#LeonardCohen80 Happy birthday to The Man!

The Man is 80 years old today. Lou Reed said, “We're so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is.” Lou Reed is right!

Here's my tribute to Leonard Cohen, written for Lust Bites "Crush Wednesday," on the occasion of his 76th birthday. (To the melody of Famous Blue Raincoat)

Famous Troubadour

It’s four in the morning but everything's okay
I’m writing you now just to say ‘Happy Birthday’
Toronto is steamy I like where I’m living,
they’re busy on Clinton St. all through the evening

I hear that you’re working
writing your poems, singing in Europe
You were robbed of your savings, G-d!
I hope you’re keeping some kind of record

Yes, and John came by
just to drop off the girls
we’re finished as lovers, for sure
It’s been good for us, we have grown
Apart, and for good.
I loved you, as John did,
your songs were about us,
destructive, creative and tortured with love/lust
You were part of our courtship,
and part of our wedding
still we weren’t prepared
for the pain of our ending

And you treated all women to a sip of your life
I took more than my share, now I’m nobody’s wife

Well I see you, hair grey and wrinkly face
Silent One so full of grace
Well I’m dry again
but now I know how to wait

He took all of your albums
I knew they would help him
He cried all the time, just like me
It cost us so much
to be free of each other
a home and a whole family

It’s hard when you’re young
it gets soft later on
so much to collect,
then so much to be gone


Yes and thanks for the trouble you took for us all
for showing us it's okay
to fall, rise, and fall
I’m so happy you’re happy
an old monk who’s still sexy
and living among us again
I said, ‘Leonard I love you’
at the time of our meeting
I feel like we’ve always been friends

John and I aren’t pals
No secrets, no sighs
but we talk and last night
we laughed at his lies

And thanks for the poems and songs that you write
for helping us give up the fight

We're beautiful losers, like you.

Sincerely, M. Moore