A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Songs Of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen - Guitar Chords
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Version 1
TRACKLIST
1. Suzanne
2. Master Song
3. Winter Lady
4. The Stranger Song
5. Sisters of Mercy
6. So Long, Marianne
7. Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye
8. Stories of the Street
9. Teachers
10. One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong
1. Suzanne
[Verse 1]
E
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
F#m
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her
E
And you know that she's half-crazy, but that's why you wanna be there
G#m A
And she feeds you tea & oranges that come all the way from China
E F#m
And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her
E F#m
Then she gets you on her wavelength & she lets the river answer
E
That you've always been her lover
[Chorus]
G#m A
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
E
And you know that she will trust you,
F#m E
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind
[Verse 2]
E
And Jesus was a sailor, when he walked upon the water
F#m
And he spent a long time watching, from his lonely wooden tower
E
And when he knew for certain, only drowning men could see him
G#m A
he said 'All men will be sailors then, until the sea shall free them
E F#m
But he himself was broken, long before the sky would open
E F#m E
Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
[Chorus]
G#m A
And you want to travel with him, and you want to travel blind
E
And you think maybe you'll trust him
F#m E
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.
[Verse 3]
E
Now Suzanne takes your hand and she leads you to the river
F#m
She is wearing rags and feathers, from Salvation Army counters
E
And the sun pours down like honey, on our lady of the harbour
G#m A
And she shows you where to look, among the garbage and the flowers
E F#m
There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning
E F#m
They are leaning out for love, and they will lean that way forever
E
While Suzanne holds the mirror
[Chorus]
G#m A
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
E
And you know that you can trust her,
F#m E
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Master Song
Capo 3rd fret
[Intro]
Em G
Em G
[Verse 1]
F Em
I believe that you heard your master sing
F Em
when I was sick in bed.
F Em
I suppose that he told you everything
F Em
that I keep locked away in my head.
F Am
Your master took you travelling,
C D
well at least that's what you said.
G G/F# G G/F#
And now do you come back to bring
C B
your prisoner wine and bread?
Em G
[Verse 2]
F Em
You met him at some temple, where
F Em
they take your clothes at the door.
F Em
He was just a numberless man in a chair
F Em
who'd just come back from the war.
F Am
And you wrap up his tired face in your hair
C D
and he hands you the apple core.
G G/F# G G/F#
Then he touches your lips now so suddenly bare
C B
of all the kisses we put on some time before.
Em G
[Verse 3]
F Em
And he gave you a German Shepherd to walk
F Em
with a collar of leather and nails,
F Em
and he never once made you explain or talk
F Em
about all of the little details,
F Am
such as who had a word and who had a rock,
C D
and who had you through the mails.
G G/F# G G/F#
Now your love is a secret all over the block,
C B
and it never stops not even when your master fails
Em G
[Verse 4]
F Em
And he took you up in his aeroplane,
F Em
which he flew without any hands,
F Em
and you cruised above the ribbons of rain
F Em
that drove the crowd from the stands.
F Am
Then he killed the lights in a lonely Lane
C D
and, an ape with angel glands,
G G/F# G G/F#
erased the final wisps of pain
C B
with the music of rubber bands.
Em G
[Verse 5]
F Em
And now I hear your master sing,
F Em
you kneel for him to come.
F Em
His body is a golden string
F Em
that your body is hanging from.
F Am
His body is a golden string,
C D
my body has grown numb.
G G/F# G G/F#
Oh now you hear your master sing,
C B
your shirt is all undone.
Em G
[Verse 6]
F Em
And will you kneel beside this bed
F Em
that we polished so long ago,
F Em
before your master chose instead
F Em
to make my bed of snow?
F Am
Your eyes are wild and your knuckles are red
C D
and you're speaking far too low.
G G/F# G G/F#
No I can't make out what your master said
C B
before he made you go.
Em G
[Verse 7]
F Em
Then I think you're playing far too rough
F Em
for a lady who's been to the moon;
F Em
I've lain by this window long enough
F Em
to get used to an empty room.
F Am
And your love is some dust in an old man's cough
C D
who is tapping his foot to a tune,
G G/F# G G/F#
and your thighs are a ruin, you want too much,
C B
let's say you came back some time too soon.
Em G
[Verse 8]
F Em
I loved your master perfectly
F Em
I taught him all that he knew.
F Em
He was starving in some deep mystery
F Em
like a man who is sure what is true.
