Everybody Knows

Leonard Cohen

About Everybody Knows

"Everybody Knows" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen and collaborator Sharon Robinson. It has often been covered and used in soundtracks.


Year:
2014
7:00
120 
#2

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Give me back my broken night
My mirrored room, my secret life
It's lonely here,
There's no one left to torture
Give me absolute control
Over every living soul
And lie beside me, baby
That's an order

Give me crack and anal sex
Take the only tree that's left
And stuff it up the hole
In your culture
Give me back the berlin wall
Give me stalin and st paul
I've seen the future, brother
It is murder

Things are going to slide, slide in all directions
Won't be nothing
Nothing you can measure anymore
The blizzard, the blizzard of the world
Has crossed the threshold
And it has overturned
The order of the soul
When they said repent repent
I wonder what they meant
When they said repent repent
I wonder what they meant
When they said repent repent
I wonder what they meant

You don't know me from the wind
You never will, you never did
I'm the little jew
Who wrote the bible
I've seen the nations rise and fall
I've heard their stories, heard them all
But love's the only engine of survival
Your servant here, he has been told
To say it clear, to say it cold
It's over, it ain't going
Any further
And now the wheels of heaven stop
You feel the devil's riding crop
Get ready for the future:
It is murder

Things are going to slide 

There'll be the breaking of the ancient
Western code
Your private life will suddenly explode
There'll be phantoms
There'll be fires on the road
And the white man dancing
You'll see a woman
Hanging upside down
Her features covered by her fallen gown
And all the lousy little poets
Coming round
Tryin' to sound like charlie manson
And the white man dancin'

Give me back the berlin wall
Give me stalin and st paul
Give me christ
Or give me hiroshima
Destroy another fetus now
We don't like children anyhow
I've seen the future, baby
It is murder

Things are going to slide 

When they said repent repent

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Leonard Cohen

Leonard Norman Cohen, (September 21, 1934- November 7, 2016) CC GOQ, was a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist. His work often explored religion, isolation, sexuality, and interpersonal relationships. Cohen was inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. In 2011 Cohen received Prince of Asturias Award for literature. more »

30 fans

Written by: Leonard Cohen, Sharon Robinson

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Album Release
The song "Everybody Knows" was first released in Leonard Cohen's album, "I'm Your Man" in 1988.
Genre Classification
This song falls under the genre of Contemporary folk and Synth-pop.
Song Influences
Cohen had originally written the song in the format of ghazal, a form of Persian poetry that rhymes couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter.
Collaboration
Leonard Cohen co-wrote the song "Everybody Knows" with Sharon Robinson, who had previously collaborated with him on several projects.
Lyrical Meaning
The song is famous for its deep and heavy lyrics which reflect on life's inequalities and corruption in the world, possessing a rather grim or pessimistic view of the world.
Popular Culture
"Everybody Knows" has been featured in several soundtracks for films and TV shows, including "Exotica", "Pump Up the Volume", and most recently, "Justice League."
Cover Versions
A number of artists have covered this song, ranging from Concrete Blonde to Rufus Wainwright, signifying its enduring appeal and influence.
Critical Review
The song has been cited as a masterpiece of the late Cohen's songwriting skill, with Rolling Stone magazine describing it as "...a bleak prophecy about the end of the world, bitter to the bristles."
Language Adaptations
Leonard Cohen also recorded a French version of Everybody Knows, entitled "Tout le monde sait."
Live Performances
Although the song did not chart after its initial release, it became a staple of Cohen's live performances and is often cited as one of his most powerful works.

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