Leonard Cohen - Paper Thin Hotel Lyrics






The walls of this hotel are paper-thin
Last night I heard you making love to him
The struggle mouth to mouth and limb to limb
The grunt of unity when he came in
I stood there with my ear against the wall
I was not seized by jealousy at all
In fact a burden lifted from my soul
I heard that love was out of my control
A heavy burden lifted from my soul
I heard that love was out of my control

I listened to your kisses at the door
I never heard the world so clear before
You ran your bath and you began to sing
I felt so good I couldn't feel a thing

I stood there with my ear against the wall ...

And I can't wait to tell you to your face
And I can't wait for you to take my place
You are The Naked Angel In My Heart
You are The Woman With Her Legs Apart
It's written on the walls of this hotel
You go to heaven once you've been to hell

A heavy burden lifted from my soul
I heard that love was out of my control





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Leonard Cohen Paper Thin Hotel Comments
  1. F.... ....

    Great Cohen song, but is there a story behind why they chose to put that strange warbly effect on his voice for this track?

    F.... ....

    What was the reason for the warbly effect?

  2. W.... W....

    the best version is by Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzale 😭

    W.... W....

    Indeed, and the 'Close Lobsters' do a superb version too.

  3. x.... t....

    I came here from Matt Maltese

  4. E.... R....

    (25th.11.2018)

  5. m.... ....

    Jean, if you ever see this, it still hurts.

  6. j.... ....

    "I must say I didn't sing this song very well, but it doesn't matter", Leonard Cohen thought to himself. "We will of course re-record the vocals later".

  7. j.... s....

    Phil Spector put both Dion and Leonard Cohen in a strait jacket with that dragging rhythm dirge music , he should have just allowed them to do what they do best not his voice .

  8. U.... S....

    listening to this cuz of dodie

  9. J.... C....

    Very atmospheric and nostalgic. those sweet, echoing guitar strings, though...

  10. N.... B....

    I love Leonard's work, however, I am not a fan of his voice so while this is my favorite song at the moment ill be listening to Matt Maltese's cover

  11. j.... m....

    The music is too good on this album for the songs. Because it's Leonard Cohen, you know the lyrics are great but you're not really listening to them because the music is so great, And then it stops and you wonder what the song is about. I actually read the lyrics instead because every time the song plays I get distracted by the beautiful music. So- great music, great lyrics but not music overpowers the lyrics.

  12. z.... w....

    Don't know why, but I feel like this melody has been inside me for long long time till now... Maybe when I was little I've heard it some how played in somewhere. And now that I listen to it I'm like :"Oh yes, it all makes sense"

  13. b.... j....

    I think lp is great

  14. F.... K....

    The walls of this hotel are paper-thin
    Last night I heard you making love to him
    The struggle mouth to mouth and limb to limb
    The grunt of unity when he came in
    I stood there with my ear against the wall
    I was not seized by jealousy at all
    In fact a burden lifted from my soul
    I heard that love was out of my control
    A heavy burden lifted from my soul
    I heard that love was out of my control

    I listened to your kisses at the door
    I never heard the world so clear before
    You ran your bath and you began to sing
    I felt so good I couldn't feel a thing

    I stood there with my ear against the wall ...

    And I can't wait to tell you to your face
    And I can't wait for you to take my place
    You are The Naked Angel In My Heart
    You are The Woman With Her Legs Apart
    It's written on the walls of this hotel
    You go to heaven once you've been to hell

    A heavy burden lifted from my soul
    I heard that love was out of my control

  15. t.... ....

    it reminds me of Adventureland and The Perks Of A Wallflower :) x

  16. S.... c....

    This song is numbing quiet pleasant sadness

  17. A.... ....

    THANK YOU DODIE I LOVE YOU BABE~!

    A.... ....

    Franco Adam Dodie Clark she's a youtuber / musician she recommend it well the cover down by Matt ^^

  18. G.... N....

    im here because dodie oops

    G.... N....

    lmao same

    G.... N....

    me tooo

  19. G.... R....

    : Leonard Cohen
    Album: Death of a Ladies' Man
    Data di uscita: 1977

  20. L.... M....

    A heavy burden lifted from my soul , I heard that love was out of my control .... doesn't that liberate you just a bit?

