The partisan

Leonard Cohen: The Partisan (La Complainte du Partisan)
               (French text: Bernard, Music: Anna Marly,
                English text: Hy Saret)
               from the CD's "Songs from a room", "Greatest Hits" and
               "Heart Housed in a Thorn Bush" (Live at Montreux, 1984)


the pattern I play I've learned from a friend (erwin). Its easier to play,
but may be there is a certain loss of quality.

 erwins pattern

  Am                          C*               E*
e:----------0---------------|-----------0---|-----------0--|
B:-------1-----1------------|--------1------|--------0-----|
G:----2-----------2-----2---|-----0---------|-----1--------|
D:-------------------2------|---------------|--------------|
A:-0------------------------|--3------------|--------------|
E:--------------------------|---------------|--0-----------|
   p  i  m  a  m  i  p  i      p  i  m  a      p  i  m  a


The pattern is played two times per bar (indicated by / in first verse).
In the first and second line of every verse there are three chords per bar
and i play the pattern C* and E*.

Cohen plays ?don't really know?

   Am                                  C*                    E*
e:-------------------------0----------|--------------------|-------------------|
B:-------1--------1-----1-----------1-|--------1--------1--|--------0--------0-|
G:----2--------2-----2-----------2----|-----0--------0-----|-----1--------1----|
D:----------2-----------------2-------|-----------2--------|-----------2-------|
A:-0----------------------------------|--3-----------------|--2----------------|
E:------------------------------------|--------------------|-------------------|
   p  i  m  p  i  m  p  i  m  p  i  m    etc.

 There are twentyfour notes (triplets) per bar, to much for my fingers.


Am  Am  / Am   Am

         /C*       E*        Am
When they poured a-cross the border
     /C*        E*     Am
I was cautioned to sur-render,
      /C         G   /G (2/4)
this I could not do;
F           F          /C       E  /Am  Am/Am  Am
  I took my gun and van-ished.

I have changed my name so often,
I've lost my wife and children
but I have many fri-ends,
   and some of them are with me.

An old woman gave us shelter,
kept us hidden in the garret,
then the soldiers came;
    she died without a whis-per.


There were three of us this morning              Hier encor nous 'tions troi
I'm the only one this evening                    Il ne reste plu que moi
but I must go on;                                Et je tourne en rond
  the fron-tiers are my pri-son.                 Dans la prison des frontieres

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,               La vent passe sur les tombles
through the graves the wind is blowing,          La libert' reviendra
freedom soon will come;                          Oh nous oubliera!
  then we'll come from the shad-ows.             Nous retrerons dans l'ombre.

Les Alle-mands '-taient chez moi,      [The Germans were at my home
ons m'a dit: "Re-signe toi,"            They said, "Sign yourself,"
mais je n'ai pas peur;                      But I am not afraid
   j'ai repris mon ?r-me.                  I have retaken my weapon.

J'ai chan-g' cent fois de nom,         I have changed names a hundred times
j'ai per-du femme et en-fants            I have lost wife and children
mais j'ai tant d'a-mis;                     But I have so many friends
    j'ai la France en-ti?re.                  I have all of France

Un vieil homme dans un gre-nier               An old man, in an attic
pour la nuit nous a ca-ch's,                  Hid us for the night
les Alle-mands l'ont prisent;                     The Germans captured him
   il est mort sans surpri-se.                  He died without surprise.]


Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
through the graves the wind is blowing,
freedom soon will come;
    then we'll come from the shad-ows.



Improvements welcome! Adi.Heindl@chemie.uni-regensburg.de