Leonard Cohen

Baby, I've been waiting,
I've been waiting night and day.
I didn't see the time,
I waited half my life away.
There were lots of invitations
and I know you sent me some,
but I was waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

I know you really loved me.
but, you see, my hands were tied.
I know it must have hurt you,
it must have hurt your pride
to have to stand beneath my window
with your bugle and your drum,
and me I'm up there waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

Ah I don't believe you'd like it,
You wouldn't like it here.
There ain't no entertainment
and the judgements are severe.
The Maestro says it's Mozart
but it sounds like bubble gum
when you're waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

Waiting for the miracle
There's nothing left to do.
I haven't been this happy
since the end of World War II.

Nothing left to do
when you know that you've been taken.
Nothing left to do
when you're begging for a crumb
Nothing left to do
when you've got to go on waiting
waiting for the miracle to come.

I dreamed about you, baby.
It was just the other night.
Most of you was naked
Ah but some of you was light.
The sands of time were falling
from your fingers and your thumb,
and you were waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

Ah baby, let's get married,
we've been alone too long.
Let's be alone together.
Let's see if we're that strong.
Yeah let's do something crazy,
something absolutely wrong
while we're waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

Nothing left to do ...

When you've fallen on the highway
and you're lying in the rain,
and they ask you how you're doing
of course you'll say you can't complain --
If you're squeezed for information,
that's when you've got to play it dumb:
You just say you're out there waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

Written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
And everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor and the rich get rich
That's how it goes
And everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
That their father or their dog just died
Everybody talkin' to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long stem rose
And everybody knows

( chorus )
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes, and everybody

Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Give or take a night or two
Everbody knows that you've been discret
There were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows

Everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
Everybody knows that you live forever
When you've done a line or two
And everybody knows that the deal is rotten
Old black joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows

( chorus x2 )

Everbody knows that the plaque is comin'
Everybody knows that it's movin' fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows that the scene is dead,
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose,
What everybody knows

Everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of calvary
To the beach at malibu
And everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this sacred heart
Before it blows,
And everybody knows

( chorus )

Maybe I'm still hurting
I can't turn the other cheek
But you know that I still love you
It's just that I can't speak
I looked for you in everyone
And they called me on that too
I lived alone but I was only
Coming back to you
Ah they're shutting down the

Oh the sisters of mercy
They are not departed or gone
They were waiting for me
When I thought that I just can't go on
And they brought me their comfort
And later they brought me this song
Oh I hope you run into them
You who've been travelling so long.

Yes, you who must leave everything
That you cannot control
It begins with your family
But soon it comes around to your soul
Well I've been where you're hanging
I think I can see how you're pinned
When you're not feeling holy
Your loneliness says that you've sinned.

Well they lay down beside me
I made my confession to them
They touched both my eyes
And I touched the dew on their hem
If your life is a leaf
That the seasons tear off and condemn
they will bind you with love
That is graceful and green as a stem.

When I left they were sleeping
I hope you run into them soon
Don't turn on the lights
You can read their address by the moon
And you won't make me jealous
If I hear that they sweetened your night
We weren't lovers like that
And besides it would still be all right
We weren't lovers like that
And besides it would still be all right

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah

It's four the morning
the end of December
I'm writing you now, to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening
I hear that you're building
your little house
deep in the desert
You're living for nothing, though
I hope you're keeping some kind of record, yes.
Jane came by with a lock of your hair
she said that you gave it to her
on the night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?
Last time I saw you
you looked so much older
your famous blue raincoat
was torn at the shoulder
I went to the station
to meet every train
but you came home alone without Lily Marlen
You treated my woman to a flake of your life
and when she came back
she was nobody's wife, well
I see you there with a rose in your teeth
jut one more thin gypsy thief
I see Jane's awake
She sends her regards.
What can I tell you
my brother, my killer
what can I possibly say
I guess that I miss you
I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way
If you ever come by here
for Jane or for me
Well, your enemy is sleeping now
and his woman is free, well
Thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there
for good
so I never tried
And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that she gave it to her
on the night that you planned to go clear
Sincerely, L. Cohen

