man of peace or man of war, The peacock spreads his fan.
Un Canadien Errant
Un canadien errant Banni de ses foyers Parcourait en pleurant Des pays étrangers
Un jour triste et pensif Assis au bord des flots Au courant fugitif Il adressa ces mots :
«Si tu vois mon pays «Mon pays malheureux «Va dire à mes amis «Que je me souviens d'eux
«Ô jours si plein d’appâts «Vous êtes disparus «Mais ma patrie hélas «Je ne la verrai plus
«Non, mais en expirant «Ô mon cher Canada »Mon regard languissant «Vers toi se portera
«Si tu vois mon pays «Mon pays malheureux «Va dire à mes amis «Que je me souviens d'eux»
Translation :
A wandering canadian Banished from his home Traveled while crying Some foreign countries
A sad and thoughtful day Sat next to the waving water To the fleeing current He spoke those words:
"If you go in my country "My sad country "Go tell all my friends "That I remember them
"O days full of charm "You have dissapeared "But my homeland alas! "I will see no more
"No, but when I'll expire (die) "O my dear Canada "My languishing eyes "Will turn on you
"If you go in my country "My sad country "Go tell all my friends "That I remember them"?
"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
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").
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
The late Leonard Cohen brought us the full human experience, largely from a romantic viewpoint. He was to heterosexual males what Saint Sebastian, the Divas, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland, are to gay ones, or what Sappho, Ellen DeGeneres and Ferron are to lesbian women. As a political songwriter Cohen was nowhere near as prolific as Bruce Cockburn, John Stewart or Buffy Sainte Marie.
Leonard Cohen has won his nation's highest award in both prose and verse. Indeed, he authored two well-received novels, "The Favorite Game" (1963) and "Beautiful Losers" (1966), and three bestselling poetry--assuming that wasn't an oxymoron in the 1960s, as it is now--collections before his music career began in 1967: "Let Us Compare Mythologies" (1956), "The Spice-Box of Earth" (1961) and "Flowers for Hitler" (1964). When Buffy Ste. Marie read an excerpt from "Beautiful Losers" she immediately adopted/adapted the passage as lyrics to "God is Alive, Magic is Afoot", which became a minor hit for both artists. That the same words could be prose, verse and song gave the world a new definition of poetry, just as Buffy's rendition redefined prayer:
Lyrics:
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.
Songwriter Buffy Sainte Marie
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 led.
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 rules.
Alive is afoot. Alive is in command.
Many weak men hungered
Many strong men thrived
Though they boasted 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 did 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,
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 say 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 with in 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
It is easy to imagine that, in the next four years, "Democracy is Coming to the U.S.A." could become an anthem. In any event, Leonard Cohen will be remembered as the Shakespeare of our time.
Lyrics:
"It's coming through a hole in the air,
From those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
That this ain't exactly real,
Or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
From the sirens night and day,
From the fires of the homeless,
From the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming through a crack in the wall
On a visionary flood of alcohol
From the staggering account
Of the Sermon on the Mount
Which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence
On the dock of the bay,
From the brave, the bold, the battered
Heart of Chevrolet
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming from the sorrow in the street,
The holy places where the races meet
From the homicidal bitchin'
That goes down in every kitchen
To determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
Where the women kneel to pray
For the grace of God in the desert here
And the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.
It's coming to America first,
The cradle of the best and of the worst.
It's here they got the range
And the machinery for change
And it's here they got the spiritual thirst.
It's here the family's broken
And it's here the lonely say
That the heart has got to open
In a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we'll be making love again.
We'll be going down so deep
The river's going to weep,
And the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
Beneath the lunar sway,
Imperial, mysterious,
In amorous array
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Sail on, sail on
I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
Getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
That Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
This little wild bouquet
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A."
"The trouble with democracy is what the word actually means - normal people think it's from the Greek, 'demos kratos', meaning the voice of the people, a system where people's opinions count for something, but the freaks in power think it's from 'demos krateos' - the people are cretins - and treat everyone accordingly." - Garry Andrews