F Am
And I sent you to him with my guarantee
C D
I could teach him something new,
G G/F# G G/F#
and I taught him how you would long for me
C B
no matter what he said no matter what you'd do.
Em G
[Verse 9]
F Em
I believe that you heard your master sing
F Em
while I was sick in bed,
F Em
I'm sure that he told you everything
F Em
I must keep locked away in my head.
F Am
Your master took you travelling,
C D
well at least that's what you said,
G G/F# G G/F#
And now do you come back to bring
C B
your prisoner wine and bread?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Winter Lady
This song contains pretty unusual chords, so I'll tab them:
D11+: x 5 4 0 3 x
D11/A: x 0 4 0 3 x
[Intro]
Amaj7 D11+
[Verse 1]
D11+ Amaj7 D11+ C
Traveling lady stay awhile
D11+ Amaj7 D11+
Until the night is over
D11+ Amaj7 D11+ C
I'm just a station on your way
D11+ Amaj7 D11+
I know I am not your lover
[Chorus 1]
D11/A Am7
Well, I lived with a child of snow
D11/A Am7
When I was a soldier
D11/A Am7
And I fought every man for her
D11/A Am7
Until the nights grew colder
[Verse 2]
D11+ Amaj7 D11+ C
She used to wear her hair like you
D11+ Amaj7 D11+
Except when she was sleeping
D11+ Amaj7 D11+ C
And then she'd weave it on a loom
D11+ Amaj7 D11+
Of smoke and gold and breathing
[Chorus 2]
D11/A Am7
And why are you so quiet now
D11/A Am7
Standing there in the doorway?
D11/A Am7
You chose your journey long before
D11/A Am7
You came upon this highway
[Verse 3]
D11+ Amaj7 D11+ C
Traveling lady stay awhile
D11+ Amaj7 D11+
Until the night is over
D11+ Amaj7 D11+ C
I'm just a station on your way
D11+ Amaj7 D11+
I know I am not your lover
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. The Stranger Song
Tuning: down one tone (D G C F A D)
[Intro]
F#sus4 F#m F#sus4 F#m F#sus4 F#m F#sus4 F#m
[Verse 1]
F#m D/A C D/A A
It's true that all the men you knew were dealers
E
Who said they were through with dealing
F#m F#sus4 F#m
Every time you gave them shelter
E Esus4 E
I know that kind of man
F#m F#sus4 F#m
It's hard to hold the hand of anyone
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m F#sus4
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender
[Verse 2]
F#m D/A C D/A A
And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
E
You find he did not leave you very much
F#m F#sus4 F#m
Not even laughter
E Esus4 E F#m
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
F#sus4 F#m E
That is so high and wild
E Esus4 F#m F#sus4 F#m
He'll never need to deal another
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m F#sus4
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
[Verse 3]
F#m D/A C D/A
And then leaning on your window sill
A
He'll say one day you caused his will
E F#m F#sus4 F#m
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
E Esus4 E
And then taking from his wallet
F#m F#sus4 F#m
An old schedule of trains, he'll say
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
I told you when I came I was a stranger
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
I told you when I came I was a stranger
[Verse 4]
F#m D/A C D/A
But now another stranger seems
A
To want you to ignore his dreams
E F#m F#sus4 F#m
As though they were the burden of some other
E Esus4 E
O you've seen that man before
F#m F#sus4 F#m
His golden arm dispatching cards
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
But now it's rusted from the elbow to the finger
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
Yes he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter
[Verse 5]
F#m D/A C D/A A
Ah you hate to watch another tired man
Lay down his hand
E F#m F#sus4 F#m
Like he was giving up the holy game of
E
And while he talks his dreams to sleep
F#m F#sus4 F#m
You notice there's a highway
E Esus E F#m F#sus4 F#m
That is curling up like smoke above his shoulder
E Esus E F#m F#sus4 F#m
It's curling just like smoke above his shoulder
[Verse 6]
F#m D/A C D/A
You tell him to come in sit down
A
But something makes you turn around
E F#m F#sus4 F#
The door is open you can't close your shelter
E Esus E
You try the handle of the road
F#m F#sus4 F#m
It opens do not be afraid
E Esus E F#m F#sus4 F#m
It's you my love, you who are the stranger
E Esus E F#m F#sus4 F#m
It's you my love, you who are the stranger
[Verse 7]
F#m D/A C D/A
Well, I've been waiting, I was sure
A E
We'd meet between the trains we're waiting for
F#m F#sus4 F#m
I think it's time to board another
E Esus E F#m
Please understand, I never had a secret chart
F#sus4 F#m E
To get me to the heart of this
Esus E F#m F#sus4 F#m
Or any other matter
E Esus E F#m F#sus4 F#m
When he talks like this you don't know what he's after
E Esus E F#m F#sus4 F#m
When he speaks like this, you don't know what he's after
[Verse 8]
F#m D/A C D/A
Let's meet tomorrow if you choose
A
Upon the shore, beneath the bridge
E F#m F#sus4 F#m
That they are building on some endless river
E
Then he leaves the platform
Esus4 E F#m
For the sleeping car that's warm
F#sus4 F#m E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
You realize, he's only advertising one more shelter
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
