Leonard Cohen - Democracy

Leonard Cohen - Democracy (Official Video)
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Official Website: www.leonardcohen.com
Lyrics:
It's coming through a hole in the air
From those nights in Tiananmen Square
It's coming from the feel
That it ain't exactly real
Or it's real, but it ain't exactly there
From the war against disorder
From the sirens night and day
From the fires of the homeless
From the ashes of the gay
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
It's coming through a crack in the wall
On a visionary flood of alcohol
From the staggering account
Of the Sermon on the Mount
Which I don't pretend to understand at all
It's coming from the silence
On the dock of the bay
From the brave, the bold, the battered
Heart of Chevrolet
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
It's coming from the sorrow in the street
The holy places where the races meet
From the homicidal bitchin'
That goes down in every kitchen
To determine who will serve and who will eat
From the wells of disappointment
Where the women kneel to pray
For the grace of God in the desert here
And the desert far away
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
Sail on, sail on
O mighty ship of state!
To the shores of need
Past the reefs of greed
Through the squalls of hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on...
It's coming to America first
The cradle of the best and of the worst
It's here they got the range
And the machinery for change
And it's here they got the spiritual thirst
It's here the family's broken
And it's here the lonely say
That the heart has got to open
In a fundamental way
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
It's coming from the women and the men
Oh baby, we'll be making love again
We'll be going down so deep
The river's going to weep
And the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
Beneath the lunar sway
Imperial, mysterious
In amorous array
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
Sail on, sail on
O mighty ship of state!
To the shores of need
Past the reefs of greed
Through the squalls of hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on...
I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight
Getting lost in that hopeless little screen
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
That time cannot decay
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
This little wild bouquet
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A

[@hilkelieberth8620]

We urgently need this song everey hour in every radiostation all over the World !!!

[@Rhiannon011]

Yes I agree..👍👍

[@OGFrylock]

😂😂😂

[@kmcq692]

And local chapters of A Conspiracy of Beards. It’s a prayer. It’s liturgy.

[@Iris-qd9cs]

Coudn't agree more. Germany

[@johnk4437]

In 1980 I had the pleasure of meeting Leonard Cohen back stage at a Bread And Rose Festival, a fund raiser Mimi Farina organized to fund her pet project, bringing music behind the walls of US penitentiaries. I was 23 years old an aspiring sound and lighting engineer at that time. Leonard was bored and hanging back talking with no one..despite all the stars present... Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Taj Mahal, Robin Williams, among many many others. The event was held at the Greek Theater Berkeley CA. I found him standing there smoking, wearing a very very wrinkled dark grey silk suit just pulled from his travel case, his face severe amid gnarly 5 o'clock shadow and his dark hair long and slicked back.. a scene I shall never forget. Sharing a few words, we soon parted, and all I have now are those memories, of him, that day, and my now long gone youth. Wow !

[@MSYNGWIE12]

As a woman and one of his most devoted fans, sigh I ENVY you! Did he seem depressed or just bored and a bit shy?

[@georgefordham417]

Good 😂story🎉

[@archiecharny]

So appropriate to hear again at this moment in our history. ! Both a poet and a prophet. --forever remembered!

[@jazura2]

I think it is more poignant now

[@archiecharny]

@@jazura2 Yes; I wanted to remind others of his lesson to us. He had so many wise thoughts.

[@ana-mariaoncescu5151]

Indeed!!❤

[@agolzad]

A true Canadian R.I.P Leonard ❤️

[@marsneedstowels]

Americans and Canadians, vote!

[@AFord1981]

"I'm stubborn as those garbage bags/That time cannot decay/I'm junk but I'm still holding up/This little wild bouquet". Absolute genius.

[@judiparrotte2436]

He was a genius. Breathtaking.

[@britshop1]

you stay stubborn my friend .

[@britshop1]

Time will tell ,when you are needed

[@ellenmalawka660]

RIP Leonard

[@imjustlooking888]

That’s the phrase that got me too!

