The Partisan tab by Leonard Cohen

subject: c/leonard_cohen/partisan.tab

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.

    C*     E*   Am
I have changed my name so often,
   C*   E*    Am
I've lost my wife and children
      C    G    G
but I have many fri-ends,
F      F        C  E /Am Am/Am Am
  and some of them are with me.

    C*  E*   Am
An old woman gave us shelter,
    C*   E*   Am
kept us hidden in the garret,
     C    G   G
then the soldiers came;
F      F       C   E Am Am/Am Am
  she died without a whis-per.


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

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

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

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

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


    C*    E*   Am
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
      C*     E*   Am
through the graves the wind is blowing,
    C     G    G
freedom soon will come;
F       F         C   E  Am Am/Am Am (appregio)
  then we'll come from the shad-ows.

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