The Partisan
Leonard Cohen * Track #4 On Songs from a Room
Download "The Partisan"
Album Songs from a Room
- #1
Bird on the WireLeonard Cohen
- #2
Story of IsaacLeonard Cohen
- #3A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes
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- #4The Partisan
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- #6The Old Revolution
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- #8You Know Who I Am
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- #9Lady Midnight
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- #11Like a Bird (Bird on the Wire)
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- #12Nothing to One (You Know Who I Am)
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The Partisan by Leonard Cohen
Release Date
Performed by
Leonard CohenProduced by
Bob JohnstonWrited by
Emmanuel D’Astier & Anna Marly & Hy ZaretAbout
This song is an adaptation made by Hy Zaret of “La Complainte du Partisan” written in 1943, by Emmanuel D'Astier de la Vigerie (called “Bernard” in the French Resistance) and Anna Marly. Some of the original French is kept on the second half of the song;
On the 2009 Greatest Hits compilation textbo...
The Partisan Lyrics
[Verse 1]
When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender
This I could not do
I took my gun and vanished
[Verse 2]
I have changed my name so often
I've lost my wife and children
But I have many friends
And some of them are with me
[Verse 3]
An old woman gave us shelter
Kept us hidden in the garret
Then the soldiers came
She died without a whisper
[Verse 4]
There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
But I must go on
The frontiers are my prison
[Verse 5]
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we'll come from the shadows
[Verse 6]
Les Allemands étaient chez moi
Ils me dirent, "Resigne-toi,"
Mais je n'ai pas pu
J'ai repris mon arme
[Verse 7]
J'ai changé cent fois de nom
J'ai perdu femme et enfants
Mais j'ai tant d'amis
J'ai la France entière
[Verse 8]
Un vieil homme dans un grenier
Pour la nuit nous a caché
Les Allemands l'ont pris
Il est mort sans surprise
[Verse 5]
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we'll come from the shadows
The Partisan Q&A
Who wrote The Partisan's ?
The Partisan was written by Emmanuel D’Astier & Anna Marly & Hy Zaret.
Who produced The Partisan's ?
The Partisan was produced by Bob Johnston.
When did Leonard Cohen release The Partisan?
Leonard Cohen released The Partisan on Mon Apr 07 1969.
What did Leonard Cohen say about "The Partisan"?
This is a song of Resistance. It was written a long time ago,about someone’s grandparents, about your grandparents. But this song for
me is an allegory for Resistance.
(Frankfurt ‘74)