[@danutekudaba9714]

Dylan got the Nobel prize. Leonard deserved it also.

[@sonicfoxxmusic4281]

Leonard Cohen didn't need awards or prizes...but Canada sure took hold of one when Leonard's old man stepped onto Canadian soil!!

[@minguyen-rl7sn]

Leonard couldn't possibly care less about the Nobel anything prize.

[@1967870]

leo better

[@anawieder5003]

You're so right, Cohen definitely deserves it more

[@HenrikRClausen]

Cohen deserved it, just as Tolkien did. The Nobel Committee works in Mysterious Ways (H/T U2 :))

[@user-yu6qe5dc4z]

He may have been an alien from another galaxy. Lol! He had insights that no human has matched. He is so needed today, and So missed.

[@RaoulDukeSr]

One of Canada's most exemplary patriarchs.....of which there are so very many ! 🌲🍁🍁💞🔮💞🍁🍁🌲

[@LlewellynKriel]

On the seventh day God rested. And, relaxed, content and in a creative mood, He made Leonard Cohen. And He said; "There! That's it. Nice!" and smiled.

[@rainfallenonmyshoes8471]

Just awesome ! Thank you Leonard... please RIP

[@PimpleJThomas]

"This was when the Berlin Wall came down and everyone was saying democracy is coming to the east. And I was like that gloomy fellow who always turns up at a party to ruin the orgy or something. And I said, "I don’t think it’s going to happen that way. I don’t think this is such a good idea. I think a lot of suffering will be the consequence of this wall coming down." But then I asked myself, "Where is democracy really coming?" And it was the U.S.A....So while everyone was rejoicing, I thought it wasn’t going to be like that, euphoric, the honeymoon. So it was these world events that occasioned the song. And also the love of America. Because I think the irony of America is transcendent in the song. It’s not an ironic song. It’s a song of deep intimacy and affirmation of the experiment of democracy in this country. That this is really where the experiment is unfolding. This is really where the races confront one another, where the classes, where the genders, where even the sexual orientations confront one another. This is the real laboratory of democracy."

[@supermash1]

Don't tell me - you're American. A bit presumptuous. The races meet in many places outside America. And, as you know, your democracy isn't holding up very well... It's in America where the rich fuck the poor over more than any other "democracy". America is simply organized money now.

[@PimpleJThomas]

@@supermash1 Alright, not telling you - I am not American, but European. And that’s LC quote, not mine.

[@uncleclem7381]

@@PimpleJThomas Ah yes, America. The pinnacle of democracy, where orders are given for Latin American and Asian countries to be bombed and their democratically elected leaders overthrown in favor of fascists.

[@AnnaLVajda]

It was just so appropriate The Future was released in 92 his melancholy bleak sound just worked so well with all the depressing grunge music gaining popularity probably why Trent Reznor put him on the NBK soundtrack too. I remember my parents had two volumes of his poetry from years earlier when they had seem him in Toronto I was like 13 getting into writing really dark stuff because it was actually really cool culturally to do that in the 90s.

[@bsh819]

​@@supermash1​ "​The races meet in many places outside America." In the same numbers and varieties? Nah, not many places. You're right about the rest of it, but it's a global system of the rich fucking the poor, so what if America's cancer is slightly more advanced than yours, neither are operable.

[@googleuser2874]

Leonard Cohen heals people's souls.

[@chrisinuae1]

Rip to one of the most profound,charismatic singer songwriters ever! Thank you Mr Cohen for sharing your beautiful gifts with us all.

[@Berckert]

yes

[@alexrozenbom3430]

I only recently started listening to him. I am glad I found hom his lyrics make me think and reflect. Bob Dylan too, just different.

[@wrigleyman100]

My wife and I saw you perform this at the outdoor Paolo Soleri Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 9, 1993. You added several more verses not in the standard version - one about slave ships sailing into Charleston Bay. The evening was wonderful, Perla and Julie angelic, and it was, oh, so perfect - one of the best evenings of my life. Now the Paolo Soleri is gone, my wife is gone and you are gone and I am old and feeling that I've seen maybe all there is to see. Except that I don't expect to see democracy coming here to "the cradle of the best and the worst" any time soon. Thank you, Leonard, and R.I.P.

