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| Love Shrine |
March 14, 2012
When the Piosenki polski blog today featured the lyrics and a video of Leonard Cohen's "Priests", it reminded me of a wonderful original version that I saw performed at the Leonard Cohen Krakow Event in August, 2010. In Krakow, Henning Franz set the words of Leonard Cohen to music of his own composition.
And who will write love songs for you
when I am lord at last
and your body is some little highway shrine
that all my priests have passed,
that all my priests have passed?
My priests they will put flowers there,
they will stand before the glass,
but they'll wear away your little window, love,
they will trample on the grass,
they will trample on the grass.
And who will aim the arrow
that men will follow through your grace
when I am lord of memory
and all your armour has turned to lace,
and all your armour has turned to lace?
The simple life of heroes,
and the twisted life of saints,
they just confuse the sunny calendar
with their red and golden paints,
with their red and golden paints.
And all of you have seen the dance,
that God has kept from me,
but he has seen me watching you
when all your minds were free
when all your minds were free.
And who will write love songs for you ...
My priests they will put flowers there ...
uploaded by: AlbionDavid
Music by Henning Franz, set to a poem by Leonard Cohen.
"Priests" performed an the Leonard Cohen 2010 Krakow Event on August 7 at the Manggha Centre.
Additional notes by Franz Henning
The song is called Priests. It appeared on the first LC songbook that I bought, called Songs from Leonard Cohen.
Way back then I tried to play it according to the tabulature in the songbook, but never really got it. So after I started to create my own melodies to Leonard's poems in 2000, early this year I created my own take on Priests and this is the result. Leonards lyrics are
And who will write love songs for you when I am lord at last and your body is some little highway shrine that all my priests have passed
My priests they will put flowers there they will stand before the glass and they wear away your little window love they will trample on the grass
And who will aim the arrow that men will follow thru your grace when I am lord of memory and all your armour has turned to lace
And all of you have seen the dance that God has kept from me but he has seen me watching you when all your minds where free
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In sheet music for the album "Songs From A Room", a song titled "Priests" was included, and
although reportedly recorded, it didn't appear on the actual LP or any
other Cohen record. The song was recorded by Judy Collins on her 1967 album Wildflowers, and by Richie Havens on his 1969 album Richard P. Havens, 1983 (Wikipedia)
Congratulations. You've won a LIEBSTER AWARD. Go to Heck Of A Guy to collect your prize.
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