The Future:

Democracy

written by Leonard Cohen

Intro: C#

      C#             F#           C#
It's coming through a hole in the air
            C#        G#          C#
From those nights in Tiananmen Square
      F#
It's coming from the feel
          B              F#
That this ain't exactly real
         C#
Or it's real, but it ain't exactly there
          F     Fsus4    F
From the wars against disorder
          A#m/f  Fsus4     A#m/f
From the sirens night and day
          F    Fsus4       F
From the fires of the homeless
         A#m/f Fsus4   A#m/f
From the ashes of the gay:
   G#              F#          C# . . . |F#m . . . |C# . . . |F#m . . . |
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

C# . . . |. . . . |. . . . |. . . . |

It's coming through a crack in the wall
On a visionary flood of alcohol
From the staggering account
Of the Sermon on the Mount
Which I don't pretend to understand at all
It's coming from the silence
On the dock of the bay
From the brave, the bold, the battered
Heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the sorrow on the street
The holy places where the races meet
From the homicidal bitchin'
That goes down in every kitchen
To determine who will serve and who will eat
From the wells of disappointment
Where the women kneel to pray
For the grace of God in the desert here
And the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

     G#       F#
Sail on, sail on
   C#
O mighty Ship of State!
         G#
To the Shores of Need
          F#
Past the Reefs of Greed
              C#
Through the Squalls of Hate
     D#m  G#       F#       C#
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on

It's coming to America first
The cradle of the best and of the worst
It's here they got the range
And the machinery for change
And it's here they got the spiritual thirst
It's here the family is broken
And it's here the lonely say
That the heart has got to open
In a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the women and the men
O baby, we'll be making love again
We'll be going down so deep
That the river's going to weep
And the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
Beneath the lunar sway
Imperial, mysterious
In amorous array:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on

I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean:
I love the country but I can't stand the scene
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight
Getting lost in that hopeless little screen
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
That Time cannot decay
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
This little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Guitarist friendly version

Capo 1st fret

Intro: C

      C              F            C
It's coming through a hole in the air
            C         G           C
From those nights in Tiananmen Square
      F
It's coming from the feel
          Bb             F
That this ain't exactly real
         C
Or it's real, but it ain't exactly there
          E     Esus4    E
From the wars against disorder
          Am/e   Esus4     Am/e
From the sirens night and day
          E    Esus4       E
From the fires of the homeless
         Am/e  Esus4   Am/e
From the ashes of the gay:
   G               F           C . . . |Fm . . . |C . . . |Fm . . . |
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

C . . . |. . . . |. . . . |. . . . |

...

     G        F
Sail on, sail on
   C
O mighty Ship of State!
         G
To the Shores of Need
          F
Past the Reefs of Greed
              C
Through the Squalls of Hate
     Dm   G        F        C
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on

...