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Going Home Lyrics
I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit.
But he does say what I tell him
Even though it isn’t welcome
He will never have the freedom
To refuse
He will speak these words of wisdom
Like a sage, a man of vision
Though he knows he’s really nothing
But the brief elaboration of a tube
Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
To where it’s better
Than before.
Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without the costume
That I wore.
He wants to write a love song
An anthem of forgiving
A manual for living with defeat
A cry above the suffering
A sacrifice recovering
But that isn’t what I need him to complete.
I want to make him certain
That he doesn’t have a burden
That he doesn’t need a vision.
That he only has permission
To do my instant bidding
That is to SAY what I've told him.
To repeat
Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before.
Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without the costume
That I wore.
I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit.
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit.
But he does say what I tell him
Even though it isn’t welcome
He will never have the freedom
To refuse
Like a sage, a man of vision
Though he knows he’s really nothing
But the brief elaboration of a tube
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
To where it’s better
Than before.
Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without the costume
That I wore.
An anthem of forgiving
A manual for living with defeat
A cry above the suffering
A sacrifice recovering
But that isn’t what I need him to complete.
That he doesn’t have a burden
That he doesn’t need a vision.
That he only has permission
To do my instant bidding
That is to SAY what I've told him.
To repeat
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before.
Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without the costume
That I wore.
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit.
Song Info
Submitted by
realexkav On Feb 01, 2012
More Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah
Famous Blue Raincoat
Suzanne
First We Take Manhattan
Alexandra Leaving
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This song is from the point of view of God (or what ever entity you choose). He is explaining that he is using Leonard Cohen to say his message, for example: 'I love to speak to Leonard... He's a lazy bastard... But he does say what I tell him.' This is backed up by the lyrics 'He will speak these words of wisdom... Though he knows he's really nothing.' Again, this is God describing the way he is using LC as a muse or messenger.
And what's his message? When you die you leave your sorrow, your burden, and your 'costume' here on earth. He has instructed Leonard only to repeat this.
Now, of course this song is actually written by Leonard, he's just using an omniscient point of view to try to explain his own writing inspiration. What we can take from this is maybe he set about writing some songs about 'A love song', or 'an anthem of forgiving', etc, but instead feels divinely inspired to write about the release of one's burdens with inevitable death. It's really quite beautiful.
Those lyrics aren't right.
they're right now :)
they're right now :)
"Leonard" is Leonard Cohen or Patrick Leonard?
Obviously Cohen.. I've just read it “a lazy bastard living in a suit”
Obviously Cohen.. I've just read it “a lazy bastard living in a suit”