[@marisolaliaga]

But you still hav the songs

[@wrigleyman100]

John Lower - I'm aware of Mr. Newman's "Sail Away", and if one is going by publishing dates, then Sail Away predates Democracy, and Leonard was certainly a humble, self-effacing guy, ready and willing to pay homage to other song-crafters. Leonard often turned over lyrics in his head for decades before getting a song the way he wanted it. I am told he wrote more than sixty verses for "Democracy" before finalizing its form.

[@AwesomeAlexAdam]

Democracy came to the US Tuesday Nov 8 2016

[@andrzejjakubowicz3577]

There's a dude who decided some 10 years ago that Dylan's "It Ain't Me, Babe" was an antiwar song and he posts that idea wherever somebody mentions the song. I'm bringing this up because (a) I don't post my little ideas all over the place, and (b) because for a time, now and then when I'd think about Cohen's "Democracy," I'd think of Cohen as one more of those spiritual folks who, I feel, probably shouldn't talk about politics. In hindsight, the idea that Clinton's presidency was going to bring democracy to the USA seems just unspeakably childish. Cohen wasn't that naive, though. All the US bleeding hearts were cheering when the Berlin Wall fell. Now we know East Germany wasn't being liberated - it was being colonized. And it seems Cohen saw that coming. In one of the interviews here he talks about that - about, as he put it, the "excrement hitting the ventilator" for those people. I know his métier was music and poetry, not political science. But I'm relieved to know that somebody who was so heavily influenced by Lorca (and we know how Lorca died) wasn't some bright-eyed idealistic moron, that he actually *knew, that he was actually *wise. Rabbis and other spiritual sages, and even poets, should not be in some la-la land. And if they are, that's where they should stay. For all his brilliance, I feel Dylan, with his end-times vision of the world, should probably be quiet about anything other than that vision - or just write and sing *songs, which, after all, is what he insists he does and is.

[@ficheye00]

AwesomeAlex - You might want to look at the definition. It doesn't mean 'Make people suffer and do what I want them to do because I'm an imbecile'.

[@Avatrac]

Everything Leonard Cohen does connects and sends chills down my spine. He's my drug of choice.

[@elyssialinkwade7161]

That is such a beautiful thing to say and I can totally relate, his stuff is the realest ever, you're so correct.

[@patagualianmostly7437]

@@elyssialinkwade7161 Mine too... what a wordsmith... the guy was simply the best. He can bring me to tears...then lift me to euphoria.... across all his albums. The man has NO equal...... past or present. ..... (Those that disagree are simply in denial for some reason or other....?) He is... and was, simply, unique.... A Shakespeare of our time. Maybe. We were so fortunate to experience his life.

[@ana-mariaoncescu5151]

I agree!!!❤

[@melaniezinderenhrertrdrrr]

Cddeaddfsdstfyyhdsyifduofdsj je een cd zo g ge😂😂😂 te ffg k kg

[@melaniezinderenhrertrdrrr]

​@@elyssialinkwade7161set de St uosarffsfs hi is er uo te er i uur s uur

[@abbottsystems]

I've been listening to Cohen since the early 70's. He's a genius. One of a kind.

[@Nunavuter1]

Leonard is outside time itself. You just have to wait, and what he writes will become important again.

[@TheRealBarbDwyer]

It's hard to wait on a world to catch up.

[@Nunavuter1]

Leonard spins a chain in a circle at the start of the video. In olden times, this was something a midwife would do to determine the sex of an unborn child. The child he awaits is unknown. (He's just the sort of guy to put this imagery in his videos.)

[@edmey]

@@Nunavuter1 Thank you for your posts. You're right. Cohen's message/voise is really timeless.

