written by Leonard Cohen
Intro: F
F C Eb
Field Commander Cohen, he was our most important spy
Bb
Wounded in the line of duty
Gm F Cm
Parachuting acid into diplomatic cocktail parties
Eb Bb Fm
Urging Fidel Castro to abandon fields and castles
Eb Gm
Leave it all and like a man
Eb Gm
Oh come back to nothing special
Dm
Such as waiting rooms and ticket lines
Gm Dm
And silver bullet suicides
Gm Dm
And messianic ocean tides
Gm Dm
And racial roller-coaster rides
Eb D /a
And other forms of boredom advertised as poetry
Em G
I know you need your sleep now
D
I know your life's been hard
Em G
But many men have fallen
D
Where you promised to stand guard
F C Eb
I never asked but I heard that you cast your lot along with the poor
Bb
How come I overheard your prayer
Gm
That you be this and nothing more
F Cm Eb
Than just some grateful faithful woman's favourite singing millionaire
Bb Fm Eb Gm
The patron Saint of envy and the grocer of despair
A D
Working for the Yankee dollar
D
Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola
A
Go down Point Koomahnah
Both mother and daughter
D /a
Working for the Yankee dollar
Em G
I know you need your sleep now
D
I know your life's been hard
Em G
But many men have fallen
D
Where you promised to stand guard
F C Eb
Ah, lover come and lie with me, if my lover is who you really are
Bb Gm
And be your sweetest self awhile until I ask for more, my child
F Cm Eb
Then let your other selves be wrong, yeah, let them manifest and come
Bb Fm
Till love is pierced and love is hung
Eb Gm
And every taste is on the tongue
Eb Gm
And every kind of freedom done, then
Dm Bb Dm Bb Dm Bb
Oh my love, oh, oh my love, oh my love
Dm Bb Dm
Oh my love