THE FUTURE (L. Cohen)
from Columbia Records' release THE FUTURE by LEONARD COHEN (CK 53226)

Transcribed by Clay Boutilier 07/30/95

Introduction:

AmAm Piano Chord 
   /    /

DmDm Piano Chord 

Give me back my broken night, my mirrored room, my secret life

G6G6 Piano Chord 
                      E7E7 Piano Chord 
          AmAm Piano Chord 

it's lonely here, there's no one left to torture

DmDm Piano Chord 

Give me absolute control over every living soul

G6G6 Piano Chord 
                            AmAm Piano Chord 

And lie beside me baby, that's an order!

DmDm Piano Chord 

Give me crack an anal sex, take the only tree that's left

G6G6 Piano Chord 
              E7E7 Piano Chord 
              AmAm Piano Chord 

and stuff it up the hole in your culture

DmDm Piano Chord 

Give me back the Berlin Wall, give me Stalin and St. Paul

G6G6 Piano Chord 
               E7E7 Piano Chord 
              AmAm Piano Chord 

I've seen the future, brother:  it is murder.

[Chorus:]

DmDm Piano Chord 
                      CC Piano Chord 

Things are gonna slide (slide) in all directions

DmDm Piano Chord 
                                   CC Piano Chord 

Won't be nothing (won't be) nothing you can't measure anymore.

DmDm Piano Chord 
                             FF Piano Chord 

The blizzard, the blizzard  of the world has crossed the threshold

FmFm Piano Chord 
                          CC Piano Chord 

and it has overturned the order of the soul

GG Piano Chord 

When they said (they said) REPENT (repent) REPENT (repent)

AmAm Piano Chord 

I wonder what they meant

GG Piano Chord 

When they said (they said) REPENT (repent) REPENT (repent)

AmAm Piano Chord 

I wonder what they meant

GG Piano Chord 

When they said (they said) REPENT (repent) REPENT (repent)

AmAm Piano Chord 

I wonder what they meant

[second verse:  (same chords as first)]

You don't know me from the wind, you never will, you never did
I'm the little jew who wrote the bible
I've seen nations rise and fall, I've heard their stories, heard them all
but love's the only engibe of survival
Your servant here he has been told to say it clear to say it cold:
It's over, it ain't going any further
And now the wheels of heaven stop, you feel the devil's riding crop
Get ready for the future:  it is murder.

[repeat chorus]

[third verse:]

There'll be the breaking of the ancient western code

DmDm Piano Chord 

Your private life will suddenly explode

AmAm Piano Chord 

There'll be phantoms, there'll be fires on the road

F7F7 Piano Chord 
        EE Piano Chord 

and the white man dancing

AmAm Piano Chord 

You'll see your woman hanging upside down

DmDm Piano Chord 

her features covered by her fallen gown

AmAm Piano Chord 

and all the lousy little poets coming around

F7F7 Piano Chord 
       EE Piano Chord 

trying to sound like Charlie Manson

AmAm Piano Chord 

and the white man dancing

DmDm Piano Chord 

Give me back the Berlin Wall, give me Stalin and St. Paul

G6G6 Piano Chord 
                E7E7 Piano Chord 
          AmAm Piano Chord 

Give me Christ or give me Hiroshima

DmDm Piano Chord 

Destroy another fetus now, we don't like children anyhow

G6G6 Piano Chord 
               E7E7 Piano Chord 
           AmAm Piano Chord 

I've seen the future, baby:  it is murder.

[repeat chorus]

GG Piano Chord 
                                                 AmAm Piano Chord 

When they said (they said) REPENT (repent) REPENT (repent)

[end on Am]

Chords:

EADGBE
Am:  X02210
C:   X32010
Dm:  XX0231
E7:  030100
F:   133211
Fm:  133111
F7:  131211
G:   320003
G6:  320000