[@ronkirk5099]

I hadn't heard this Leonard Cohen masterpiece before until I read 'Daring Democracy' and it was referenced. The anti-democratic forces funded by the billionaire class are gaining strength and I fear for our Democracy. If we can't rally a groundswell of opposition against it, it is all over for us. Hearing this song almost brought me to tears. Such a powerful message.

[@margaretchapman1306]

Many would share your fears .stay aware , stand strong as leonard would have us do I love the country but i hate the scene

[@pamelajungbeck2715]

I have a special place in my soul for Leonard Cohen's poetry and songs.

[@scottrichard5792]

Awww 🥰 that’s so sweet of you🥰 he brings it he sweetest melody to my soul🦋🤗💕

[@scottrichard5792]

Is this your favorite song?

[@joebanish7517]

Being from Michigan, the line “The Brave, the Bold, the Battered Heart of Chevrolet” really rings true.

[@jackielocklear320]

Absolutely can't stop listening. A musical genius! His music lives on forever

[@drcringe7873]

Fascinating that we get to see a Jew like Leonard Cohen embracing the role of a Jewish supremacist super-villain who hints in all his songs that he despises non-Jews and wishes to enslave and exterminate them, but puts it just subtly in all his songs and so he has a large following of non-Jewish fans who don't get this, but pay and praise his songs. Isn't that Jewish magic if anything?

[@yosariant9476]

Think I'm going to be listening to this song on repeat all day today.

[@elizabethcotonieto9224]

Have you listened it by Lumineers? It’s great!

[@soph1pink]

Pretty sure Cohen would have been as relieved as a great many at the moment.

[@pattyleppert2437]

@@rmckim what? why should he concede?

[@pattyleppert2437]

it should be Drumpf who concedes

[@soph1pink]

@@pattyleppert2437 I was wondering about that one as well! 🙂

[@fonziecrain7969]

Leonard Cohen is the type of voice that I could listen to all day, over and over. The first time I heard this song, I sang it to myself for a day. Wrote down the words and kept them with me when I was on mission in Iraq. I forgot there was a war going on around me.

[@9UaYXxB]

Rest in peace to this man who, in his way, was as fine a communicator of this life's impacts on the human heart, the human soul, as any.

[@nickcipp7374]

How appropriate for now....& ever...Lou Reed was so right...."We're so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is," Lou Reed said while inducting the Canadian into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. RIP Leo

[@beeko5641]

Had the honour of meeting the man way back in '93 in Vancouver.I gave him my demo tape and he wished me well and I felt blessed.

[@DeborahLArmstrong]

RIP Leonard Cohen. Thank you for your wisdom and insight. You will be missed.

[@James-bd3ei]

I first heard Cohen when I was 18.... Of course I was to young, to strong and to wise to understand any of his words. Now 62. I realize my life could have been less complicated had I been more patient at age 18 . Some lessons only come with age, that being said. Leonard told me so.

[@simonrodehn8678]

Didn't listen to Leonard enough. Fortunately I can continue to. Thank You Leonard for your wonderful poetry.

[@NateHaselton]

Make no mistake about it; Leonard Cohen's death has coincided with a time the world needs to listen to his music the most. RIP Mr. Cohen. Thank you for your works.

[@sonicfoxxmusic4281]

You may just appreciate this little beauty Nate...it's mellow...enjoy. BREATHE by JASMINE LAMPORT.

[@TheMrExemplar]

nobody needs to listen to music

[@moondancer3157]

HitProof I do. Can't live without it.

[@janetcoffin8070]

What a sad life, that doesn’t need music.

[@mygoddess1]

@@janetcoffin8070 How true Janet :) Wicked sad! I breath music ;)

[@lisemoen8866]

I fell deeply in love with Leonard the very first time I heard his incredible voice. For the first time in my life, I have been faithful and loyal to only one man. All because of his ' gift of a golden voice'. Wait for me, Leonard, I'll be there soon.

[@edkriegepiano]

his work here is done, but his songs will sail on.

