Jon Schmidt (Piano) & Steven Sharp Nelson (Cello)

Versuri:

There was a man back in ‘95
Whose heart ran out of summers
But before he died, I asked him

Wait, what’s the sense in life
Come over me, Come over me

He said,

Son why you got to sing that tune
Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon
Let an angel swing and make you swoon
Then you will see… You will see

Then he said,

Here’s a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There’s a reason for the world
You and I…

Picked up my kid from school today

Did you learn anything cause in the world today
You can’t live in a castle far away
Now talk to me, come talk to me

He said,

Dad I’m big but we’re smaller than small
In the scheme of things, well we’re nothing at all
Still every mother’s child sings a lonely song
So play with me, come play with me

And Hey Dad
Here’s a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There’s a reason for the world
You and I…

I said,

Son for all I’ve told you
When you get right down to the
Reason for the world…
Who am I?

There are secrets that we still have left to find
There have been mysteries from the beginning of time
There are answers we’re not wise enough to see

He said… You looking for a clue I Love You free…

The batter swings and the summer flies
As I look into my angel’s eyes
A song plays on while the moon is high over me
Something comes over me

I guess we’re big and I guess we’re small
If you think about it man you know we got it all
Cause we’re all we got on this bouncing ball
And I love you free
I love you freely

Here’s a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There’s a reason for the world
You and I…

Qui dove il mare luccica e tira forte il vento
Su una vecchia terrazza davanti al golfo di Surriento
Un uomo abbraccia una ragazza dopo che aveva pianto
Poi si schiarisce la voce e ricomincia il canto
Te voglio bene assaie ma tanto bene sai
É una catena ormai che scioglie il sangue dint’e vene sai

Vide le luci in mezzo al mare pensó alle notti lá in America
Ma erano solo le lampare e la bianca scia di un’elica
Sentí il dolore nella musica si alzó dal pianoforte
Ma quando vide la luna uscire da un nuvola
Gli sembró piú dolce anche la morte
Guardó negli occhi la ragazza quegli occhi verdi come il mare
Poi all’improvviso uscí una lacrima e lui credette di affogare
Te voglio bene assaie ma tanto tanto bene sai
É una catena ormai che scioglie il sangue dint’e vene sai

Potenza della lircica dove ogni dramma é un falso
Che con un pó di trucco e con la mimica puoi diventare un altro
Ma due occhi che ti guardano cosí vicini e veri
Ti fan scordare le parole confondono i pensieri
Cosí diventa tutto piccolo anche le nottie lá in America
Ti volti e vedi la tua vita come lá scia di un’elica
Ma si é la vita che finisce ma lui non ci pensó poi tanto
Anzi si sentiva giá felice e ricominció il suo canto
Te voglio bene assaie ma tanto tanto bene sai
É una catena ormai che scioglie il sangue dint’e vene sai
Te voglio bene assaie ma tanto tanto bene sai
É una catena ormai che scioglie il sangue dint’e vene saï

Versuri:

Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
Gentle impulsion
Shakes me, makes me lighter
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath

Night, night of matter
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my

Water is my eye
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Of a confession
Fearless on my breath
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath

It’s tumbling down
It’s tumbling down.

Text:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The
long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the
rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh, never mind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust
me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you
can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you
really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective
as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles
in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the
kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are
reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re
behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in
doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the
most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with
their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you
won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on
your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself
too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are
everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of
it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own.

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people
most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold
on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older
you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in
Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when
you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children
respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe
you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from
the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

Pentru weekend:

Am văzut şi ascultat aseară un poet fantastic, nişte muzicieni de excepţie, o voce nepământeană de o intensitate care cerne fin o provocare către inteligenţa şi inima a mii de spectatori deodată, un om cu o modestie de profet, ce şi-a revărsat poezia şi înţelepciunea deasupra unui public evident îndrăgostit.
Două ore de graţie în compania lui L. Cohen.
Hallelujah!

Versuri:

Tower of song

Well my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I’m crazy for love but I’m not coming on
I’m just paying my rent every day
Oh in the tower of song

I said to hank williams: how lonely does it get?
Hank williams hasnt answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
A hundred floors above me
In the tower of song

I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the great beyond
They tied me to this table right here
In the tower of song

So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll
I’m very sorry, baby, doesn’t look like me at all
I’m standing by the window where the light is strong
Ah they dont let a woman kill you
Not in the tower of song

Now you can say that I’ve grown bitter but of this you may be sure
The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor
And theres a mighty judgement coming, but I may be wrong
You see, you hear these funny voices
In the tower of song

I see you standing on the other side
I dont know how the river got so wide
I loved you baby, way back when
And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed
But I feel so close to everything that we lost
Well never have to lose it again

Now I bid you farewell, I dont know when Ill be back
There moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
But youll be hearing from me baby, long after I’m gone
Ill be speaking to you sweetly
From a window in the tower of song
Yeah my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I’m crazy for love but I’m not coming on
I’m just paying my rent every day
Oh in the tower of song.

Mai multe aici.

Leonard Cohen – Hallenstadion (Zurich, 26 octombrie 2008)

Hang este un instrument muzical creat în anul 2000 în Berna (Elveţia) de către Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer (PANArt).
Am aflat de el chiar auzindu-i sunetele şi apoi urmărind un mic spectacol de stradă, nu aici ci în Austria.

Hofburg – Viena (Austria, 13 Septembrie 2008)

Nu am făcut upload celor câteva minute de film pe care le-am înregistrat aşa că postez un clip de pe youtube cu o demonstraţie:

Versuri :

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemies eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
“Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!”

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
Once you know there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world
(Ohhh)

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People could not believe what I’d become
Revolutionaries Wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
(Ohhhhh Ohhh Ohhh)

Hear Jerusalem bells are ringings
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Oooooh Oooooh Oooooh