The DrHGuy site is running a series of posts based on revising the 12 Days Of Christmas from the point of view of a Leonard Cohen admirer. This has proven popular enough to prompt sharing it here. The sequence is now on Day Five, which in the traditional folk song is the point at which ones true love confers upon one “five gold rings.”1
This would be an especially auspicious time for readers to pick up on the series; while I have found good quality matches for these first five verses, things are looking a tad sketchy for numbers six through twelve. In any case, today’s offering is …
On The 5th Day Of Christmas, Leonard Cohen Gave To Me Five Gold Awards
On the 5th day of Christmas, Leonard Cohen gave to me
Five gold awards
Four new live songs
Three years of touring
Two sisters singing
And a bird on a wire, not in a tree
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Notice Of Poetic License
OR
Why It’s Not “On The 5th Day Of Christmas, Leonard Cohen
Gave To Me Four Gold and One Gould Awards”
I realize Leonard Cohen has won more than five prizes over his lifetime, but he has had five major awards bestowed upon him since I’ve been following his career so that seems close enough for a holiday song I’m composing without any help whatsoever on the lyrics from Mr Icon-In-The-Songwriting-Hall-Of-Fame. And yes, it is true that the trophy for one of those five major awards, The 2011 Glenn Gould Prize, is technically constructed of silver, but it is a first place (i.e., “gold”) award and, in any case,”On The 5th Day Of Christmas, Leonard Cohen Gave To Me Four Gold and One Gould Awards” just doesn’t scan.
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1. The 2011 Prince Of Asturias Award
2. The 2011 Glenn Gould Prize
3. The 2010 Songwriters Hall Of Fame
4. The 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
5. The 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Credit Due Department: The four views of the Miro-wrought Prince Of Asturias Award trophy were found at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research web site. The photo of Mr Cohen speaking at the Prince Of Asturias Awards ceremony was found at El Pais.The photo of the Glenn Gould Award trophy was found at the Donald A Stuart site. The photos for the 2010 Songwriters Hall Of Fame, the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were found at Leonard Cohen Halls Of Fame.
- This part of the song will forever be represented in my mind by Miss Piggy’s performance in which she belts out first “Five… gold…. rings!” and then ba-dum-bum-bum.” [↩]
