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The Partisan

Leonard Cohen

Text File

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##

subject: c/leonard_cohen/partisan.tab

Leonard Cohen: The Partisan (La Complainte du Partisan)
               (French text: Bernard, Music: Anna Marly,
                English text: Hy Saret)
               from the CD's "Songs from a room", "Greatest Hits" and
               "Heart Housed in a Thorn Bush" (Live at Montreux, 1984)


the pattern I play I've learned from a friend (erwin). Its easier to play,
but may be there is a certain loss of quality.

 erwins pattern

  Am                          C*               E*
e:----------0---------------|-----------0---|-----------0--|
B:-------1-----1------------|--------1------|--------0-----|
G:----2-----------2-----2---|-----0---------|-----1--------|
D:-------------------2------|---------------|--------------|
A:-0------------------------|--3------------|--------------|
E:--------------------------|---------------|--0-----------|
   p  i  m  a  m  i  p  i      p  i  m  a      p  i  m  a


The pattern is played two times per bar (indicated by / in first verse).
In the first and second line of every verse there are three chords per bar
and i play the pattern C* and E*.

Cohen plays ?don't really know?

   Am                                  C*                    E*
e:-------------------------0----------|--------------------|-------------------|
B:-------1--------1-----1-----------1-|--------1--------1--|--------0--------0-|
G:----2--------2-----2-----------2----|-----0--------0-----|-----1--------1----|
D:----------2-----------------2-------|-----------2--------|-----------2-------|
A:-0----------------------------------|--3-----------------|--2----------------|
E:------------------------------------|--------------------|-------------------|
   p  i  m  p  i  m  p  i  m  p  i  m    etc.

 There are twentyfour notes (triplets) per bar, to much for my fingers.


Am  Am  / Am   Am

         /C*       E*        Am
When they poured a-cross the border
     /C*        E*     Am
I was cautioned to sur-render,
      /C         G   /G (2/4)
this I could not do;
F           F          /C       E  /Am  Am/Am  Am
  I took my gun and van-ished.

       C*         E*      Am
I have changed my name so often,
     C*      E*       Am
I've lost my wife and children
           C        G       G
but I have many fri-ends,
F           F                C    E /Am  Am/Am Am
   and some of them are with me.

       C*    E*      Am
An old woman gave us shelter,
        C*     E*     Am
kept us hidden in the garret,
         C        G      G
then the soldiers came;
F            F              C     E Am Am/Am Am
    she died without a whis-per.


           C*       E*      Am
There were three of us this morning              Hier encor nous ?tions troi
        C*   E*       Am
I'm the only one this evening                    Il ne reste plu que moi
      C       G     G
but I must go on;                                Et je tourne en rond
F            F                C   E Am Am/Am Am
  the fron-tiers are my pri-son.                 Dans la prison des frontieres

        C*        E*      Am
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,               La vent passe sur les tombles
            C*         E*      Am
through the graves the wind is blowing,          La libert? reviendra
        C         G        G
freedom soon will come;                          Oh nous oubliera!
F              F                C  E /Am Am/Am Am
  then we'll come from the shad-ows.             Nous retrerons dans l'ombre.

         C*      E*          Am
Les Alle-mands ?-taient chez moi,      [The Germans were at my home
        C*       E*    Am
ons m'a dit: "Re-signe toi,"            They said, "Sign yourself,"
        C        G    G
mais je n'ai pas peur;                      But I am not afraid
F       F             C   E /Am Am/Am Am
   j'ai repris mon ?r-me.                  I have retaken my weapon.

          C*      E       Am
J'ai chan-g? cent fois de nom,         I have changed names a hundred times
         C*       E*    Am
j'ai per-du femme et en-fants            I have lost wife and children
          C        G       G
mais j'ai tant d'a-mis;                     But I have so many friends
F                     C   E Am Am/Am Am
    j'ai la France en-ti?re.                  I have all of France

         C*         E*     Am
Un vieil homme dans un gre-nier               An old man, in an attic
        C*        E*   Am
pour la nuit nous a ca-ch?s,                  Hid us for the night
         C           G     G
les Alle-mands l'ont prisent;                     The Germans captured him
F         F                C  E Am Am/Am Am
   il est mort sans surpri-se.                  He died without surprise.]


        C*        E*      Am
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
            C*         E*      Am
through the graves the wind is blowing,
        C         G        G
freedom soon will come;
F              F                  C      E   Am Am/Am Am (appregio)
    then we'll come from the shad-ows.

Improvements welcome! Adi.Heindl@chemie.uni-regensburg.de