Wainwright, Martha - Tower Song Lyrics

Martha is in a class of her own.

That moment when Leonard Cohen turns into Bob Dylan

Ugh...that has never happened...and never will.....

Beautiful

grazie,brividi

Well, my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day in the Tower of Song

I said to Hank Williams, how lonely does it get?
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
Oh, a hundred floors above me in the Tower of Song

I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
They tied me to this table right here in the Tower of Song

So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll
I'm very sorry, baby, doesn't look like me at all
I'm standing by the window where the light is strong
Ah, they don't let a woman kill you, not in the Tower of Song

Now, you can say that I've grown bitter but of this you may be sure
The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor
And there's a mighty judgment coming, but I may be wrong
You see, you hear these funny voices in the Tower of Song

I see you standing on the other side
I don't know how the river got so wide
I loved you baby, way back when
And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed
But I feel so close to everything that we lost
We'll never, we'll never have to lose it again

Now I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back
They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window in the Tower of Song

Yeah, my friends are gone and my hair is gray
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day in the Tower of Song

i just realised how much Martha sounds like Melanie Safka.

covers just show what a legend leonard was

martha... top 3 female singer in the humanity... covering top 10 male singer !!

This is not someone covering a great song, this is Martha telling Leonard's story, like a daughter who uses the wisdom of her father to reach out and enrich your and my life. It is the way it was supposed to be.

I agree, Martha is just as Leonard's daughter could/should be. She does this song just as I would expect to hear from Leonard!

yes exactly This comment is just right. The words of a teacher of an angel

Sometimes more is said in a few hour of silence, then ever said....

That it rough, terrible version of a great song

Clap Clap Clap.

This song has helped in extracting the negativity from my hear lately. I close my eyes and shout "F the BS"  Be strong and never give up on happiness.  Be true to yourself. Sometimes you have to fight demons to re-light your inner fire. May we all fight the good fight.

Harper Valley PTA

She can't put the feeling and meaningfulness in the song like Leonard Cohen can.

other way round imo

ya made a mistake and put a T after can although I think every performer in that Sydney Opera House concert sand the songs better than Cohen.

there was a studio version of this i got free with magazines with incredible lap steele.. the whole thing just soars..amazing thank you

Ridiculous how GOOD this is.

She's a spitting image of her dad when she finishes the lines as she does here. Very Loudon-like mannerisms.

nice song

I heard this song on CBC Radio about 2 or 3 years ago. I was enthralled! The DJ said it was a cover of a Leonard Cohen song, and I was just so excited with the life this woman gave to the song. I LOVE Leonard Cohen, but it just seems other artists can give a spark to his own songs that he just doesn't seem to have. Our own Leonard gets the Gold Medal for being the most depressive of all Canadian artists! But I still love him.

Love this version.

@Bignosetw ......they do appear to be voluminous...very impressive...bigguns in fact

She has a really big... umm, voice. :)

I love Martha and I love this song but I just don't feel the two mix well. Personally I much prefer the original, I just find that Leonard Cohen's voice is perfectly suited to the lyrics.

@JEREMIASPLEISSON yes, as in very big. Serious question.

she sings like sex in the rain, your head feels like its going to explode when you hear the sound of a womans moaning song,,, mmm...xxxooo

There was all of the music I heard before, and then there was all of the music that came after I heard Martha Wainwright sing "Tower of Song."

HUMONGOUS??

Sorry is it just the light or does she have HUMONGOUS boobs?

pfffft.

Leonard is entitled to his opinion and if he prefers this version, that's fine, but I personally would rather listen to him do this song. I love that deep gravelly rasp of his.

she did a version of this with a few backup singers that I liked so much more than Leonard Cohen's original. I don't think I care much for Cohen's personal singing style.

sorry make that 1 minute 30 seconds.

Q. How do you go about completely ruining and destroying a song.

A. listen to Martha Wainwright sing Tower of Song.

i had to turn it off after 27 seconds, ugghh simply horrid.