Leonard Cohen - Ain't No Cure For Love Lyrics I loved you for a long, long time I know this love is real It don't matter how it all went wrong That don't change the way I feel And I can't believe that time's Gonna heal this wound I'm speaking of There ain't no cure, There ain't no cure, There ain't no cure for love I'm aching for you baby I can't pretend I'm not I need to see you naked In your body and your thought I've got you like a habit And I'll never get enough There ain't no cure, There ain't no cure, There ain't no cure for love There ain't no cure for love There ain't no cure for love All the rocket ships are climbing through the sky The holy books are open wide The doctors working day and night But they'll never ever find that cure for love There ain't no drink no drug (Ah tell them, angels) There's nothing pure enough to be a cure for love I see you in the subway and I see you on the bus I see you lying down with me, I see you waking up I see your hand, I see your hair Your bracelets and your brush And I call to you, I call to you But I don't call soft enough There ain't no cure, There ain't no cure, There ain't no cure for love I walked into this empty church I had no place else to go When the sweetest voice I ever heard, whispered to my soul I don't need to be forgiven for loving you so much It's written in the scriptures It's written there in blood I even heard the angels declare it from above There ain't no cure, There ain't no cure, There ain't no cure for love There ain't no cure for love There ain't no cure for love All the rocket ships are climbing through the sky The holy books are open wide The doctors working day and night But they'll never ever find that cure, That cure for love

If you want a lover
I'll do anything you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love
I'll wear a mask for you
If you want a partner, hold my hand
If you want to strike me down in anger
Here I stand
Baby I'm your man

If you want a boxer
I will step into the ring for you
And if you want a doctor
I'll examine every inch of you
If you want a driver, climb inside
Or if you want to take me for a ride
You know you can
Baby I'm your man

The moon's too bright
The chain's too tight
The beast won't go to sleep
I've been running through these promises to you
That I made and I could not keep

But a man never got a woman back
Not by begging on his knees
Or I'd crawl to you baby
I'd fall at your feet
And I'd howl at your beauty
Like a dog in heat
And I'd claw at your heart
And I'd tear at your sheet
I'd say please
I'm your man

And if you gotta sleep a moment on the road
I will steer for you
And if yo want to work the street alone
I'll disappear for you
If you want a father for your child
Or only want to walk with me a while
Across the sand
Baby I'm your man
I'm your man

If you want a lover, I'm your man
If you want a boxer, I'm your man
If you want a doctor, I'm your man

Leonard Cohen
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.

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

She stands before you naked
You can see it, you can taste it
But she comes to you
Light as the breeze
You can drink or you can nurse it
It don't matter how you worship
As long as you're
Down on your knees

So I knelt there at the delta
At the alpha and the omega
At the cradle of the river
And the seas
And like a blessing come from heaven,
For something like a second,
I was healed, and my heart
Was at ease

O baby I waited
So long for your kiss
For something to happen
Oh - something like this

And you're weak and you're harmless
And you're sleeping in your harness
And the wind going wild
In the trees
And it's not exactly prison
But you'll never be forgiven
For whatever you've done
With the keys

O baby I waited
So long for your kiss
For something to happen
Oh - something like this

It's dark and it's snowing
Oh my love I must be going
The river is starting to freeze
And I'm sick of pretending
I'm broken from bending
I've lived too long
On my knees

And she dances so graceful
And your heart's hard and hateful
And she's naked
But that's just a tease
And you turn in disgust
From your hatred and from your love
And she comes to you
Light as the breeze

O baby I waited
So long for your kiss
For something to happen
Oh - something like this

There's blood on every bracelet
You can see it, you can taste it
And it's please baby
Please baby please
And she says, drink deeply, pilgrim
But don't forget there's still a woman
Beneath this
Resplendent chemise

So I knelt at the delta
At the alpha and the omega
I knelt there
Like one who believes
And like a blessing come from heaven
For something like a second
I was cured, and my heart
Was at ease

O baby I waited
So long for your kiss
For something to happen
Oh - something like this