[@marjadeluro6367]

edward kriege Good comment Edward Thats the way it is

[@1996gagamay]

He's the most heart opening artist I've ever heard, besides being a GENIUS.

[@Berckert]

yes

[@mygoddess1]

Yes! 4 sure Sheila :) We sure could use his wisdom now.......

[@stevesullivan8705]

@@mygoddess1 Thanks Donna! Know the song, hadn't seen the video. Big Leonard fan. After God made Leonard Cohen She might as well have retired.

[@tarawillis3995]

well maybe not he's usually not talking about himself or being vulnerable

[@tokenspirit1548]

You've got that right! I just listened to this one, as a solo and it's March 25, 2022.....I replaced the words USA with the Ukraine.

[@FIFENDRUM]

so appropriate on this sad day ,this man has led me through many dark days .his music and poetry will remain timeless..R.i.P.

[@pascal796]

Sail on, sail on for eternity... You deserved the Nobel prize for literature.

[@hughculliton3174]

This is so pertinent to June, 2020 as to be percient.

[@bceyre8204]

It times like these Leonard Cohen always gives me hope.

[@AstuteAces]

I’m so glad to find others who were thinking of this, given recent activism. Yay!

[@dcmccart25]

Did you mean prescient, Hugh ?

[@briandundas7173]

Agreed. It speaks to the moment of truth facing humanity, for which this virus and this violent police state are but an opening act. The change must come from America. Which way will it go?

[@hopeforbetter382]

Leonard Cohen’s lyrics are timeless!

[@BeBopbrook]

I think Leonard Cohen has been the best songwriter of my generation. No one sings hopefulness and despair and love like can did. I love him. He changed my life several times in a very profound way.

[@danj312]

this dude has Zero talent

[@fernandoperezbarreto7699]

This is truly one of the great works of art of all time

[@TheShabnama]

I am deeply saddened by this heartbreaking news. RIP Leonard Cohen, You will be in my heart forever...

[@scottrichard5792]

He still lives in my world🙏❤️ don’t think am letting this one go🦋🤗💕

[@janesmith-eivemark1191]

I listened to this song when it was new - that was 30, approximately, years ago! It means more now than it did then. What a poet/philosopher! Thank you Leonard and all who bring this music to us!

[@danielaschwarz1971]

Another sad day in this year 2016 and Leonard Cohen is a huge loss.RIP with your awesome voice

[@moondancer3157]

Daniela Schwarz ♥️🎶

[@danielaschwarz1971]

Moon Dancer Thank you so much

[@SCharlesDennicon]

My god, LC's lyrics... here is truly the equivalent of the classical poets we had until the early 20s.

[@teddytayl]

A poet for this generation, for every generation. Gone from us now, but never forgotten. Incredible.

[@uncanonised]

this song is so important today

[@ZuliaBecker]

Missing Leonard Cohen! Let's keep playing, singing and dancing with him!

[@RenatusChristoph]

"Democracy is coming to the USA..." Haha, Cohen was always spot on in his sarcasm... And spot on in his diagnose of the States. Democracy isn't really no where there.

[@AnnaLVajda]

He viewed them through a Canadian lense.

[@angelabroughton5980]

When it is whispering in your ear, it advances a foot at a time. When you ask "Why?" It makes an advance. Every time you recognize a real injustice it takes a giant leap. When you get that nagging feeling in your gut it has won. He was right. Follow your heart, and vote very carefully. The pen is mightier than the sword.

[@solangedesantis5515]

He's not sarcastic.

[@siwardwoudstra1751]

@@solangedesantis5515 Assuming he wasn't sarcastic makes it even more sarcastic. If it isn't ironic it is even more scornful. The only question is if the grin is outwardly visible or hidden inside; that the grin can only be seen in the soul.

[@GMC-qo9xi]

I think his point is that it doesn’t yet exist in the USA, but it’s coming... after the greed has played out it’s hand and the need (for justice) takes over.... as the walls had already started to crack, and chip, and soon will crumble. Babylon eventually falls, as does the greed she’s drunk off. And at some point shortly after that we will have peace-‘united states’.