    L.... M....

    more or less

  21. D.... ....

    This is nothing less than cocaine fueled sonic clusterfuck that was beyond overproduced, yet still shines though do to Cohen's lyrics. It just goes to show you how talented Leonard Cohen was as a writer. Nobody else could have made such a clash listenable.

  22. C.... M....

    Una canción maravillosa, una melodía muy sugerente, y también con un cierto tinte de tristeza.

  23. R.... P....

    Van Morrison would have produced something more satisfying to the female 's thirsty ears, ... NOT Phil Spector!

  24. b.... j....

    sorry but this dummy really likes this lp.not his best but close to it.

  25. M.... E....

    The best cover of this song is by Matt Maltese. Listen to it on spotify it's hauntingly brilliant!

    M.... E....

    A cover? Of Leonard Cohen? Why would you even bother when you can just listen to Leonards version.

    M.... E....

    The best cover of Death of a ladies man by Leonard Cohen and Phil Spector is Death of a ladies man by Leonard Cohen and Phil Spector

    M.... E....

    Definitely

    M.... E....

    Walt whitman ova here listen to it, it’s amazing 😍

    M.... E....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6DwVIKFsNk I love this version from Mr. Greg Dulli

  26. M.... ....

    Hello everybody! Pleaaase, does anybody know who played guitar on this particular song? There were a couple of guitarists playing on the album, including Jesse Ed Davis. I'm wondering if he played that riff... Thanks for any information!

  27. S.... R....

    What a beautiful Soul!

  28. b.... j....

    Phil lightened up on this one. please let him out ,he got railroaded.!!!!!!!!!!!!

  29. G.... V....

    Leonard Cohen tribute by GrooVin8tor: https://youtu.be/93WDsRCQVVI

  30. c.... ....

    So fascinating to hear Spector arrange LC. I missed this entire album. I can see why LC distanced himself from this. But. It's so glorious.

    c.... ....

    christyc not LC at all, though. Prefer his gravelly voice and genuine emotion

  31. Y.... P....

    Sounds like Lou Reed meets 1970's John Lennon...

  32. D.... E....

    I LOVE YOU LEONARD BEFORE NOW AND EVER AFTER xxx

  33. M.... ....

    Respect..

  34. M.... H....

    rest in peace😞😞

  35. M.... W....

    http://www.polskacanada.com/jestem-gotow-panie-leonard-cohen-nie-zyje/

  36. A.... D....

    Such a shame that Phil Spector ruined this album! R I P Legend

    A.... D....

    listen to it again and consider the fact that it is fucking sick

    A.... D....

    Will have to disagree with you, Andrew. "Death of a Ladies Man" was widely panned, but there are some great songs on it, including "Paper Thin Hotel"...

    A.... D....

    The songs are GREAT but - a bit like when Felton Jarvis ruined many of Elvis' 70's recordings...OVER produced - maybe, like Elvis they can release this in an UNDUBBED form with, if possible, undubbed outtakes in a special 2 CD set... just a thought

  37. E.... E....

    RIP Cohen :(

  38. J.... L....

    Phil Spector didn't always hit the target with his productions. Leonard Cohen didn't fare well with this album in 1977. This has some credible songs, but the entire concept of how it was to be recorded & produced is quite ill-conceived. Leonard should at some point, little by little, re-record some of these songs the old Leonard Cohen way. It would be shame to lose their potential even though they are not what Cohen is doing today. I know Cohen did re-record some ("Memories") was de-Spectorized. This song -- "Paper Thin Hotel" is actually good. However, Spector would gain royalties if Cohen has any more success with these songs. Why? Sadly -- only the lyrics are Leonard's & all the music is Phil Spector. The woman to the right on the album cover is Suzanne Elrod—mother of Adam & Lorca Cohen. Adam Cohen -- his son, produced Leonard's newest album -- "You Want It Darker."

