Tower of Song
Leonard Cohen, U2
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Well my friends are gone and my hair is grey I ache in the places where I used to play And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on I'm just paying my rent every day Oh in the Tower of Song I said to Hank Williams: how lonely does it get? Hank Williams hasn't answered yet But I hear him coughing all night long A hundred floors above me In the Tower of Song I was born like this, I had no choice I was born with the gift of a golden voice And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond They tied me to this table right here In the Tower of Song So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll I'm very sorry, baby, doesn't look like me at all I'm standing by the window where the light is strong Ah they don't let a woman kill you Not in the Tower of Song Now you can say that I've grown bitter but of this you may be sure The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor And there's a mighty judgment coming, but I may be wrong You see, you hear these funny voices In the Tower of Song I see you standing on the other side I don't know how the river got so wide I loved you baby, way back when And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed But I feel so close to everything that we lost We'll never have to lose it again Now I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back There moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone I'll be speaking to you sweetly From a window in the Tower of Song Yeah my friends are gone and my hair is gray I ache in the places where I used to play And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on I'm just paying my rent every day Oh in the Tower of Song
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Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Song Creation"Tower of Song" is a work of acclaimed Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen. It was written and produced for his 1988 album "I'm Your Man."
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Album's SuccessThe song was part of Cohen's most popular album "I'm Your Man", which reached number one in several countries including Norway and Canada.
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Meaning of the SongMany interpret "Tower of Song" as Cohen's reflection on his own position as a veteran songwriter and singer in the world of music — the "Tower" being a metaphor for the world of art where artists struggle to create and are judged by the audience.
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Live PerformancesCohen usually concluded his live shows with this song. This tradition started with his 1988 tour and continued until his last tour in 2013.
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Unique InstrumentThe song features a distinctive keyboard solo played on an instrument called a Synclavier – an expensive and sophisticated synthesizer popular in the 1980s.
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Inspired Other ArtistsSince its release, numerous artists have covered "Tower of Song". It has been performed by artists like Nick Cave, Martha Wainwright, and U2.
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Featured in FilmA live performance of "Tower of Song" by Leonard Cohen and U2 was featured in the 2006 documentary "Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man".
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Tribute to the SongArtists including Jarvis Cocker, Beth Orton, and The Handsome Family covered "Tower of Song" live at the Barbican Centre in London as a tribute to Cohen in 2014.
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Featured in LiteratureThe song and its lyrics have often been used in literature, most notably in Alan Moore's comic "Watchmen", where it was used to profound effect in underscoring the tragic life of one of the characters.
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Lyric ReferencesThe lyrics reference Hank Williams, an American singer-songwriter, and musician who Cohen greatly admired. "A hundred floors above me in the tower of song" implies Williams' influence and how this influence cannot be reached by Cohen, despite his efforts.
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Citation
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"Tower of Song Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Sep. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/14675395/Leonard+Cohen/Tower+of+Song>.
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