By The Rivers Dark Lyrics
Leonard Cohen
Lyrics
By the rivers dark
I wandered on
I lived my life
In Babylon
And I did forget
My holy song
And I had no strength
In Babylon
By the rivers dark
Where I could not see
Who was waiting there
Who was hunting me
And he cut my lip
And he cut my heart
So I could not drink
From the river dark
And he covered me
And I saw within
My lawless heart
And my wedding ring
I did not know
And I could not see
Who was waiting there
Who was hunting me
By the rivers dark
I panicked on
I belonged at last
To Babylon
Then he struck my heart
With a deadly force
And he said: "This heart
It is not yours!"
And he gave the wind
My wedding ring
And he circled us
With everything
By the rivers dark
In a wounded dawn
I live my life
In Babylon
Though I take my song
From a withered limb
Both song and tree
They sing for him
Be the truth unsaid
And the blessing gone
If I forget
My Babylon
I did not know
And I could not see
Who was waiting there
Who was hunting me
By the rivers dark
Where it all goes on
By the rivers dark
In Babylon
Song & Lyrics Facts
Leonard Cohen's "By the Rivers Dark" is a song from his 2001 album Ten New Songs. It was written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson, with production handled by Patrick Leonard.
The track features backing vocals from Anjani Thomas and guitar work from Bill Dillon. The song is classified as folk-rock, and its lyrics are based on passages from the Bible. In it, Cohen sings of being taken away to a place where he can be at peace. He also speaks of love and redemption in this powerful ballad. "By the Rivers Dark" has become one of Leonard Cohen's most beloved songs, praised for its lyrical beauty and emotion.