Palestine Think Tank

Free Minds for a Free Palestine

Leonard Cohen – Democracy is coming to the USA

By Mary Rizzo • Nov 16th, 2008 at 14:25 • Category: Music, Poetry, Events, Resistance, Video

The Translations collective Tlaxcala, www.tlaxcala.es has translated Leonard Cohen's DEMOCRACY into seven languages. Enjoy the video, see a live version of it on Tlaxcala and read the fantastic Raja Chemayel's thoughts on it.

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Mary Rizzo is an art restorer, translator and writer living in Italy. Editor and co-founder of Palestine Think Tank, co-founder of Tlaxcala translations collective. Her personal blog is Peacepalestine.
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One Response »

  1. This would be the guy who wrote "First We Take Manhattan."
    The video for this is also fairly interesting
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFBKV0zVXSE

    They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
    For trying to change the system from within
    I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
    I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin
    I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    I'd really like to live beside you, baby
    I love your body and your spirit and your clothes
    But you see that line there moving through the station?
    I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those
    Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just might win
    You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline
    How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    I don't like your fashion business mister
    And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin
    I don't like what happened to my sister
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    And I thank you for those items that you sent me
    The monkey and the plywood violin
    I practiced every night, now I'm ready
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    Ah remember me, I used to live for music
    Remember me, I brought your groceries in
    Well it's Father's Day and everybody's wounded
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

    – now, some of you may find something 'anti-zionist' in his writing, but I don't.

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