[@jfinleyjames6675]

Some things in life make it worth living,carrying on and dealing with everything as it comes your way. Leonard Cohen has always made my life worth living. I love you brother ....Rest in Peace.

[@user-lt8gb4il1v]

The way he used words to paint a picture is absolutely mind boggling

[@mallducklard]

I really thought I'd eventually get sick of this Cohen thing. Discovered him about six months ago. I can't get enough of it. There's some magic here I can't define or rationalize.

[@blueshark3098]

Agreed. When I got the 2-disc "Essential Leonard Cohen", I listened to the first disc over and over again for six months, before even moving on to Disc 2, and there were so many more great surprises and songs to come. You're right, there is some mysterious magic there that you connected with.

[@patriciadavidson6765]

He had his finger on the American pulse, and on the world and it’s evils. He will never leave is 💚💚

[@BarbaraRBell]

May your memory be a blessing dear Leonard Cohen . . .

[@Theghostdiaries]

His early music is beautiful beyond belief obviously. But his later tunes really get me. I listen to this song, Everybody Knows, The Miracle, and First We Take Manhattan pretty much every day.

[@wintherr3527]

it's basically a flawless repertoire

[@laripu]

The album "You Want It Darker" is unbelievably good. It came out just before he died.

[@dullarddom]

Listening to this on the eve of what I fear may be the last truly democratic election in my country for a long time. I've always drawn on Leonard Cohen's music to give me hope and courage. I will need that push more than ever tomorrow as I go out from 7am making sure as many people who want to vote actually do so as I possibly can.

[@jeff6413]

"It's coming from the feel that it ain't exactly real. Or it's real but it ain't exactly there." Erie as hell given what is happening in America and the timing of Leonard Cohen's death. 😟😟😟 RIP Leonard Cohen

[@dominicsorbara3287]

the force of nature always steps ahead, sail on.........

[@GardenHillHighlights]

i am kind of happy Leonard did not know the results of the election

[@sonicfoxxmusic4281]

Being a visionary, i'm sure he already knew.

[@themocaw]

Only Leonard Cohen had the charisma to sing by basically reciting a poem in a low voice over backing music. I'm gonna miss the guy.

[@itsthizzbaby]

he is talking, not singing - just like all of his 'songs'. still good music, though ;).

[@Oscar3]

Tom Waits and Lou Reed can do it too.

[@insufficientdata9845]

Jim Morrison did it as well.....

[@Oscar3]

@@insufficientdata9845 I agree with you. In terms of artistic tools Morrison was more a musician than a poet. But he was certainly a poet.

[@patriciofernandez2711]

He is very clearly singing. He's not talking or reciting, there is a very definite pitch and musical quality to what he's doing. Listen to him recite his poems for the difference.

[@Romulonarducci1]

I'll ever love the poet, the singer, the writer, the complete artist called Leonar Cohen. R.I.P. Master!

[@mariaruskova6054]

R.I.P. , Leonard Cohen. You will be badly missed.

[@andyrichardsvideovlogs8835]

Cohen at his greatest... RIP Thank you for the pleasure your music has given me since I discovered it in 1971

[@LoiSPiskorz]

Amazing lyrics. Bob and Leonard are great poets and musicians.

[@elliegreen4738]

Most singers have only a few good songs, sometimes only one but with Leonard it's different every single one is outstandingly beautiful with intriguing hidden meaning, fascinating darkness. I love his work.

[@trueroscoe]

Thank you, Leonard.

[@NJRockfan]

His poetry was music, His music....poetry Thank you for letting him visit this Earth "Democracy" & "Hallelujah" came to mind Tuesday night and now I read the news today... oh boy

[@jbghosthunter8225]

RIP sir, thank you for every memory, song and poem. you are missed.

