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The Stanger Song

Leonard Cohen

Text File

The Stranger
Leonard Cohen


Chords:

Intro: Em

       C                Bb       C        G
It's true that all the men you knew were dealers
                                 D     
Who said they were through with dealing
                           Em
Every time you gave them shelter
    D             
I know that kind of man
              Em    
It's hard to hold the hand of anyone
        D                               Em
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender
        D                               Em
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender


           C              Bb      C      G    
And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
                      D
You find he did not leave you very much
          Em
Not even laughter
     D                           Em
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
                     D
That is so high and wild
                           Em            
He'll never need to deal another
        D                              Em
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
        D                              Em
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger


          C               Bb     C
And then leaning on your window sill
       G              
He'll say one day you caused his will
    D                                     Em
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
          D
And then taking from his wallet
          Em
An old schedule of trains, he'll say
   D                              Em
I told you when I came I was a stranger
   D                              Em
I told you when I came I was a stranger


     C             Bb     C
But now another stranger seems
    G
To want you to ignore his dreams
     D                                 Em
As though they were the burden of some other
          D
O you've seen that man before
           Em
His golden arm dispatching cards
              D                            Em
But now it's rusted from the elbow to the finger
        D                                     Em
And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter
        D                                     Em
Yes he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter


        C              Bb     C     G     
Ah you hate to watch another tired man
              G               
Lay down his hand
             D                          Em
Like he was giving up the holy game of poker
      D                
And while he talks his dreams to sleep
     Em
You notice there's a highway
         D                                Em
That is curling up like smoke above his shoulder
      D                                  Em
It's curling just like smoke above his shoulder


     C               Bb      C
You tell him to come in sit down
     G   
But something makes you turn around
     D                                  Em
The door is open you can't close your shelter
      D        
You try the handle of the road
   Em
It opens do not be afraid
       D                             Em
It's you my love, you who are the stranger
       D                             Em
It's you my love, you who are the stranger


      C                  Bb     C
Well, I've been waiting, I was sure
      G                                     D
We'd meet between the trains we're waiting for
                             Em
I think it's time to board another
       D                          Em
Please understand, I never had a secret chart
                  D
To get me to the heart of this
              Em
Or any other matter
         D                                       Em
When he talks like this you don't know what he's after
          D                                        Em
When he speaks like this, you don't know what he's after


       C            Bb       C
Let's meet tomorrow if you choose
  G
Upon the shore, beneath the bridge
       D                                Em
That they are building on some endless river
         D
Then he leaves the platform
                  Em
For the sleeping car that's warm
                  D                          Em
You realize, he's only advertising on more shelter
        D                              Em
And it comes to you, he never was a stranger
         D                                Em
And you say okay the bridge or someplace later


           C              Bb      C      G       
And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
                     D
You find he did not leave you very much
          Em
Not even laughter
     D                           Em
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
                     D
That is so high and wild
                           Em
He'll never need to deal another
        D                              Em
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
        D                              Em
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger


     C               Bb     C
And leaning on your window sill
       G
He'll say one day you caused his will
    D                                     Em
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
          D
And then taking from his wallet
          Em
An old schedule of trains
              D                              Em
He'll say, I told you when I came I was a stranger
   D                              Em
I told you when I came I was a stranger
   D                              Em
I told you when I came I was a stranger
   D                              Em
I told you when I came I was a stranger...



Tab:

Intro:

    F#m
D:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--:
A:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--:
F:----2-----2-----4-----2-----2-----2-----4-----2----:
C:--------4-----------4-----------4-----------4------:
G:--------------4-----------------------4------------:
D:--2-----------------------2------------------------:

    F#m
D:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
A:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
F:----2-----2-----4-----2-----2-----0----:
C:--------4-----------4-----------0------:
G:--------------4------------------------:
D:--2-----------------------2------------:


Verse:

    D                       C           D
D:------2-----2-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2--:
A:------3-----3-----3-----3-----1-----1-----3-----3--:
F:----2-----2-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2----:
C:--------0-----------0-----------2-----------0------:
G:--0-----------0-----------3-----------0------------:
D:---------------------------------------------------:

    A
D:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
A:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
F:----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0----:
C:--------2-----------2-----------2-----------0------:
G:--0-----------0-----------0-----------0------------:
D:---------------------------------------------------:

    E
D:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
A:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
F:----1-----1-----1-----1-----2-----1-----1-----0----:
C:--------2-----------2-----------2-----------0------:
G:--------------2-----------------------2------------:
D:--0-----------------------0------------------------:

    F#m
D:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
A:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
F:----2-----2-----2-----2-----4-----2-----2-----0----:
C:--------4-----------4-----------4-----------0------:
G:--------------------------4------------------------:
D:--2-----------2-----------------------2------------:

    E
D:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
A:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
F:----1-----1-----1-----1-----2-----1-----1-----0----:
C:--------2-----------2-----------2-----------0------:
G:--------------2-----------------------2------------:
D:--0-----------------------0------------------------:

    F#m
D:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
A:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
F:----2-----2-----2-----2-----4-----2-----2-----0----:
C:--------4-----------4-----------4-----------0------:
G:--------------------------4------------------------:
D:--2-----------2-----------------------2------------:

    E
D:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
A:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
F:----1-----1-----1-----1-----2-----1-----1-----0----:
C:--------2-----------2-----------2-----------0------:
G:--------------2-----------------------2------------:
D:--0-----------------------0------------------------:

    F#m
D:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
A:------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0--:
F:----2-----2-----2-----2-----4-----2-----2-----0----:
C:--------4-----------4-----------4-----------0------:
G:--------------------------4------------------------:
D:--2-----------2-----------------------2------------:


    E
D:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
A:------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--:
F:----1-----1-----1-----1-----2-----1-----1-----0----:
C:--------2-----------2-----------2-----------0------:
G:--------------2-----------------------2------------:
D:--0-----------------------0------------------------:

    F#m
D:-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0-:
A:-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----0-:
F:---2-----2-----2-----2-----4-----2-----2-----2-----4-----2-----2-----0---:
C:-------4-----------4-----------4-----------4-----------4-----------0-----:
G:-------------------------4-----------------------4-----------------------:
D:-2-----------2-----------------------2-----------------------2-----------:

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The Stanger Song

Leonard Cohen