Videos by American Songwriter
The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it’s done –
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it’s real,
A thousand kisses deep.
I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
You lose your grip, and then you slip
Into the masterpiece.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep:
You ditch it all to stay alive,
A thousand kisses deep.
From “A Thousand Kisses Deep”
Written by Leonard Cohen
As good a song as this is, it is based on a poem of Cohen’s by the same title that has many other sublime verses ( which he is constantly changing and adding to )
The first 2 are :
You came to me this morning
And you handled me like meat.
You´d have to be a man to know
How good that feels, how sweet.
My mirror twin, my next of kin,
I´d know you in my sleep.
And who but you would take me in
A thousand kisses deep?
I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat.
I´m just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet,
Who loved you with his frozen love
His second-hand physique –
With all he is, and all he was
A thousand kisses deep.
Also, you left out the last part of the song above, which is perhaps the best part, which goes:
Confined to sex, we pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
I made it to the forward deck
I blessed our remnant fleet –
And then consented to be wrecked,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
I love Leonard Cohen the man, his writing, and his music. I do find it quite funny though that this appears on American Song Writer, when Leonard is a Canadian. He might dwell in the USA, but the bottom line is he was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada….This site should be re-named North American Song Writer perhaps.
a thousand kisses deep to Leonard Cohen
today and every day
I saw him in St Louis on Nov 7. It was simply wonderful. He played the new songs, he played the old songs, he played 30 or so. 3 hrs.
Yes it may seem odd that the lyrics originate in Canada and this is the American Song Writer. However it is a competition, and entries are invited from the whole world.
Songwriters pay to enter and should have an equal chance.
But then there is also this version.
Thats why he’s so good.
All soaked in sex, and pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
We made it to the forward deck
I blessed our remnant fleet –
And then consented to be wrecked
A thousand kisses deep.
I know you had to lie to me,
I know you had to cheat.
But the Means no longer guarantee
The Virtue in Deceit.
That truth is bent, that beauty spent,
That style is obsolete –
Ever since the Holy Spirit went
A thousand kisses deep.
(So what about this Inner Light
That´s boundless and unique?
I´m slouching through another night
A thousand kisses deep.)
I´m turning tricks; I´m getting fixed,
I´m back on Boogie Street.
I tried to quit the business –
Hey, I´m lazy and I´m weak.
But sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go
A thousand kisses deep.
And fragrant is the thought of you,
The file on you complete –
Except what we forgot to do
A thousand kisses deep.
The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it´s done –
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it´s real
A thousand kisses deep.
I jammed with Diz and Dante –
I did not have their sweep –
But once or twice, they let me play
A thousand kisses deep.)
And I´m still working with the wine,
Still dancing cheek to cheek.
The band is playing “Auld Lang Syne” –
The heart will not retreat.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep –
You ditch it all to stay alive
A thousand kisses deep.
And now you are the Angel Death
now the Paraclete;
And now you are the Savior’s Breath
And now the Belsen heap.
No turning from the threat of love,
No transcendental leap –
As witnessed here in time and blood
A thousand kisses deep.
I love this man. Just found him on PBS by accident five or six years ago and have been hooked every since. Saw him at the Fox in Atlanta in October 2009. One of the best concerts I have ever seen. Love his music, he is so talented. Hope he’ll tour again.
I found Leonard Cohen late in life. I might have heard him earlier but I honestly don’t remember. However, every word he sings (or speaks) must be heard more than once to really be appreciated. I can’t get enough of him. What more can I say?
I discovered Leonard Cohen in the sixties… and never stopped listening to his songs and reading his poems. He is very important in my life. I was speaking only French when I first heard him sang «The Partisan» and after hearing «Suzanne», I decided that it was time to learn English ! Yesterday I bought his DVD of his London concert in 2009 and is very happy with it. You cannot be deceived when it is Leonard Cohen.
Lisa found his music and passed it on to me. Ever since we are both fans and keep each other up to date.
When I see Linda and Jonathan track’n my direction is confirmed.