On the occasion the release of his latest long-playing record, ‘Thanks for the Dance’, here’s a song of thanks for Leonard Cohen.
A Singer Sang a Song
To you, far off but sailing near,
to you, so close you disappear,
and you, whose distance is unclear –
a singer did not get you wrong,
a singer sang your very song,
a singer sang your song.
To you, who chose to choose your face,
to you, who grew a carapace,
and you, stealing another’s grace –
a singer did not get you wrong,
a singer sang your very song,
a singer sang your song.
A singer backed your alibis
and bought into your schemes,
a singer credited your lies,
anatomised your dreams,
a singer gathered every word
and made of them a song,
and then he chuckled as he heard
you start to sing along –
to you, who narrowed into bone,
to you, who fought to be alone,
and you, whose chair became a throne –
a singer did not get you wrong,
a singer sang your very song,
a singer sang your song.
