The rain falls down on last year's man
That's a Jew's harp on the table
That's a crayon in his hand
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
Far past the stems of thumbtacks
That still throw shadows on the wood
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year's man
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark
Oh one by one she had to tell them
That her name was Joan of Arc
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while
I want to thank you, Joan of Arc
For treating me so well
And though I wear a uniform I was not born to fight
All these wounded boys you lie beside
Goodnight, my friends, goodnight
I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived
Bethlehem the bridegroom
Babylon the bride
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me
And Bethlehem inflamed us both
Like the shy one at some orgy
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil
That I had to draw aside to see
The serpent eat its tail
Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain
So I hang upon my altar
And I hoist my axe again
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began
When Jesus was the honeymoon
And Cain was just the man
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin
That the wilderness is gathering
All its children back again
The rain falls down on last year's man
An hour has gone by
And he has not moved his hand
But everything will happen if he only gives the word
The lovers will rise up
And the mountains touch the ground
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year's man
That's a Jew's harp on the table
That's a crayon in his hand
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
Far past the stems of thumbtacks
That still throw shadows on the wood
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year's man
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark
Oh one by one she had to tell them
That her name was Joan of Arc
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while
I want to thank you, Joan of Arc
For treating me so well
And though I wear a uniform I was not born to fight
All these wounded boys you lie beside
Goodnight, my friends, goodnight
I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived
Bethlehem the bridegroom
Babylon the bride
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me
And Bethlehem inflamed us both
Like the shy one at some orgy
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil
That I had to draw aside to see
The serpent eat its tail
Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain
So I hang upon my altar
And I hoist my axe again
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began
When Jesus was the honeymoon
And Cain was just the man
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin
That the wilderness is gathering
All its children back again
The rain falls down on last year's man
An hour has gone by
And he has not moved his hand
But everything will happen if he only gives the word
The lovers will rise up
And the mountains touch the ground
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year's man
Contributed by Corrado - 2020/7/15 - 17:57
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Album: Songs Of Love And Hate
In “Last Year’s Man”, la Potenza Suprema appare perplessa davanti allo sfacelo della sua creatura che gli si dimostra composta da elementi che paiono inconciliabili. Quel che vede riflesso nell’opera dell’uomo è tale da lasciarlo immobile per un’ora di tempo.
Come nel sesto capitolo della Genesi, la catena di sangue, odio e violenza sembrano aver infranto il sogno della sua creazione e di generazione in generazione, la contrapposizione sanguinosa tra fratelli si ripete. Non si tratta di quel che fa ma di quel che sembra voler fare in risposta alla solitudine e al deserto dell’uomo.
La plumbea visione richiama altresì all’orrore di un lager nazista dove i corpi venivano usati come materia e dove il senso biblico era totalmente devastato. La mancanza di certezze viene dimostrata da Cohen alterando la comune idea occidentale di personaggi e luoghi religiosi e prostituendo il corpo verginale della santa-eroina Giovanna D’Arco. Se peccato e colpa vengano redenti su quel tavolo apocalittico da quel dio perplesso, la canzone non lo rivela, nessun verdetto è lasciato intuire e si tratta di una di quelle canzoni che Leonard non ha mai presentato in pubblico.
Flavio Poltronieri