Cover art for Leonard Cohen by The Dreadnoughts
Jul. 1, 20071 viewer

Leonard Cohen Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Well you're living in disgrace, now heaven's in your face, turn to, turn to
When you're down to fucking walking, your hands are in your pocket, turn to, turn to

And your life is empty and black
For all of those little things you lack!

[Verse 2]
The only way to find what's going through your mind, turn to, turn to
And can't be somebody else, now tell about yourself, turn to, turn to

[Pre-Chorus]
But the truth hangs in the air, like a knife
You only get one shot at this life!

[Chorus]
Gotta find a reason, gotta find a way
Coming from the dark side, begging me to stray
Real Irish whiskey's coming out to play
Oh no, and so I choose, and it's not you!

[Verse 3]
And the ones you've left behind, end up tired, end up blind, turn to, turn to
Well, they're living on the streets, with their shadows on their feet, turn to, turn to

[Pre-Chorus]
Ah, they drink, and they screw, and they fight
And they sleep on the city streets at night!
[Chorus]
Gotta find a reason, gotta find a way
Coming from the dark side, begging me to stray
Real Irish whiskey's coming out to play
Oh no, and so I choose, and it's not you!

1,2,3,4!

[Bridge]
In a cold winter haze spent 17 days getting drunk at the Drake Motel
The light is glowing softly now, I'll see you down in hell
Never one for restraint, was never a saint, but you're nothing but a ghost in a shell
The light is glowing softly now, I'll see you down in hell!

[Pre-Chorus]
Ah, you fade like ashes in a night
And you're gone before the morning light!

[Chorus]
Gotta find a reason, gotta find a way
Coming from the dark side, begging me to stray
Real Irish whiskey's coming out to play
Oh no, and so I choose, and it's not you!

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

This song bio is unreviewed
Genius Annotation

The song title is a shoutout to the Canadian legend Leonard Cohen, known for a variety of songs with the most famous being the religious composition “Hallelujah.”

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Credits
Release Date
July 1, 2007
Tags
Comments