A thousand kisses deep

[deda]

Does anyone know where I can find the lyrics of the poem that Leonard recited in Dublin, Sat June 14? Every verse ended with the words 'a thousand kisses deep' but they were not the lyrics in the song. In an interview with Sharon Robinson, she said that the song came about through picking some lines out of a much longer poem but she doesn't mention the poem, if it has been published somewhere. I would really love to find the lyrics or even better a recording of Leonard speaking them. One bit is 'You see I'm just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet, who loved you with his frozen love; his second hand physique'.

[friscogrl]

Deda, Check out Book of longing, the poem A thousand Kisses Deep in it is very close
to what he recites in concert.
Frisco

[calypso]

I have found this :

http://www.leonardcohensite.com/songs/index.htm

You will find the poem at the end of the song list left, and at the right side under the french translation, the english version.

I hope my english is understandable... I'm a french girl.

[nod]

Go to you tube and bring up the title its there in many versions by leonard

[pcunning1817]

http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/kisses.html

[BlizzardofIce]

As mentioned before, he reads the poem (not the song) A thousand kisses deep as it is written on page 56 in the book of Longing.


I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat
I'm just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet
Who loved you with his frozen love
His second-hand physique
With all he is and all he was
A thousand kisses deep

I consider this verse to be amongst cohen's finest writing. Wonderful.

The setlist's that people have written on this site is kind of wrong when you write " a thousand kisses deep (recital)", because he does not recite the song "A thousand kisses deep", but he reads his poem "A thousand kisses deep"
If you compare those lyrics you will see that they are totally different, the rythm and lyrics and all. It is two different works of art.

[John Etherington]

I first heard some of the original verses in the Mount Baldy documentary (see pcunning's link above) where Leonard sings them to a completely different tune that he is playing on his keyboard. This documentary was where we also heard the original version of Leonard's "Never Any Good" (from "More Best Of...) which was recorded by a soul singer, and whose name escapes me, right now.

All good things, John E

[deda]

I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat
I'm just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet
Who loved you with his frozen love
His second-hand physique
With all he is and all he was
A thousand kisses deep

Fantastic lyrics. Thanks all who replied. I found the translated verses on that website. Listening to Leonard speaking those words on Sat. night sent shivers down my spine. I'm just hoping that more dates are added as someone suggested and I can go again

[stfa]

Just wondering......if he varies how much of the poem he recites each night, my memory is a bit hazy (the wine) but I think he recited extra verses (the one about "the ponies run the girls are young" and the one that references Robert Frost....."and maybe I had miles to drive and promises to keep") in the first show I saw and less in the second.......anyone else notice if he did those verses?

[Florian]

What a wonderfull poem, very moving and truley a new favorit of Leonard's work to me!
i just watched serveral youtube videos of the actual tour performence of it, so beautyfull
sorry that i'm not able to post a link here but i'm very new to the world of internet
i took the time and transcript it as it was done in concert, i don't know if it is exactly like in book of longing,
but it differs from all written down version i found in the internet

You came to me this morning
and you handeld me like meat
it have to be a man to know
how good that feels how sweet
my mirror twin my next of kin
i know you in my sleep
and who but you would take me in
a thousand kisses deep

i loved you when you opend
like a lily to the heat
you see i'm just another snowman
standing in the rain and sleet
who loved you with his frozen love
his second-hand physique
with all he is and all he was
a thousand kisses deep

i know you had to lie to me
i know you had to cheat
to pose all hot and high
behind the vails of cheer deceit
our perfect porn aristocrate
so ellegant and cheap
i'm old but i'm still into that
a thousand kisses deep

i'm good at love
i'm good at hate
it's inbetween i freeze
than work it out-but it's to late
it's been to late for years
but you look good you really do
they'll love you on the street
a snowflake must have died for you
a thousand kisses deep

'was looking at the crucifix
got somthing in my eye - a light
that dosen't need to live
and dosen't need to die
a riddle in a book of love
obscure and obsolete
as witnessed here in time and blood
a thousand kisses deep

and i'm,
i'm still working with the wine
still dancing cheek to cheek
the band is playing "auld lang syne"
but the heart will not retreat
i ran with Diz i sang with Ray
i never had their sweep
but once or twice they let me play
a thousand kisses deep

i loved you when you opend...

but you don't need to hear me now
and every word i speak
it counts against me anyhow
a thousand kisses deep


all videos i've watched there where no extra verses like asked before, but i realized that Leonard changes some lines from time to time:
i found a version where he replaced "a snowflake must have died for you" with "if i could move i'll kneel for you" or "if you where here i'll kneel for you"
as a third variant.The line "'was looking at the crucifix" was once changed into " the autum moved across your skin"
(excuse possible writing mistakes, my english is not so well. i tried my best)

[Jeremy]

Florian - that's great, thanks. There were so many highlights in Manchester, but this was certainly one of them!

As you and others have said, this poem is obviously a "moveable feast," but isn't it great? "Frozen love," and "I'm still into that" to name just two lines that really do it for me. Brilliant!

[w!ky]

http://pamelablog.wordpress.com/2008/06 ... sses-deep/

[UrPal]

Presumably the musical accompaniment to the live recital of A Thousand Kisses Deep performed by Neil Larsen on keyboards is an original composition?

It works very well. Due to its unobtrusive nature, like Tahoma Trailer, it's easily overlooked.

I have always been taken with The Great Event and its Moonlight Sonata played backwards.

This has a similar classical quality.

[linmag]

I have been lucky enough to get to three of Leonard's concerts so far, and he has done A Thousand Kisses Deep at two of them. Each time it was a highlight of the evening for me. I love Leonard's speaking voice. I'm hoping he will do Morning Glory and/or To A Teacher on the Autumn leg of the tour. I was disappointed that nothing from Dear Heather was included in the current setlist.

I particularly like To A Teacher, because I had read somewhere about how Leonard started out in Montreal reciting his poems in smoky bars with jazz musicians jamming an accompaniment. I liked to think of him revisiting that format and possibly those memories. A Thousand Kisses Deep certainly seems to resonate with lots of people. Interestingly, it was one of the poems Philip Glass chose to set as part of his Book of Longing song cycle, despite the fact that Leonard had already done that one himself. Perhaps the new spoken version is partly Leonard's way of reclaiming the song/poem for himself.

[tomsakic]

1996 demo (different set of lyrics and Leonard's own melody - Sharon started the song all over again in 1999-2000) is now at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko7Pyz55ziU