Story of Isaac
The door it opened slowly,
my father he came in,
I was nine years old.
And he stood so tall above me,
his blue eyes they were shining
and his voice was very cold.
He said, "I've had a vision
and you know I'm strong and holy,
I must do what I've been told."
So he started up the mountain,
I was running, he was walking,
and his axe was made of gold.
Well, the trees they got much smaller,
the lake a lady's mirror,
we stopped to drink some wine.
Then he threw the bottle over.
Broke a minute later
and he put his hand on mine.
Thought I saw an eagle
but it might have been a vulture,
I never could decide.
Then my father built an altar,
he looked once behind his shoulder,
he knew I would not hide.

You who build these altars now
to sacrifice these children,
you must not do it anymore.
A scheme is not a vision
and you never have been tempted
by a demon or a god.
You who stand above them now,
your hatchets blunt and bloody,
you were not there before,
when I lay upon a mountain
and my father's hand was trembling
with the beauty of the word.

And if you call me brother now,
forgive me if I inquire,
"Just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must,
I will help you if I can.
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must,
I will kill you if I can.
And mercy on our uniform,
man of peace or man of war,
the peacock spreads his fan.

Maybe I'm still hurting
I can't turn the other cheek
But you know that I still love you
It's just that I can't speak
I looked for you in everyone
And they called me on that too
I lived alone but I was only
Coming back to you
Ah they're shutting down the

So we'll go no more a-roving
So late into the night
Though the heart be still as loving
And the moon be still as bright
For the sword outwears its sheath
And the soul outwears the breast
And the heart must pause to breathe
And love itself have rest
Though the night was made for loving
And the day returns too soon
Yet we'll go no more a-roving
By the light of the moon

Because of a few songs
Wherein I spoke of their mystery
Women have been
Exceptionally kind
To my old age
They make a secret place
In their busy lives
And they take me there
They become naked
In their different ways
and they say

"Look at me, Leonard
Look at me one last time."
Then they bend over the bed
And cover me up
Like a baby that is shivering

You never liked to get
The letters that I sent
But now you've got the gist
Of what my letters meant

You're reading them again
The ones you didn't burn
You press them to your lips
My pages of concern

I said there'd been a flood
I said there's nothing left
I hoped that you would come
I gave you my address

Your story was so long
The plot was so intense
It took you years to cross
The lines of self-defense

The wounded forms appear
The loss, the full extent
And simple kindness here
The solitude of strength

You walk into my room
You stand there at my desk
Begin your letter to
The one who's coming next

I set out one night
When the tide was low
There were signs in the sky
But I did not know
I'd be caught in the grip
Of the undertow
Ditched on a beach
Where the sea hates to go
With a child in my arms
And a chill in my soul
And my heart the shape
Of a begging bowl

No words this time?
No words
No, there are times when nothing can be done
Not this time
Is it censorship?
Is it censorship?
No, it's evaporation
No, it's evaporation

Is this leading somewhere?
Yes
We're going down the lane
Is this going somewhere?
Into the garden
Into the backyard
We're walking down the driveway
Are we moving towards
We're in the backyard
Some transcendental moment?
It's almost light
That's right
That's it

Are we moving towards some transcendental moment?
That's right
That's it
Do you think you'll be able to pull it off?
Yes. Do you think you can pull it off?
Yes, it might happen
I'm all ears
I'm all ears
Oh the morning glory!

Some people say
It's what we deserve
For sins against g-d
For crimes in the world
I wouldn't know
I'm just holding the fort
Since that day
They wounded New York
Some people say
They hate us of old
Our women unveiled
Our slaves and our gold
I wouldn't know
I'm just holding the fort
But answer me this
I won't take you to court
Did you go crazy
Or did you report
On that day
On that day
They wounded New York