    J.... L....

    I for one, love it...I know by another artist whose name I don't recall now.

    J.... L....

    Pure Rubbish totally out of tune not LC at all!!

    J.... L....

    "Leonard should at some point, little by little, re-record some of these songs the old Leonard Cohen way"

    He's been dead for a year and a half now.

    J.... L....

    JM Cooper That's literally the first thing I thought when I read that sentence

    J.... L....

    John LaStrada Pat Leonard is a huge gap you're missing.

  39. T.... T....

    Wisest sentiments ever sung of in a pop song.

  40. L.... L....

    This song has been butchered by the instrumentation/arrangement, call it as you may. The sound is plain AWFUL.

    L.... L....

    I understand where you're coming from. It is a horrid travesty - the result of two completely incompatible musical entities pulling in different directions. Death of a Ladies Man is the sound of the ripping and tearing as they finally e pull the universe down upon themselves. Yet there is beauty in this ugliness if you give it a chance to shine through. I've always thought these two "geniuses' were overrated, but together they have created a Frankenstein's monster of clashing styles, direction, sound and intent. Godzilla and Mothra meet at Gold Star studio and lay waste to the popular song. It is a disaster, but a beautiful one.

    L.... L....

    Plus Leonard's voice sounds as if he was drunk...and he probably was!:) If only Phil had let him have the master copies he could've remastered, but no. The crazy, innocent one didn't.

    L.... L....

    "Remastering"...in the words of Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

  41. S.... M....

    This album feels like the death of the 70s and the free love revolution ... and the AIDS epidemic is just around the corner from 77. Eerie.

  42. G.... Y....

    I also "learned that love was out of my Control"

    G.... Y....

    Sadly, I think all of us have been acquainted with that feeling.

  43. J.... P....

    Having been cheated on helps one understand and appreciate this song. 

  44. F.... W....

    People are different in their emotional sensibilities. I feel powerfully the soul-crushing jealousy in LC's recitation of these lyrics ("I was not seized by jealousy at all" is a childish, protective lie, betraying the delicacy and naivete of the character). He is a man who is confronting the disparity between his ideal of love and the unfairness of actual sex, and by generalization the affairs of the world in general. His response to this disparity is anesthesia; he is broken, and his illusions are shattered. But he also has a sort of cathartic orgasm of betrayal. I think you have to be a Jew, if not racially then in spirit, to understand.

    F.... W....

    +Forbes Winthrop Why do you think you have to be a Jew to understand these lyrics?  I think most everyone can understand the pain and despair of betrayal.

    F.... W....

    Yes you are correct. That goes for just about all of his songs, especially his early writing.

    F.... W....

    Forbes Winthrop how Racist >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..

    F.... W....

    some dont feel jealousy,get it

    F.... W....

    Are you a Jew in spirit - it is so difficult to tell - funny, but you don't look Jewish-in-spirit.

  45. F.... ....

    Just discovering some of Cohen's old tracks. I love this one.

  46. 9.... ....

    i think this is the best song in the world at certain times

    9.... ....

    For me, that time is right now.

  47. l.... ....

    I don't get the wall of sound hate?  It doesn't always work granted but it's not the definition of terrible people claim it to be.   I love it on this song.  Spector sure is psycho though. lol  ;)  

    l.... ....

    it IS his best album, BY FAR!

    l.... ....

    @tapasitos a very idiosyncratic album due to Phil Spector's approach but so full of (pure) despair, beatnik melancholy irony and caricature it is still one of my favorite L.C. albums. and in this I will have to disagree with master L.C. himself who has repeatedly said he despises it

    l.... ....

    +MrBayad5 You are far from alone in carrying that sentiment. He is one voice against a loud crowd of dissenters on this one!

    l.... ....

    LC's material is as good as ever. We're only saying that the arrangements are plain murder! Except for "Iodine", which is super!

    l.... ....

    I think part of the Spector hate comes from the fact that so many artists he produced were openly unhappy with the final result (Paul McCartney/Beatles, Cohen, Ramones). I mean, are there any other notable instances of artists openly saying that the producer they chose to work with ruined their album? Not that I can think of, at least not on this scale, and I'd have to imagine that that would color the opinions of many fans and lead to the mixed reputation Spector's producing has received.

