Born In Chains By Leonard Cohen – Background
“Born In Chains,” the new song by Leonard Cohen, has thus far been played in only one concert – the July 27, 2010 Salzburg, Austria show.1 For the convenience of readers, I’ve consolidated the background, video, MP3 download, and lyrics of the song in this post.
This discussion of the genesis of the song by Tom Sakic was originally published in the February 7th, 2010 Heck Of A Guy post, New Leonard Cohen Album – Updated Possibilities:
“Taken Out Of Egypt”: the original version of “I Can’t Forget”, discarded in 1987-88. Also titled at one point as “Born in Chains”.
“[...] that song started off as a song about the exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt. As a metaphor for the journey of the soul from bondage into freedom. It started out, I was born in chains but I was taken out of Egypt / I was bound to a burden but the burden it was raised / Lord I can no longer keep this secret / Blessed is the name, the name be praised. It went on like that for a long, long time, and I went into the studio and tried to sing this song about how “I was born in chains and I was taken…” But I wasn’t born in chains and I wasn’t taken out of Egypt, and not only that, but I was on the edge of what was going to become a very serious nervous breakdown. So I hadn’t had the burden lifted and the whole thing was a lie! It was wishful thinking. And this song, “Taken Out of Egypt,” took months and months to write. Nobody believes me when I say these things but I have the notebooks and I don’t fill them in an evening. And there were many of them. So it wasn’t as if I had an endless supply of songs: I had to start over. And I was saying to myself, “What is my life?” and that’s when I started writing that lyric: I stumble out of bed / I got ready for the struggle / I smoked a cigarette / And I tightened up my gut / I said this can’t be me / Must be my double / And I can’t forget / I can’t forget / But I don’t remember what. That was really true.” (Leonard Cohen, interviewed by Mark Rowland, “Leonard Cohen’s Nervous Breakthrough”, Musician, July 1988.
Source: http://www.leonardcohenlive.com/storero … ttakes.htm
I clearly heard Leonard mumbling these lines “I was born in chains” etc. to the unknown melody in Lian Lunson’s 2005 documentary Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man. At that point [in 2005] I firmly believed he’s gone back to that song.
Born In Chains By Leonard Cohen – Lyrics
The lyrics are the subject of this thread at LeonardCohenForum. As of today, the most recent revision of the words, incorporating earlier versions and suggestions by others, is by sturgess66:
[CHARLEY?]
I was born …
[LEONARD]
I was born in chains but I was taken out of Egypt
I was bound to a burden, but the burden it was raised
Oh Lord I can no longer keep this secret
Blessed is the name, the name be praised.
[SHARON]
I fled to the edge of a mighty sea of sorrow
Pursued by the waters of a cruel and dark regime
But the waters parted and my soul crossed over
Out of Egypt, out of Pharaoh’s dream.
[LEONARD]
Word of words and the measure of all measures
Blessed is the name, the name be praised
Written on my heart in burning letters
That’s all I know, I do not know the rest
[HATTIE]
I was idled with my soul, when I heard that you could use me [GUIDED with my soul?]
I followed very closely, but my life remained the same
But then you showed me where you had been wounded
In every item broken is the name ITEM??? [In every _____? BLESSED is the name?]
[CHARLEY]
I was lost on the road, your love was so confusing [I was ALONE on the road?]
And all the teachers told me that I had myself to blame
But in the hour of …. illusion [this line really sounds as though there's an "and" not an "of" in it, but I can't make sense of it like that]
The sweet unknowing unified the name BEAUTIFIES
[LEONARD]
Word of words, and the measure of all measures
Blessed is the name, the name be praised
Written on my heart in burning letters
That’s all I know, I cannot read the rest
[LEONARD]
I heard the soul unfold in the chambers of this longing
As the bitter sweetens in the amber cup [BITTER LIQUID WEAKENS}
Ah but all the ladders of the night have fallen
Just darkness now, the lip [?], the longing of …[?] [THE LIFT?]
[LEONARD]
Word of words and measure of all measures
Blessed is the name, the name be praised
Written on my heart in burning letters
That’s all I know, I cannot read the rest [THAT CANNOT BE THE REST?]
[Sue wrote - I can't hear what they're singing at the end, except the last line is something like "the spirit of"]
I can’t hear either – but glorious arrangement with saxophone and his angels.
Born In Chains By Leonard Cohen – Video
Leonard Cohen – Born In Chains (Salzburg 7/27/2010)
Video from MaartenLC
Born In Chains By Leonard Cohen – Download MP3 File
A mp3 version of “Born In Chains” was created by converting the above YouTube video. It can be downloaded through the following steps:
1. Right-click on the following link and then choose “Open link in new window” or “Open link in new tab” to open the download service pages in new windows or tabs (left clicking on the links may open the download service pages in this same window; in that case, click the “Back” arrow on your browser to return to this post):
Download – Born In Chains2.mp3
2. On the download service pages that open, click on this image:
Then choose “Save File.”
3. The file is downloaded as “Born In Chains2.mp3.”
4. The file can be used in iPods and other MP3 players. The appropriate tags (title, artist, etc) and art should display automatically when the file is loaded into an MP3 program such as iTunes. The file can also be burned onto an audio CD.
_____________________
