leonardcohenforum.com

couldn't tell if this has already been posted or if it's old news, but:

http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry ... poem_cohen

A Street


by Leonard Cohen
March 2, 2009

I used to be your favorite drunk
Good for one more laugh
Then we both ran out of luck
And luck was all we had

You put on a uniform
To fight the Civil War
I tried to join but no one liked
The side I’m fighting for

So let’s drink to when it’s over
And let’s drink to when we meet
I’ll be standing on this corner
Where there used to be a street

You left me with the dishes
And a baby in the bath
And you’re tight with the militias
You wear their camouflage

I guess that makes us equal
But I want to march with you
An extra in the sequel
To the old red-white-and-blue

So let’s drink to when it’s over
And let’s drink to when we meet
I’ll be standing on this corner
Where there used to be a street

I cried for you this morning
And I’ll cry for you again
But I’m not in charge of sorrow
So please don’t ask me when

I know the burden’s heavy
As you bear it through the night
Some people say it’s empty
But that doesn’t mean it’s light

So let’s drink to when it’s over
And let’s drink to when we meet
I’ll be standing on this corner
Where there used to be a street

It’s going to be September now
For many years to come
Every heart adjusting
To that strict September drum

I see the Ghost of Culture
With numbers on his wrist
Salute some new conclusion
Which all of us have missed

So let’s drink to when it’s over
And let’s drink to when we meet
I’ll be standing on this corner
Where there used to be a street

http://thedailyswarm.com/

It's actually the lyric for the new song. Leonard recited it during the Book of Longing promotion in May 2006. He said it's from the next album, music was composed by him and Anjani.

from the New Yorker Magazine

A Street
by Leonard Cohen

I used to be your favorite drunk

Good for one more laugh

Then we both ran out of luck

And luck was all we had



You put on a uniform

To fight the Civil War

I tried to join but no one liked

The side I’m fighting for



So let’s drink to when it’s over

And let’s drink to when we meet

I’ll be standing on this corner

Where there used to be a street



You left me with the dishes

And a baby in the bath

And you’re tight with the militias

You wear their camouflage



I guess that makes us equal

But I want to march with you

An extra in the sequel

To the old red-white-and-blue



So let’s drink to when it’s over

And let’s drink to when we meet

I’ll be standing on this corner

Where there used to be a street



I cried for you this morning

And I’ll cry for you again

But I’m not in charge of sorrow

So please don’t ask me when



I know the burden’s heavy

As you bear it through the night

Some people say it’s empty

But that doesn’t mean it’s light



So let’s drink to when it’s over

And let’s drink to when we meet

I’ll be standing on this corner

Where there used to be a street



It’s going to be September now

For many years to come

Every heart adjusting

To that strict September drum



I see the Ghost of Culture

With numbers on his wrist

Salute some new conclusion

Which all of us have missed



So let’s drink to when it’s over

And let’s drink to when we meet

I’ll be standing on this corner

Where there used to be a street

This is just a duplicate of viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13644 , which appears seven rows below. Please check before starting a new thread.

Awwww, Hydriot. It's pretty exciting to find one of Leonard's poems in the New Yorker... and with so many new threads in virtually every section... geez. Not the first time this has happened and it sure won't be the last.

I love that poem/song, Tashi. Thanks for posting it. I'm going to copy it for a co-worker, whose brother committed suicide last year [not sure which month now], but this resonates so strongly when I think of her and her family's difficult times in trying to come to terms with it, I really feel it's going to resonate with her and, in some non-descript way, bring her comfort.


~ Lizzy

Not sure if anyone else spotted this yet or not. In the March 2, 2009 issue of The New Yorker they have the poem/possible future song "A Street" published on page 44-45. As far as I can remember this is the first time this has ever been published. I know back in 2006 at the Indigo event in Toronto he recited it, but other than that, I think this is the first time this has been put out there for us to enjoy. It was printed in a box in the middle of a story about the violence in Kashmir. It is also availble online in the poetry section and can be viewed by following this link:


http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry ... poem_cohen

Wow, he hasn't lost his touch. Powerful stuff! Can't wait for the Grand Prarie concert!