Leonard Cohen - The Stranger Song

[intro]
Esus4  Em  Esus4  Em  Esus4

[verse 1]
Em  C               Bb
It's true that all the men you
C       G
knew were dealers
         G                      D
Who said they were through with dealing
      D                  Em Esus4 Em
Every time you gave them shelter
  D                 Dsus4  D
I know that kind of man
             Em              Esus4 Em
It's hard to hold the hand of anyone
      D                Dsus4
Who's reaching for the sky
D          Em  Esus4 Em
just to surrender
       D                Dsus4
Who is reaching for the sky
 D        Em  Esus4 Em Esus4
just to surrender

[verse 2]
Em      C             Bb       C
And then sweeping up the jokers that he
G
left behind
       G               D
You'll find he did not leave you very much
         Em Esus4 Em
Not even laughter
     D            Dsus4
Like any dealer he was
  D              Em
watching for the card
     Esus4 Em       D
That is so high and wild

He'll never need to
D Dsus4    Em  Esus4 Em
deal another
        D
He was just some Joseph
Dsus4 D           Em  Esus4 Em
looking for a manger
        D
He was just some Joseph
Dsus4 D           Em  Esus4 Em Esus4
looking for a manger

[verse 3]
Em   C               Bb       C
And then leaning on your window sill
      G               G
He'll say one day you caused his will
    D
To weaken with your love and
            Em  Esus4 Em
warmth and shelter
          D                Dsus4  D
And then taking from his wallet
       Em  Esus4 Em
An old schedule of trains, he'll say
  D
I told you when I
Dsus4  D     Em  Esus4 Em
came I was a stranger

[verse 4]
Em    C          Bb       C
Oh but now another stranger seems
   G             G
To want you to ignore his dreams
   D
As though they were the
D              Em  Esus4 Em
burden of some other
       D               Dsus4 D
You've seen that man before
           Em             Esus4  Em
His golden arm dispatching cards
             D
But now it's rusted from the
Dsus4 D      Em  Esus4 Em
elbow to the finger
       D
And he wants to trade the
Dsus4 D           Em  Esus4 Em
game he plays for shelter
       D
Yes he wants to trade the
Dsus4 D           Em  Esus4 Em
game he knows for shelter

[verse 5]
Em   C            Bb       C   G
Ah you hate to watch another tired man
             G
Lay down his hand
            D
Like he was giving up the
D            Em  Esus4 Em
holy game of poker
    D                  D
And while he talks his dreams to sleep
    Em              Esus4 Em
You notice there's a highway
        D               Dsus4
That is curling up like smoke
 D        Em  Esus4 Em
above his shoulder
     D                 Dsus4
It's curling just like smoke
 D        Em  Esus4 Em
above his shoulder

[verse 6]
Em       C              Bb      C
You tell him to come in sit down
     G                  G
But something makes you turn around
    D
The door is open
Eb                    Em  Esus4 E
you can't close your shelter
    D              Dsus4  D
You try the handle of the road
   Em          Esus4 Em
It opens do not be afraid
     D            Dsus4
It's you my love, you,
  D         Em  Esus4 Em
who are the stranger
     D            Dsus4
It's you my love, you,
  D         Em  Esus4 Em
who are the stranger

[verse 6]
Em    C                 Bb     C
Well, I have been waiting, I was sure
     G
We'd meet between the
G                    D
trains we're waiting for
             D               Em  Esus4 Em
I think it's time to board another
       D
Please understand,
  Dsus4  D    Em
I never had a secret chart
Esus4 Em       D
To get me to the heart of this
   Dsus4 D    Em  Esus4 Em
Or any other matter
        D                   Dsus4
When he talks like this you don't
 D             Em  Esus4 Em
know what he's after
        D                     Dsus4
When he speaks like this, you don't
 D             Em  Esus4 Em
know what he's after

[verse 7]
Em   C           Bb      C
Let's meet tomorrow if you choose
  G             G
Upon the shore, beneath the bridge
     D
That they are building
D               Em  Esus4 Em
on some endless river
        D
Then he leaves the platform
Dsus4 D          Em
For the sleeping car that's warm
     Esus4 Em   D          Dsus4 D
You realize, he's only advertising
       Em  Esus4 Em
one more shelter
       D
And it comes to you,
   Dsus4 D     Em  Esus4 Em
he never was a stranger
        D            Dsus4
And you say okay the bridge
D            Em  Esus4 Em
or someplace later

[verse 8]
Em      C              Bb
And then sweeping up the jokers
C      G
that he left behind
    G               D
You find he did not leave you very much
         Em Esus4 Em
Not even laughter
     D          Dsus4  D        Em
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
     Esus4 Em     D
That is so high and wild
      D     Dsus4        Em  Esus4 Em
He'll never need to deal another
        D
He was just some Joseph
Dsus4   D     Em  Esus4 Em
looking for a manger
        D
He was just some Joseph
Dsus4   D     Em  Esus4 Em Esus4
looking for a manger

[verse 9]
Em   C               Bb       C
And then leaning on your window sill
      G               G
He'll say one day you caused his will
   D
To weaken with your
D                   Em  Esus4 Em
love and warmth and shelter
    D               Dsus4  D
And taking from his wallet
       Em  Esus4 Em
An old schedule of trains, he'll say
  D
I told you when I
Dsus4 D      Em  Esus4 Em Esus4
came I was a stranger
  D
I told you when I
Dsus4 D      Em  Esus4 Em Esus4
came I was a stranger
  D
I told you when I
Dsus4 D      Em  Esus4 Em Esus4 Em
came I was a stranger
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