"Tower of Song" is the keynote work of I'm
Your Man.
With it, Cohen wanted to "make a definitive statement about the heroic enterprise of the craft" of songwriting.
He had abandoned the song, but one night in Montreal he finished the lyrics and recorded it in one take with a toy synthesiser
lyrics
TOWER OF SONG
Well, my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day in the Tower of Song
I said to Hank Williams, how lonely does it get?
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
Oh, a hundred floors above me in the Tower of Song
SOLO
I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
They tied me to this table right here in the Tower of Song
So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll
I'm very sorry, baby, doesn't look like me at all
I'm standing by the window where the light is strong
Ah, they don't let a woman kill you, not in the Tower of Song
SOLO
Now, you can say that I've grown bitter but of this you may be sure
The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor
And there's a mighty judgment coming, but I may be wrong
You see, you hear these funny voices in the Tower of Song
I see you standing on the other side
I don't know how the river got so wide
I loved you baby, way back when
And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed
But I feel so close to everything that we lost
We'll never, we'll never have to lose it again
Now I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back
They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window in the Tower of Song
Yeah, my friends are gone and my hair is gray
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day in the Tower of Song
credits
from Cam Giles D A R K E R The Songs of Leonard Cohen,
released September 21, 2020
I wanted to say a special thanks to the band for putting in a massive effort and being so supportive and an inspiring mob to hang with. It has been a joy to record these songs with you all.
From Left To Right, Damon Grant : saxophone and electric horns, Lance Sua : guitar,
Cam Giles : vocals, piano, keys,Gavin Pearce : bass,Ryan Menezes : drums and percussion.
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