  48. M.... ....

    great lyrics, terrible singer.absolutely no emotion, whereas the Greg Dulli rendition drips with angst and emotion

    M.... ....

    "You know nothing"Bit harsh now, innit?In matters of musical taste, it's tough to defend stances of absolute right, objective wrong.After all, chacun a son gout, n'est-ce pas -- no matter how baseless, uneducated, superficial, or puerile that particular taste might be; amirite or amirite?;)

    M.... ....

    What?! You troll!

    M.... ....

    Haha. Leonard Cohen was ALL emotions. You clearly lack the emotions to HEAR him.

    M.... ....

    its probably too late for this but you should listen the cover of this song by Matt Maltese

    M.... ....

    Remember that these vocals wasn't supposed to be on the album... it's just a "guide vocal" recorded before Phil Spector hijacked the recording sessions

  49. m.... ....

    There's actually ZERO emotion as performed by Cohen. Sounds like Shatner. :)

    m.... ....

    actually he sounds worse than shatter but better than leonard nimoy

  50. R.... ....

    Loved this record many years ago, very nice to hear it here.

  51. L.... E....

    Well, as much as I do agree with you, we do happen to have an outlier in Jeff Buckley's rendition of "Hallelujah".

  52. T.... W....

    Listen to Bird on a Wire or Famous Blue Raincoat. If you don't feel Leonard's emotional vocals on those songs, then I feel sorry for you. But yeah, I can understand why you're not a fan of his vocals (even though I disagree)

  53. J.... ....

    Leonard Cohen: A very fine lyricist, but a very mediocre vocalist. I say that as someone who actually likes the less-than-technically-perfect singing voices of artists such as Bob Dylan and Robert Smith, both of who sing in ways which I find emotionally engaging and appropriate to the song. I'm sorry to say I've never felt any soul or emotion from Cohen's recordings, but to each their own.

    J.... ....

    Cohen is deep
    no one ever successfully covered Cohen, they always make it cheesy and too obvious
    That's why I feel it as more emotionally painful than any of those you mentioned...

  54. S.... B....

    blasphemy... blaspheMER!

    S.... B....

    Why would you comment that on this song?

  55. B.... ....

    Meet Dax Riggs.

  56. C.... ....

    I died a little inside when I listened to someone's bad advice to go listen to some Dulli cover...thank the good lord i'm back. In their defense I often like the cover of a song I hear first, so maybe others heard his version first.

    C.... ....

    Listen to the Matt Maltese cover, a lot better

  57. c.... ....

    Err no he don't...he makes a fantastic vibey song sound souless,suppose he gave it a go though.

  58. c.... ....

    lol...i know its almost blasphemy,Nobody does a cohen song better than Cohen himself.."Nobody".

  59. c.... ....

    So very well put,and so true.

  60. c.... ....

    The original and best...by a country mile.Leonard cohens poetry is just beautiful and he sings from the heart, like no other.

  61. c.... ....

    This is the sound of heaven....surely.

  62. x.... ....

    Sorry but the Greg Dulli version does not hold a candle to this. Cohen's songs do not need someone with a traditionally great voice to sing them in order to get the best out of them - they transcend that kind of thing. What you are left with is an interpretation of a song - and no one interprets a Leonard Cohen song better than Leonard Cohen.

  63. Y.... G....

    "I heard that love was out of my controllllllll-a..."

  64. c.... ....

    as gorgeous as the first time i ever heard this masterpiece.

  65. s.... ....

    Two people prefer thicker walls.

  66. a.... n....

    I agree with ashburnhouse, the Greg Dulli version is fucking blasphemous. He completely ruined this amazing song.

  67. M.... ....

    Greg Dulli does an INCREDIBLE remake of this song.

  68. m.... ....

    Go listen to the cover of this song by Greg Dulli in Old Ideas with New Friends

  69. m.... ....

    gangster.