[@cornstorm666]

Sorry Leonard,Democracy has left the building...please come back Leonard, we need you more than ever..

[@Lilithblues]

I love you Leonard!!! You will be in my heart forever..

[@trarich7205]

I'm sorry this song isn't more important. I play this for practically everyone I know. Apparently everyone I know sucks. This song says it all and has been saying it all for awhile now.

[@joserocha420]

Cohen has beeen ignored by pop-high volume discografics america side... the rest of the world find him as an historical, intervention and cutural reference. He was my spiritual father, i mourned him like he was family. Every single time that i listen one of the hundreds/thousands of his musics, i reborn and reinvent myself.

[@kennewton6626]

Everyone you doesn’t suck; they’re just conditioned by fear

[@fettwalp8001]

Today's the fourth anniversary of Cohen's death and the day the 2020 presidential election was called, so I needed to hear this song as soon as I woke up.

[@pattyleppert2437]

me too!

[@clairelowry9122]

Me too! Think we'll ever get there? Stay safe, anytime and anywhere.

[@bkrharold]

I was just watching a documentary about Pete Souza, President Obamas official photographer, and they played Democracy, while the titles rolled at the end. The version they played, was not performed by Leonard Cohen. I came here to find out more, and to find the the lyrics. I am not ashamed to admit, the way Leonard Cohen performed it had me in tears. They should have used his version, its much better. It seems like different people focus on a different part which resonates most, though it was all brilliant, here is one verse that really spoke to me of this moment. Sail on, sail on O mighty Ship of State To the Shores of Need Past the Reefs of Greed Through the Squalls of Hate Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on It's coming to America first The cradle of the best and of the worst It's here they got the range And the machinery for change And it's here they got the spiritual thirst It's here the family's broken And it's here the lonely say That the heart has got to open In a fundamental way Democracy is coming to the USA

[@clairelowry9122]

@@bkrharold -- from Claire Lowry..."still holding up this little wild bouquet". A bright spot in this perplexing holiday season. Take care...

[@kata.gy55]

Ever since I was a child I felt connected to Leonard Cohen's music. He always made me calm. In my early teens I strayed away from him but like a year or two ago I found my way back. My dad was a big fan of him and as of now when I'm turning 18 in a couple months I'm starting to understand his music and I'm becoming a big fan of him. Mr Cohen was there with me ever since I was a baby, on every road trip and every single late night. It's heartbreaking that I never got the chance to meet him. But this is art and this cannot be compared to the trending music nowadays 🖤 Rest in peace Mr. Cohen and thank you for everything from the bottom of my heart

[@johnwhitney1439]

This is my favorite Leonard Cohen song🎉

[@CCDservices]

Leonard Cohen probably more than anyone before deserve the Noble Price for Peace and people unity!?

[@robinwilson1433]

or even "Nobel"

[@sayan_tan]

I don't know abour peace. But I'm sure he deserves it in literature.

[@amandaknopp3815]

RIP, prescient until the end, you always inspired me

[@MadMan731]

NPR played this one day and upon hearing that voice I knew it was Leonard Cohen. He was one of a kind.

[@nebojsag.5871]

I can't tell if he's being sincere, sarcastic or both. But it's hauntingly elegant, even to someone who isn't from America.

[@emsleywyatt3400]

Both, of course. That's what makes it so good.

[@pujaproductions]

Leonard has a really great quote about that. "I was not unaware of the ironic impact of saying, ‘Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.,’ but the song is affirmative. I just can’t keep my tongue in my cheek that long." One of my absolute favorites of his.

[@pujaproductions]

There's also some really wonderful verses that he removed because he "didn't want to start a fight" that were definitely more sarcastic. "Who really gets to profit and who really gets to pay? Who really rides the slavery ship right into Charleston Bay? Democracy is coming to the U.S.A."

[@nathanielhellerstein5871]

This song is thrilling and terrifying. Hang on, hang on.

[@gryphonshire]

A Poet AND a Prophet, Mr. Cohen's Spirit will live on through his words & music. RIP, Leonard. I'll be along soon....

