# Help finding a Leonard Cohen song

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** music\
**Created:** [July 3, 2021, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601 "2021-07-03T13:49:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601/1 "2021-07-03T13:49:14Z")

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I’ve just spent 30 minutes bumbling my way through google to no avail.

Not much to go on so sorry…

Anyway, the song is about some people fighting or conflict, iirc. The governing body is watching from, by or across a lake.

The protagonist doesn’t feel good about himself.

Again sorry, I probably misremembered most of that but that’s all my poor memory can muster.

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**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601/2 "2021-07-03T13:51:08Z")

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Is it young crooner Leonard Cohen, or older growly Leonard Cohen?

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601/3 "2021-07-03T14:03:31Z")

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I’m thinking older. But I’m not really that familiar with a lot of his stuff. I heard a cover of the song in question and loved it. Looked it up and was mildly surprised it was originally by Cohen.

This was a couple of months ago so my memory of it is kind of hazy.

ETA: I think there was a part in it about him saying to his mother not to think badly of him when he was gone.

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**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601/4 "2021-07-03T15:14:50Z")

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Was it “The Traitor”?

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bh3I3As-vN4/maxresdefault.jpg "Leonard Cohen - The Traitor (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh3I3As-vN4)

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601/5 "2021-07-03T16:47:55Z")

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Ding ding ding! Yes. Thank you.

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**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601/6 "2021-07-03T17:25:59Z")

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> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#):
>
> I heard a cover of the song in question and loved it. Looked it up and was mildly surprised it was originally by Cohen.

😃 He was never the greatest singer, even before his voice got all James Earl Jones, but he was always a gifted songwriter and it shows in how much better covers of his songs are than his own recordings.

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-leonard-cohen-song/945601/7 "2021-07-03T17:37:24Z")

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Agreed. I’ve always appreciated songwriting in general but have come to appreciate LC’s abilities.