The Darkness - NEW SONG (work-in-progress) (Venice Aug 3rd)

[tomsakic]

Performed on the public soundcheck (attended by few hundreds people), captured by Maarten;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcAhJg7yj2I



Leonard to Jarkko: "untitled work in progress".
Bob Metzger: "We call it the blues."

[merton]

Hi,

This is great. Sounds very bluesy. Brilliant to hear new material and on first listening is lyrically strong as well. .Many thanks Tom and Maarten

All the best,
Merton

PS No need for Leonard to tell the Venetians to ring them bells.

[anneporter]

I love how the song ends in a cacophony of Venice cathedral bells! It reminds me of Hydra, sitting at the Roloi cafe at Vespers time....

[John Etherington]

Interesting song - I wonder what inspired it? I guess it's virtually impossible these days for an artist to keep their work-in-progess hermetically-sealed... I hope Leonard's copyrighted it!

[ascoli]

Thanks for sharing this video.
I eagerly await new words from the Master.

[merton]

Hi,

Having listened a few times can I offer the following rough transcription of the lyrics with apologies to Leonard Cohen

..... it was drinking from your cup,
I got the darkness
from your little ruby cup
I said 'is this contagious?'
You said 'just drink it up'

I've got no future baby
I know my days are few
I've got no future though
As I say I know my days are few
Is the present not that pleasant (?)
Just a lot of things to do

I don't like your sticky little bud
I don't like alcohol
I don't need your loving touch
That's always been your call
Cause there's nothing but the darkness
Makes any sense to me at all

I should have seen the darkness
It was right behind your eyes
All those pools so deep and heartless
I just had to take a dive
Ah yea but winning you was easy
Ah but the darkness was the price

Got no future (x3)

Yea I know the days are few
The present is not that pleasant(?)
Just a lot of things to do



(AND THEN QUASIMODO THE BELLS THE BELLS !!!!)


Merton

[ladydi]

How excellent and exciting! Maarten and Tom...thanks so much for filming and posting! What a surprise it must have been to you when the music started. I love the sound and the lyrics! Yes, there is a bit of a bluesy sound. Funny to see Bob in shorts And I love it towards the end when Leonard simply can't compete with the cathedral bells and points up towards them! What happened during the concert? Do they tone the bells down or turn them off?

ps...merton, a huge thank you to you also for the lyrics!

[Bird off the Wire]

What I've really been wishing for is an album of new music from Leonard, recorded with this band. Maybe this is sign something is beginning to stir

[MaryB]

Can't wait for this to go into the studio, or better yet at this point, to be performed during a concert! Thank you Tom, Maarten, and Merton. This is so special!

Best regards,
Mary

[tomsakic]

merton, I can send you wav recording (from Marco's camera) which has the beginning and maybe it's clearer, so you can check the words from other source.

[zodkavombie]

Great to hear a new song, thanks for sharing

[John Etherington]

Hi merton,

Thanks for your transcription of the lyrics. When Leonard sings "I don't like your sticky little bud", I thought he was singing "I don't like your slinky little butt"! I will now totally ignore this song until I have it in my hand on a CD. I hate to spoil the element of surprise in a new Leonard Cohen album ("I can think, I can wait, I can fast", as Siddhartha once said!).

All the best, John E

P.S. The song seems to have a sort of Dylanesque "Oh Mercy" quality.

[John Etherington]

I'm intrigued by this song, even though I've only listened to it twice. It's a real surprise from Leonard at this stage...especially from those who (perhaps mistakingly) think that Leonard has come to some point of spiritual resolution, and that his next (possibly last?) album will be some great final statement to the world. Then again, maybe this is it! The song seems to be something of a put-down, with a less than a hopeful message about old-age. Not what you'd expect considering that Leonard normally appears to treat women as goddesses, even when he apparently feels wronged. Alternatively, as Jim Devlin suggested to me, the song might just be a working blues that Leonard uses for soundchecks, and one that may never find its way onto an album.

All good things, John E

[liverpoolken]

I remember Tom S turning to me after the soundcheck and saying that the new song sounded to him very much like a Dylan song.
At the time I have to admit I didn't quite understand where Tom was coming from.
However after listening to the song a few times I realise that the structure and Daniel Lanois swampy blues feel of this song does indeed have a Dylansque quality about it. Well done Tom is spotting this.

This song could have come have easily come off Dylan's Oh Mercy album.

Of course the lyrics aren't quite up to Mr Dylan's standard, but with a little more work I'm sure Leonard will eventually have this homage to Dylan nailed.

Ta Ken

[kwills]

It reminded me of Dylan too!