[@sherrylewis6402]

Being in a vaccuum i only found him last year glad i did his work is amazing, astonishing.

[@andymassingham]

Played it endlessly. The soundtrack of the 90's for me. Has not aged one second.

[@omidgh2011]

lol I love the part where he is looking dead straight to the camera and says " it's coming to America first " EPIIIIIIC.

[@Mercurius2345]

Farewell my companion of 50 years, through triumph and disaster; "my love goes with you as your love stays with me" 'Democracy' one of Leonard's more ironic songs - so apposite this week of all week's

[@edithwallflower]

❤️

[@silvanagili9641]

Una canzone stupenda!!!fondamentale per i nostri tempi!!!grazie Leonard!!

[@cathymurphy2781]

Thinking of our Democracy today, Leonard. Hope we keep it.

[@miriamkramer9006]

Such an incredible talent. I can't believe that I'm just discovering him. He has such wisdom and foresight. I will continue to listen to this incredible poet.

[@azraooz]

ADIEU L ARTISTE (Tu laisse beaucoup de choses dans nos coeur )

[@patagualianmostly7437]

Me too... what a wordsmith... the guy was simply the best. He can bring me to tears...then lift me to euphoria.... across all his albums. The man has NO equal...... past or present. ..... (Those that disagree are simply in denial for some reason or other....?) He is... and was, simply, unique.... A Shakespeare of our time. Maybe. We were so fortunate to experience his life.

[@cristianoaguiar945]

I' m listening now, 07:31 p.m., in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Thanks L. Cohen !

[@FirstUsedBooks]

God damn you Leonard, you leave me crying. How could you be so aware?

[@ianbates6618]

Leonard Cohen got me through some hard times, very sad

[@paulettenicely]

This man can sing any song, he was that good.

[@grindupBaker]

Well he was born with the gift of a golden voice. You clearly hear that.

[@ssam00]

Listening to this on Jan 6, 2021

[@hilarybareiss4646]

You and many others...

[@uw9359]

Okay, so. Listening to this on March 14, 2021

[@kbobdonahue1966]

A great voice is silenced. RIP my friend.

[@daviddandrea5139]

Echoes carry, ripples spread

[@andreluiscontri3796]

So long, Leonard! Thanks for everything!

[@Rozmund]

Listing to Cohen never ceases to bring me JOY...are you doing your thing on the other side Leonard...

[@jocelynevoisine8940]

I hate to admit it, but I am just listening to Leonard Cohen's music for the first time. The man is a GENIUS!

[@mexicoldermike3156]

Democracy is in the the eye of the beholder....R.I.P.

[@beastshawnee]

I have a feeling of a deep connection with anyone who sees this song and the mess that patriotism cannot cover over...

[@petergould9174]

The way some wrap themselves up in the flag and speak with The fervour of a reformed addict about their own patriotism and how the country must be cleansed I think that some patriotism might be part of the problem.

[@Chuckhall8088]

✌️❤️

[@LeonardaPetersen]

The Biggest songwriter R.I.P. Leonarda Cohen. November 2016.

[@kjeaves1]

Love you & miss you!

[@scottrichard5792]

That’s so sweet of you! Is this your favorite song?

[@epanecka]

"It's coming from the feel that it ain't exactly real, or it's real but it ain't exactly there." Those lines make this even more fitting for the Mr. Robot season 3 teaser.

[@bob-qz9ey]

cohen's music was canadian, but more, it was international by it's reflective, meaningful language

[@aarongottfried5595]

Music was canadian whats that even mean. Was known in othwer places before. Wasnt a canafian artist international. Born thats it. No canadian references or musical ties

[@TaaduNjawa]

Thank you for everything Leonard Cohen. Genuine and irreplaceable. RIP

[@bongobimbo]

We have lost someone we need more than ever. Thank you, Leonard Cohen. Your poetry is in the spirit of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Pete Seeger, and I have no higher praise than that.