And it comes to you, he never was a stranger
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
And you say okay the bridge or someplace later
[Verse 9]
F#m D/A C D/A A
And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
E
You find he did not leave you very much
F#m F#sus4 F#m
Not even laughter
E Esus4 E F#m
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
F#sus4 F#m E
That is so high and wild
E Esus4 F#m F#sus4 F#m
He'll never need to deal another
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m F#sus4
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
[Verse 10]
F#m D/A C D/A
And then leaning on your window sill
A
He'll say one day you caused his will
E F#m F#sus4 F#m
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
E Esus4 E
And then taking from his wallet
F#m F#sus4 F#m
An old schedule of trains, he'll say
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m F#sus4
I told you when I came I was a stranger
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m F#sus4
I told you when I came I was a stranger
E Esus4 E F#m F#sus4 F#m F#sus4
I told you when I came I was a stranger
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Sisters of Mercy
Capo on 2nd fret
[Verse 1]
A D A E A D A
Oh the Sisters of Mercy they are not departed or gone
C#m G#m C#m G#m E Esus4 E
They were waiting for me when I thought that I just can't go on
D A G F#m E Esus4 E
And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song
A D A E A D
Oh I hope you run into them you who've been traveling so long
D E
[Verse 2]
A D A E A D A
Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control
C#m G#m C#m G#m E Esus4 E
It begins with your family, but soon it comes round to your soul
D A G F#m E Esus4 E
Well I've been where you're hanging I think I can see how you're pinned
A D A E A D
When you're not feeling holy your loneliness says that you've sinned
D E
[Verse 3]
A D A E A D A
They lay down beside me I made my confession to them
C#m G#m C#m G#m E Esus4 E
They touched both my eyes and I touched the dew on their hem
D A G F#m E Esus4 E
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn
A D A E A D
They will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem
D E
[Verse 4]
A D A E A D A
When I left they were sleeping I hope you run into them soon
C#m G#m C#m G#m E Esus4 E
Dont turn on the lights you can read their address by the moon
D A G F#m E Esus4 E
And you won't make me jealous if I hear that they sweetened your night
D E
A D A E A
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right
A D A E A
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. So Long, Marianne
[Verse 1]
A Bm
Come over to the window, my little darling
D A
I'd like to try to read your palm
G D
I used to think I was some sort of gypsy boy
F#m E Esus4 E E7
before I let you take me home
[Chorus]
A F#m
Now so long, Marianne, It's time that we began
E Esus4 E E7 E Esus4 E E7 A Asus4
to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again
[Verse 2]
A Bm
Well you know that I love to live with you
D A
but you make me forget so very much
G D
I forget to pray for the angels
F#m Esus4 E E7
and then the angels forget to pray for us
[Chorus]
A F#m
Now so long, Marianne, It's time that we began
E Esus4 E E7 E Esus4 E E7 A Asus4
to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again
[Verse 3]
A Bm
We met when we were almost young
D A
deep in the green lilac park
G D
You held on to me like I was a crucifix
F#m E Esus4 E E7
as we went kneeling through the dark
[Chorus]
A F#m
Now so long, Marianne, It's time that we began
E Esus4 E E7 E Esus4 E E7 A Asus4
to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again
[Verse 4]
A Bm
Your letters they all say that you're beside me now
D A
then why do I feel so alone
G D
I'm standing on a ledge and your fine spider web
F#m E Esus4 E E7
is fastening my ankle to a stone
[Chorus]
A F#m
Now so long, Marianne, It's time that we began
E Esus4 E E7 E Esus4 E E7 A Asus4
to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again
[Verse 5]
A Bm
For now I need your hidden love
D A
I'm cold as a new razor blade
G D
You left when I told you I was curious
F#m E Esus4 E E7
I never said that I was brave
[Chorus]
A F#m
Now so long, Marianne, It's time that we began
E Esus4 E E7 E Esus4 E E7 A Asus4
to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again
[Verse 6]
A Bm
Oh, you are really such a pretty one
D A
I see you've gone and changed your name again
G D
And just when I climbed this whole mountainside
F#m E Esus4 E E7
to wash my eyelids in the rain
[Chorus]
A F#m
Now so long, Marianne, It's time that we began
E Esus4 E E7 E Esus4 E E7 A Asus4
to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Capo on 1st fret
[Intro]
E
[Verse 1]
A
I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
F#m
your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
D
yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
A
in city and in forest they smiled like me and you,
F#m
but now it's come to distances and both of us must try,
D
your eyes are soft with sorrow,
[Chorus]
E A E
Hey, that's no way to say good bye.
