Tower Of Song
The Bad Seeds Lyrics

Well my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I have lost touch with my friends and I am getting older

I ache in the places I used to play
I feel a deep longing and sadness for the joyful moments of my past

And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I yearn for love, but I am not actively seeking it

I'm paying my rent everyday in the Tower of Song
I am dedicating my life to music and paying my dues by creating and performing songs every day

I said to Leonard Cohen: How lonely does it get?
I asked Leonard Cohen about the depth of loneliness

Leonard Cohen hasn't answered me yet
Leonard Cohen has not responded to my question

But I can hear him coughing all night long
I can hear Leonard Cohen's presence and struggle in his music

A million floors above me in the Tower of Song
Leonard Cohen's artistry is on a higher level than mine, in the 'Tower of Song'

I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with my inherent qualities and talents, without any say in the matter

I was born like this, with a golden voice
I was naturally gifted with a beautiful singing voice

Twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
There are divine entities watching over me

Well they tied me to this table right here in the Tower of Song
They have bound and committed me to the creation of music in the 'Tower of Song'

You can stick your needles in a voodoo doll
People may try to harm or manipulate me with their malicious intentions

I'm sorry baby, but it don't look like me at all
Their attempts to affect me negatively will not succeed

I'm standing by the window where the light is strong
I am positioned in a place where I can clearly see the truth and remain strong

They don't let a woman kill you in the Tower of Song
In the world of music, women cannot harm you emotionally like they can in personal relationships

I've grown bitter, bitter, of this you may be sure:
I have become resentful and jaded, and you can be certain about it

The rich, the rich have got channels in the bedrooms of the poor
The wealthy have power and control over the less privileged, even in their intimate spaces

And there's a mighty judgement but it won't be long, but I may be wrong
There will be a powerful reckoning for these injustices, although I might not be accurate in my prediction

You see, you hear these funny voices in the Tower of Song - oh yeah -
In the realm of music, you encounter peculiar voices and perspectives

The guitar, the bass, the drums, so nice every hour in the Tower of Song
The musical instruments bring joy and pleasure every hour in the 'Tower of Song'

I see you standing on the other side
I perceive you standing opposite me or in a different position

I don't know how the river got so wide
I am unsure why there is such a deep divide between us

But I loved you, baby, way back when
I had strong feelings of love for you in the past, my dear

All the bridges are burning that we might have crossed
All the possibilities for us to reconcile or connect are being destroyed

But I feel so close to everything that we lost
I still feel a deep emotional connection to all the things we have let go

But I'll never have to lose you again, Tower of Song
In my music, I can always keep you close to me and never go through the pain of losing you again

I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'm back
I say goodbye to you, uncertain of when or if I will return

They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
They are relocating us to a different place, symbolized by another 'tower'

But you'll be hearing from me, baby, long after I'm gone
You will continue to hear from me through my music long after I have left this world

I'm speaking to you sweetly from a window in the Tower of Song
I am conveying my thoughts and emotions tenderly to you from the creative realm of the 'Tower of Song'

Now you can say that I've grown bitter, of this you can be sure:
You may argue that I have become resentful, and that is something you can be certain about

The rich have got channels in the bedrooms of the poor
The wealthy have control and influence even over the intimate spaces of the less privileged

And there's a mighty judgment but it won't take long, I may be wrong
There will be a powerful reckoning for these injustices, although I might not be accurate in my prediction