The Future

Leonard Cohen · Complete Studio Albums Collection [2011]

Give me back my broken night, my mirrored room,

my secret life it's lonely here,

there's no one left to torture

Give me absolute control over every living soul

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

Give me crack and anal sex

Take the only tree that's left and stuff it up

the hole in your culture

Give me back the Berlin wall give me Stalin and St Paul

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



(chorus)

Things are going to slide, slide in all directions

Won't be nothing Nothing you can measure anymore

The blizzard, the blizzard of the world has crossed

the threshold and it has overturned the order of the soul

When they said REPENT REPENT

I wonder what they meant ,..



You don't know me from the wind

You never will. You never did.

I was the little jew, who wrote the bible.



I've seen the nations rise and fall

I've heard their stories, heard them all,

but love's the only engine of survival.

Your servant here, he has been told

to say it clear, to say it cold.

It's over, it aint' goin' any further

And now the wheels of heaven stop

You feel the Devil's riding crop

get ready for the future, it is murder.



(Chorus)



There'll be the breakin' of the ancient western code

Your private life will suddenly explode!

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

And the white man dances

You'll see a woman hangin' upsidedown

Her features covered by her fallin' gown

And all the lousy little poets come round

Tryin' to sound like, Charlie Manson

Yeah, the white man dancin'



Give me back the Berlin wall

Give me Stalin and St Paul

Give me Christ or give me Hiroshima

Destroy another fetus now

We don't like children anyhow

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



(Chorus)

The Future - Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen's 'The Future' stands as a haunting exploration of spiritual longing and existential uncertainty, characteristic of his late-career introspection. Recorded for the comprehensive 'Complete Studio Albums Collection,' the track exemplifies Cohen's signature blend of jazz-inflected pop and baroque pop, utilizing a minimalist arrangement to amplify its emotional weight. The song reflects the artist's enduring preoccupation with themes of redemption, the passage of time, and the search for meaning in a secular world. With its brooding vocal delivery and atmospheric production, the recording captures the melancholic yet transcendent quality that defined Cohen's final musical statements, resonating deeply with listeners seeking profound reflection within a contemporary musical landscape.