[Verse 2]
A
I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time,
F#m
walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
D
you know my love goes with you as your love stays with me,
A
it's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea,
F#m
but let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie,
D
your eyes are soft with sorrow,
[Chorus]
E A E
Hey, that's no way to say good bye.
[Verse 3]
A
I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
F#m
your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
D
yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
A
in city and in forest they smiled like me and you,
F#m
but let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie,
D
your eyes are soft with sorrow,
[Chorus]
E A E
Hey, that's no way to say good bye.
E
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Stories of The Street
[Intro]
Am
[Verse 1]
Am C Em7 Bm
The stories of the street are mine, the Spanish voices laugh
Am C Em7 Bm
The Cadillacs go creeping now through the night and the poison gas
Am F G F# B
And I lean from my window sill in this old hotel I chose
E A E D A Am
Yes one hand on my suicide, one hand on the rose
[Verse 2]
Am C Em7 Bm
I know you've heard it's over now and war must surely come
Am C Em Bm
The cities they are broke in half and the middle men are gone
Am F G F# B
But let me ask you one more time, o children of the dusk
E A E D A Am
All these hunters who are shrieking now oh do they speak for us?
[Verse 3]
Am C Em7 Bm
And where do all these highways go, now that we are free?
Am C Em7 Bm
Why are the armies marching still that were coming home to me?
Am F G F# B
O lady with your legs so fine, o stranger at your wheel
E A E D A Am
You are locked into your suffering and your pleasures are the seal
[Verse 4]
Am C Em7 Bm
The age of lust is giving birth, and both the parents ask
Am C Em7 Bm
The nurse to tell them fairy tales on both sides of the glass
Am F G F# B
And now the infant with his cord is hauled in like a kite
E A E D A Am
And one eye filled with blueprints, one eye filled with night
[Verse 5]
Am C Em7 Bm
O come with me my little one, we will find that farm
Am C Em7 Bm
And grow us grass and apples there and keep all the animals warm
Am F G F# B
And if by chance I wake at night and I ask you who I am
E A E D A Am
O take me to the slaughterhouse, I will wait there with the lamb
[Verse 6]
Am C Em7 Bm
With one hand on the hexagram and one hand on the girl
Am C Em7 Bm
I balance on a wishing well that all men call the world
Am F G F# B
We are so small between the stars, so large against the sky
E A E D A Am
And lost among the subway crowds I try to catch your eye
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Teachers
[Intro]
Bm
[Verse 1]
Bm G
I met a woman long ago
Bm G
Her hair the black that black can go
Bm G
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Bm
Soft she answered no
Bm
[Verse 2]
Bm G
I met a girl across the sea
Bm G
Her hair the gold that gold can be
Bm G
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Bm
Yes, but not for thee
Bm
[Verse 3]
Bm G
I met a man who lost his mind
Bm G
In some lost place I had to find
Bm G Bm
Follow me the wise man said
But he walked behind
Bm
[Verse 4]
Bm G
I walked into a hospital
Bm G
Where none was sick and none was well
Bm G
When at night the nurses left
Bm
I could not walk at all
Bm
[Verse 5]
Bm G
Morning came and then came noon
Bm G
Dinner time a scalpel blade
Bm G Bm
Lay beside my silver spoon
Bm
[Verse 6]
Bm G
Some girls wander by mistake
Bm G
Into the mess that scalpels make
Bm G
Are you the teachers of my heart?
Bm
We teach old hearts to break
Bm
[Verse 7]
Bm G
One morning I woke up alone
Bm G
The hospital and the nurses gone
Bm G
Have I carved enough my Lord?
