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The Partisan (by Leonard Cohen)

by Girls in Trouble/Alicia Jo Rabins

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about

A cover of Leonard Cohen's song, The Partisan, recorded in the late night hours just after learning of his passing.

Two days after the 2016 presidential election, this song about the dangers of bigotry and hatred feels particularly relevant.

Thank you Leonard Cohen, for all the beauty you have given us, and all that sexy wisdom, and this (dark, of course) anthem of resistance.

lyrics

"The Partisan"

When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender,
this I could not do;
I took my gun and vanished.
I have changed my name so often,
I've lost my wife and children
but I have many friends,
and some of them are with me.

An old woman gave us shelter,
kept us hidden in the garret,
then the soldiers came;
she died without a whisper.

There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
but I must go on;
the frontiers are my prison.

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
through the graves the wind is blowing,
freedom soon will come;
then we'll come from the shadows.

Les Allemands étaient chez moi (The Germans were at my home)
ils m'ont dit "Résigne-toi" (They said, "Surrender,")
mais je n'ai pas peur (but I was not afraid)
j'ai repris mon arme (I took up my weapon again)

J'ai changé cent fois de nom (I have changed names a hundred times)
j'ai perdu femme et enfants (I have lost wife and children)
mais j'ai tant d'amis (But I have so many friends)
j'ai la France entière (I have all of France)

Un vieil homme dans un grenier (An old man, in an attic)
pour la nuit nous a cachés (Hid us for the night)
les Allemands l'ont pris (The Germans captured him)
il est mort sans surprise (He died without surprise)

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
through the graves the wind is blowing,
freedom soon will come;
then we'll come from the shadows.

credits

released November 11, 2016
All vocals and instruments (guitar, live violin, processed violin) by Alicia Jo Rabins. Engineered and mixed by AJR. Song by Leonard Cohen. Rest in peace.

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Girls in Trouble Portland, Oregon

Feminist indie-folk/ art-pop songs about women in Torah. Androgynous storm-demons, sisters with secrets, fancy dresses, and knives; ancient stories in modern mouths; violin-centric, open-hearted.

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