From bitter searching of the heart
Quickened with passion and with pain
We rise to play a greater part
This is the faith from which we start
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart
We loved the easy and the smart
But now, with keener hand and brain
We rise to play a greater part
The lesser loyalties depart
And neither race nor creed remain
From bitter searching of the heart
Not steering by the venal chart
That tricked the mass for private gain
We rise to play a greater part
Reshaping narrow law and art
Whose symbols are the millions slain
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part
This is the faith from which we start
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part
The lesser loyalties depart
And neither race nor creed remain
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part
Reshaping narrow law and art
Whose symbols are the millions slain
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part
This is the faith from which we start
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part
This is the faith from which we start
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part
Not steering by the venal chart
That tricked the mass for private gain
We rise to play a greater part
Reshaping narrow law and art
Whose symbols are the millions slain
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part

When it all went down
And the pain came through
I get it now
I was there for you
Don't ask me how
I know it's true
I get it now
I was there for you
I make my plans
Like I always do
But when I look back
I was there for you
I walk the streets
Like I used to do
And I freeze with fear
But I'm there for you
I see my life
In full review
It was never me
It was always you
You sent me here
You sent me there
Breaking things
I can't repair
Making objects
Out of thoughts
Making more
By thinking not
Eating food
And drinking wine
A body that
I thought was mine
Dressed as Arab
Dressed as Jew
O mask of iron
I was there for you
Moods of glory
Moods so foul
The world comes through
A bloody towel
And death is old
But it's always new
I freeze with fear
And I'm there for you
I see it clear
I always knew
It was never me
I was there for you
I was there for you
My darling one
And by your law
It all was done
Don't ask me how
I know it's true
I get it now
I was there for you
Don't ask me how
I know it's true
I get it now
I was there for you
Don't ask me how
I know it's true
I get it now
I was there for you

Dear Heather
Please walk by me again
With a drink in your hand
And your legs all white From the winter
And your legs all white From the winter
Dear Heather
Please walk by me again
With a drink in your hand
And your legs all white From the winter
And your legs all white From the winter
And your legs all white From the winter
Dear Heather
Please walk by me again
With a drink in your hand
And your legs all white From the winter
And your legs all white From the winter
And your legs all white From the winter
Dear Heather
Please walk by me again
With a drink in your hand
And your legs all white From the winter
And your legs all white From the winter

I built my house beside the wood
So I could hear you singing
And it was sweet and it was good
And love was all beginning
Fare thee well my nightingale
It was long ago I found you
Now all your songs of beauty fail
The forest closes around you
The sun goes down behind a veil
It is now that you would call me
So rest in peace my nightingale
Beneath your branch of holly
Fare thee well my nightingale
It was long ago I found you
Now all your songs of beauty fail
The forest closes around you
Fare thee well my nightingale
I lived but to be near you
Tho' you are singing somewhere still
I can no longer hear you

Hurt once and for all into silence
A long pain ending without a song to prove it
Who could stand beside you so close to Eden
When you glinted in every eye the held-high razor,
shivering every ram and son?
And now the silent loony bin, where
The shadows live in the rafters like Day-weary bats
Until the turning mind, a radar signal
Lures them to exaggerate
Mountain-size on the white stone wall
Your tiny limp
How can I leave you in such a house?
Are there no more saints and wizards
To praise their ways with pupils
No more evil to stun with the slap
Of a wet red tongue?
Did you confuse the Messiah in a mirror
And rest because he had finally come?
Let me cry Help beside you, Teacher
I have entered under this dark roof
As fearlessly as an honoured son
Enters his father's house

I was dancing with my darlin'
To the Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see
Introduced him to my loved one
And while they were waltzing
My friend stole my sweetheart from me

I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz
Now I know just how much I have lost
Yes I lost my little darlin'
The night they were playing
The beautiful Tennessee Waltz

She comes dancing through the darkness
To the Tennessee Waltz
And I feel like I'm falling apart
And it's stronger than drink
And it's deeper than sorrow
This darkness she's left in my heart

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening.

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake --

She sends her regards.

And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear --

Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone.
They were waiting for me when I thought that I just can't go on.
And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song.
Oh I hope you run into them, you who've been travelling so long.
Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control.
It begins with your family, but soon it comes around to your soul.
Well I've been where you're hanging, I think I can see how you're pinned:
When you're not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you've sinned.