Bm
Child, you are a bone
Bm
[Verse 8]
Bm G
I ate and ate and ate
Bm G
No I did not miss a plate, well
Bm G
How much do these suppers cost?
Bm
We'll take it out in hate
Bm
[Verse 9]
Bm G
I spent my hatred everyplace
Bm G
On every work on every face
Bm G
Someone gave me wishes
Bm
And I wished for an embrace
Bm
[Verse 10]
Bm G Bm
Several girls embraced me, then
G
I was embraced by men
Bm G
Is my passion perfect?
Bm
No, do it once again
Bm
[Verse 11]
Bm G
I was handsome I was strong
Bm G
I knew the words of every song
Bm G
Did my singing please you?
Bm
No, the words you sang were wrong
Bm
[Verse 12]
Bm G
Who is it whom I address
Bm G
Who takes down what I confess?
Bm G
Are you the teachers of my heart?
Bm
We teach old hearts to rest
Bm
[Verse 13]
Bm G
Oh teachers are my lessons done?
Bm G
I cannot do another one
Bm G
They laughed and laughed and said, Well child
Bm
Are your lessons done?
Bm
Are your lessons done?
Bm
Are your lessons done?
Bm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. One of Us Cannot Be Wrong
[Intro]
A A A A
[Verse 1]
A Bm Bm
I lit a thin green candle
D D A A
to make you jealous of me
A A Bm Bm
but the room just filled up with mosquitoes
D D E E
they heard that my body was free.
F#m F#m C#m C#m
Then I took the dust of a long sleepless night
D D A A
and I put it in your little shoe
Bm Bm G G
and then I confess that I tortured the dress
Bm A G G
that you wore for the world to look through.
A A A A
[Verse 2]
A A Bm Bm
I showed my heart to the doctor
D D A A
he said I'd just have to quit
A A Bm Bm
then he wrote himself a perscription
D D E E
and your name was mentioned in it.
F#m F#m C#m C#m
Then he locked himself in a library shelf
D D A A
with the details of our honeymoon
Bm Bm
and I hear from the nurse
G G
that he's gotten much worse
Bm A G G
and his practice is all in a ruin.
A A A A
[Verse 3]
A A Bm Bm
I heard of a saint who had loved you
D D A A
So I studied all night in his school
A A Bm Bm
he taught that the duty of lovers
D D E E
is to tarnish the golden rule.
F#m F#m
And just when I was sure
C#m C#m
that his teachings were pure
D D A A
he drowned himself in the pool
Bm Bm G G
his body is gone but back here on the lawn
Bm A G G
his spirit continues to drool.
A A A A
[Verse 4]
A A Bm Bm
An Eskimo showed me a movie
D D A A
he'd recently taken of you
A A Bm Bm
the poor man could hardly stop shivering,
D D E E
his lips and his fingers were blue.
F#m F#m
I suppose that he froze
C#m C#m
when the wind took your clothes
D D A
and I guess he just never got warm
Bm Bm G G
but you stand there so nice in your blizzard of ice
Bm A G G
o, please let me come into the storm.
A A A A
[Ending]
A A Bm Bm D D A A
A A Bm Bm D D E E
F#m F#m C#m C#m D D A A
Bm Bm G G Bm A G G
A A A A
A A Bm Bm D D A A
A A Bm Bm D D E E
F#m F#m C#m C#m D D A A
Bm Bm G G Bm A G G
We also have 43 songs by Leonard Cohen
- Aint No Cure For Love
- Anthem
- Avalanche
- Bird On The Wire
- Chelsea Hotel 2
- Chelsea Hotel No 2
- Closing Time
- Coming Back To You
- Dance Me To The End Of Love
- Diamonds In The Mine
- Dress Rehearsal Rag
- Everybody Knows
- Famous Blue Raincoat
- First We Take Manhattan
- Hallelujah
- Hey Thats No Way To Say Goodbye
- If It Be Your Will
- Im Your Man
- Is This What You Wanted
- Lady Midnight
- Last Years Man
- Lover Lover Lover
- Master Song
- Night Comes On
- One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong
- Passing Through
- Seems So Long Ago Nancy
- Sisters Of Mercy
- So Long Marianne
- Songs Of Leonard Cohen
- Stories Of The Street
- Story Of Isaac
- Suzanne
- Take This Waltz
- The Future
- The Old Revolution
- The Partisan
- The Stranger Song
- Tonight Will Be Fine
- Tower Of Song
- Who By Fire
- Winter Lady
- You Know Who I Am
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