Leonard Cohen Lyrics

Album: Recent Songs

BALLAD OF THE ABSENT MARE Lyrics

Say a prayer for the cowboy 

 His mare's run away 

 And he'll walk til he finds her 

 His darling, his stray 

 but the river's in flood 

 and the roads are awash 

 and the bridges break up 

 in the panic of loss. 

 And there's nothing to follow 

 There's nowhere to go 

 She's gone like the summer 

 gone like the snow 

 And the crickets are breaking 

 his heart with their song 

 as the day caves in 

 and the night is all wrong 

 

 Did he dream, was it she 

 who went galloping past 

 and bent down the fern 

 broke open the grass 

 and printed the mud with 

 the iron and the gold 

 that he nailed to her feet 

 when he was the lord 

 

 And although she goes grazing 

 a minute away 

 he tracks her all night 

 he tracks her all day 

 Oh blind to her presence 

 except to compare 

 his injury here 

 with her punishment there 

 

 Then at home on a branch 

 in the highest tree 

 a songbird sings out 

 so suddenly 

 Ah the sun is warm 

 and the soft winds ride 

 on the willow trees 

 by the river side 

 

 Oh the world is sweet 

 the world is wide 

 and she's there where 

 the light and the darkness divide 

 and the steam's coming off her 

 she's huge and she's shy 

 and she steps on the moon 

 when she paws at the sky 

 

 And she comes to his hand 

 but she's not really tame 

 She longs to be lost 

 he longs for the same 

 and she'll bolt and she'll plunge 

 through the first open pass 

 to roll and to feed 

 in the sweet mountain grass 

 

 Or she'll make a break 

 for the high plateau 

 where there's nothing above 

 and there's nothing below 

 and it's time for the burden 

 it's time for the whip 

 Will she walk through the flame 

 Can he shoot from the hip 

 

 So he binds himself 

 to the galloping mare 

 and she binds herself 

 to the rider there 

 and there is no space 

 but there's left and right 

 and there is no time 

 but there's day and night 

 

 And he leans on her neck 

 and he whispers low 

 "Whither thou goest 

 I will go" 

 And they turn as one 

 and they head for the plain 

 No need for the whip 

 Ah, no need for the rein 

 

 Now the clasp of this union 

 who fastens it tight? 

 Who snaps it asunder 

 the very next night 

 Some say the rider 

 Some say the mare 

 Or that love's like the smoke 

 beyond all repair 

 

 But my darling says 

 "Leonard, just let it go by 

 That old silhouette 

 on the great western sky" 

 So I pick out a tune 

 and they move right along 

 and they're gone like the smoke 

 and they're gone like this song