Well they lay down beside me, I made my confession to them.
They touched both my eyes and I touched the dew on their hem.
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn
they will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem.

When I left they were sleeping, I hope you run into them soon.
Don't turn on the lights, you can read their address by the moon.
And you won't make me jealous if I hear that they sweetened your night:
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right,
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right.

It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening.

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake --

She sends her regards.

And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear --

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes, everybody knows

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long stem rose, everybody knows

Everybody knows that you love me, baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah, give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes and everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes, everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes, everybody knows

And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah, when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows and everybody knows

And everybody knows that the plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose what everybody knows

And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this sacred heart
Before it blows and everybody knows

And everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes, everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes, oh, everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes, everybody knows
Everybody knows

Oh, the sisters of mercy
They are not departed or gone
They were waiting for me
When I thought that I just can't go on

And they brought me their comfort
And later they brought me this song
Oh, I hope you run into them
You, who've been traveling so long

Yes, you who must leave everything
That you cannot control
It begins with your family
But soon it comes around to your soul

Well, I've been where you're hanging
And I think, I can see how you're pinned
When you're not feeling holy
Your loneliness says, that you've sinned

Well, they lay down beside me
I made my confessions to them
They touched both my eyes
And I touched the dew on their hem

If your life is a leaf
That the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind you with love
That is graceful and green as a stem

When I left they were sleeping
And I hope you run into them soon
Don't turn on the lights
You can read their address by the moon

And you won't make me jealous
If I find that they've sweetened your night
We weren't lovers like that
And besides it would still be all right
We weren't lovers like that
And besides it would still be all right

Rousseau walks on trumpet paths
Safaris to the heart of all that jazz
Through I bars and girders-through wires and pipes
The mathematic circuits of the modern nights
Through huts, through Harlem, through jails and gospel pews
Through the class on Park and the trash on Vine
Through Europe and the deep deep heart of Dixie blue
Through savage progress cuts the jungle line

In a low-cut blouse she brings the beer
Rousseau paints a jungle flower behind her ear
Those cannibals-of shuck and jive
They'll eat a working girl like her alive
With his hard-edged eye and his steady hand
He paints the cellar full of ferns and orchid vines
And he hangs a moon above a five-piece band
He hangs it up above the jungle line

The jungle line, the jungle line
Screaming in a ritual of sound and time
Floating, drifting on the air-conditioned wind
And drooling for a taste of something smuggled in
Pretty women funneled through valves and smoke
Coy and bitchy, wild and fine
And charging elephants and chanting slaving boats
Charging, chanting down the jungle line

There's a poppy wreath on a soldier's tomb
There's a poppy snake in a dressing room
Poppy poison-poppy tourniquet
It slithers away on brass like mouthpiece spit
And metal skin and ivory birds
Go steaming up to Rousseau's vines
They go steaming up to Brooklyn Bridge
Steaming, steaming, steaming up the jungle line

I loved you for a long, long time
I know this love is real
It don't matter how it all went wrong
That don't change the way I feel
And I can't believe that time's
Gonna heal this wound I'm speaking of
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

I'm aching for you baby
I can't pretend I'm not
I need to see you naked
In your body and your thought
I've got you like a habit
And I'll never get enough
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
All the rocket ships are climbing through the sky
The holy books are open wide
The doctors working day and night
But they'll never ever find that cure for love
There ain't no drink no drug
(Ah tell them, angels)
There's nothing pure enough to be a cure for love

I see you in the subway and I see you on the bus
I see you lying down with me, I see you waking up
I see your hand, I see your hair
Your bracelets and your brush
And I call to you, I call to you
But I don't call soft enough
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

I walked into this empty church I had no place else to go
When the sweetest voice I ever heard, whispered to my soul
I don't need to be forgiven for loving you so much
It's written in the scriptures
It's written there in blood
I even heard the angels declare it from above
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure,
There ain't no cure for love

There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
All the rocket ships are climbing through the sky
The holy books are open wide
The doctors working day and night
But they'll never ever find that cure,
That cure for love