Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control (Leonard Cohen)

Den här veckan ska vi ägna oss åt Kanada. Låttitel, låttext, artist/grupp eller låtskrivare ska ha en tydlig koppling till Kanada eller till något väldigt typiskt kanadensiskt. Om du har egna låtar på temat, skicka dem gärna till mig så lägger jag till i spellistan här

Leonard Cohen – ”Sisters Of Mercy” (1967)

Jag måste ju bocka av Leonard direkt. Dessutom med en låt som har tydlig koppling till just Kanada.

Enligt Cohen själv var det den enda sången han skrev klart i en sittning. Han berättar vidare (Song Talk, 1993):

“Then I was in Edmonton, which is one of our largest northern cities, and there was a snowstorm and I found myself in a vestibule with two young hitch-hiking women who didn’t have a place to stay. I invited them back to my little hotel room and there was a big double bed and they went to sleep in it immediately. They were exhausted by the storm and cold. And I sat in this stuffed chair inside the window beside the Saskatchewan River. And while they were sleeping I wrote the lyrics. And that never happened to me before. And I think it must be wonderful to be that kind of writer. It must be wonderful.”

“Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone
They were waitin’ for me when I thought that I just can’t go on
And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song
Oh I hope you run into them, you who’ve been travelling so long
Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control
It begins with your family, but soon it comes round to your soul
Well I’ve been where you’re hanging, I think I can see how you’re pinned:
When you’re not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you’ve sinned”