On 26 September 1968 Leonard Cohen recorded his song "Bird on the Wire" for his album "Songs from a Room." (Judy Collins had recorded it in 1968.) He remarked that "I always begin my concert with this song. It seems to return me to my duties. It was begun in Greece and finished in a motel in Hollywood around 1969 along with everything else. Some lines were changed in Oregon. I can't seem to get it perfect. Kris Kristofferson informed me that I had stolen part of the melody from another Nashville writer. He also said that he's putting the first couple of lines on his tombstone, and I'll be hurt if he doesn't." (The melodic theft was probably John D. Loudermilk's "Turn Me On," recorded in 1961 by Mark Dinning and in 2002 by Norah Jones.)
Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free. Like a worm on a hook, like a knight from some old fashioned book I have saved all my ribbons for thee.
If I, if I have been unkind, I hope that you can just let it go by. If I, if I have been untrue I hope you know it was never to you.
Like a baby, stillborn, like a beast with his horn I have torn everyone who reached out for me. But I swear by this song and by all that I have done wrong I will make it all up to thee.
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch, he said to me, "You must not ask for so much." And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door, she cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"
Oh like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free
He frequently changed the lyrics when he sang it live. During his 1979 tour he sang "I have tried in my way to be free. / Like a worm on a hook, Like a monk bending over the book /it was the shape of our love that twisted me." By 2008 it had evolved to
Like a bird on the wire Like a drunk in an old midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free Like a worm on a hook Like a knight bent down in some old-fashioned book It was the shape of our love that twisted me
If I have been unkind if I have been unkind I hope you can find the way to let it all go right on by if I have been untrue if I have been untrue It’s just that I thought a lover had to be some kind of liar too
Like a little baby stillborn Like a beast with his horn I have torn everyone who reached out for me But I swear by this song By all that I have done wrong I will make it all up to thee
Ah, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry anymore It’s over now, it’s done, it has been paid for I said don’t cry, don’t cry, you were always the one It was you that the longing was made for
Like a bird on the wire Like a drunk in an old midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free
On 26 September 1968 Leonard Cohen recorded his song "Bird on the Wire" for his album "Songs from a Room." (Judy Collins had recorded it in 1968.) He remarked that "I always begin my concert with this song. It seems to return me to my duties. It was begun in Greece and finished in a motel in Hollywood around 1969 along with everything else. Some lines were changed in Oregon. I can't seem to get it perfect. Kris Kristofferson informed me that I had stolen part of the melody from another Nashville writer. He also said that he's putting the first couple of lines on his tombstone, and I'll be hurt if he doesn't." (The melodic theft was probably John D. Loudermilk's "Turn Me On," recorded in 1961 by Mark Dinning and in 2002 by Norah Jones.)
ReplyDeleteLike a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Like a worm on a hook,
like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee.
If I, if I have been unkind,
I hope that you can just let it go by.
If I, if I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you.
Like a baby, stillborn,
like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me.
But I swear by this song
and by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee.
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch,
he said to me, "You must not ask for so much."
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door,
she cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"
Oh like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
He frequently changed the lyrics when he sang it live. During his 1979 tour he sang "I have tried in my way to be free. / Like a worm on a hook, Like a monk bending over the book /it was the shape of our love that twisted me." By 2008 it had evolved to
Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in an old midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a worm on a hook
Like a knight bent down in some old-fashioned book
It was the shape of our love that twisted me
If I have been unkind
if I have been unkind
I hope you can find the way to let it all go right on by
if I have been untrue
if I have been untrue
It’s just that I thought a lover had to be some kind of liar too
Like a little baby stillborn
Like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me
But I swear by this song
By all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee
Ah, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry anymore
It’s over now, it’s done, it has been paid for
I said don’t cry, don’t cry, you were always the one
It was you that the longing was made for
Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in an old midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free