Leonard Cohen, l’album mythique du 27 décembre

par 7 Lames la Mer · Publié 28 décembre 2018 · Mis à jour 25 octobre 2021

Le 27 décembre 1967, un vinyle [33 tours] arrive dans les bacs et révolutionne la musique folk : «Songs of Leonard Cohen». Ce premier album du poète canadien contient déjà les chansons qui vont le rendre célèbre et indémodable : «Suzanne», «Master Song», «The Stranger Song», «So Long, Marianne»… Hommage à celui qui a pris son dernier train le 7 novembre 2016¹.

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Le spleen d’un génie

Suzanne • Master Song • Winter Lady • The Stranger Song • Sisters of Mercy • So Long, Marianne • Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye • Stories of the Street • Teachers • One of Us Cannot Be Wrong.

Les 10 titres qui composent le premier album de Leonard Cohen, intitulé «Songs of Leonard Cohen»², sont chacun un chef d’œuvre. Certains plus connus que d’autres, tous intimement constitutifs de l’univers «leonardien» dont on ne ressort pas indemne tant il est envoutant et empreint d’une atmosphère mélancolique et étrange.

Suzanne Verdal, muse qui a inspiré à Leonard Cohen, le poème 'Suzanne Takes You Down', publié dans le recueil 'Parasites of Heaven' (1966). Ce texte mis en musique deviendra le plus connu de Leonard Cohen, un 'tube planétaire'. Suzanne Verdal est aujourd'hui sans domicile fixe. — Suzanne Verdal, muse qui a inspiré à Leonard Cohen, le poème ‘Suzanne Takes You Down’, publié dans le recueil ‘Parasites of Heaven’ (1966). Ce texte mis en musique deviendra le plus connu de Leonard Cohen, un ‘tube planétaire’.

Sa voix grave et lente

Cette noirceur fascinante, presque lumineuse, persistera jusqu’au dernier opus : «You want it darker», que Leonard Cohen nous a livré un mois avant de mourir. Le spleen d’un génie.

Poète avant de devenir chanteur, Leonard Cohen sera mondialement connu en mettant ses textes en musique. Sa voix grave et lente a hanté bien des générations et continue à accomplir son œuvre.

Hommage avec deux textes majeurs de l’œuvre de Leonard Cohen : «The Stranger Song» et «Suzanne»³.

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7 Lames la Mer

The Stranger Song

It’s true that all the men you knew were dealers
Who said they were through with dealing
Every time you gave them shelter
I know that kind of man, it’s hard to hold the hand of anyone
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender (bis)

And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
You find he did not leave you very much, not even laughter
Like any dealer he was watching for the card that is so high and wild
He’ll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger (bis)

And then leaning on your window sill
He’ll say one day you caused his will
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
And then taking from his wallet
An old schedule of trains, he’ll say
I told you when I came I was a stranger (bis)

But now another stranger seems
To want you to ignore his dreams
As though they were the burden of some other
Oh, you’ve seen that man before
His golden arm dispatching cards
But now it’s rusted from the elbows to the finger
And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter
Yes, he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter

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Ah, you hate to see [watch] another tired man
Lay down his hand like he was giving up the holy game of poker
And while he talks his dreams to sleep you notice there’s a highway
That is curling up like smoke above his shoulder
[And suddenly you feel a little older]

You tell him to come in sit down
But something makes you turn around
The door is open you can’t close your shelter
You try the handle of the road, it opens, do not be afraid
It’s you my love, you who are the stranger
It is you my love, you who are the stranger

Well, I’ve been waiting, I was sure
We’d meet between the trains we’re waiting for
I think it’s time to board another
Please understand, I never had a secret chart
To get me to the heart of this or any other matter
Well, he talks like this you don’t know what he’s after
When he speaks like this you don’t know what he’s after

Let’s meet tomorrow if you choose
Upon the shore, beneath the bridge
That they are building on some endless river
Then he leaves the platform for the sleeping car that’s warm
You realize, he’s only advertising one more shelter
And it comes to you, he never was a stranger
And you say okay, the bridge or someplace later

Leonard Cohen

Suzanne

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by and you can spend the night beside her
And you know that she’s half crazy but that’s why you wanna 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

Leonard Cohen