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A Singer Must Die Lyrics by Leonard Cohen

New Skin for the Old Ceremony

1974

[Verse 1]
Now the courtroom is quiet, but who will confess?
Is it true you betrayed us? The answer is Yes
Then read me the list of the crimes that are mine
I will ask for the mercy that you love to decline
And all the ladies go moist and the judge has no choice
A singer must die for the lie in his voice
[Verse 2]
And I thank you, I thank you for doing your duty
You keepers of truth, you guardians of beauty
Your vision is right, my vision is wrong
I'm sorry for smudging the air with my song
[Refrain]
La da la, la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
[Verse 3]
Oh, the night it is thick, my defenses are hid
In the clothes of a woman I would like to forgive
In the rings of her silk, in the hinge of her thighs
Where I have to go begging in beauty's disguise
Oh, goodnight, goodnight, my night after night
My night after night after night after night after night
[Verse 4]
I am so afraid that I listen to you
Your sun glass protectors they do that to you
It's their ways to detain, their ways to disgrace
Their knee in your balls and their fist in your face
Yes, and long live the state by whoever it's made
Sir, I didn't see nothing, I was just getting home late
[Refrain]
La la la, la da da dum, la da dum dum dum
La la da da da, da da dum dum
La da da da, da dum, la da da la la dum
La da da da da dum
La la la la, la la la, la la la, la la la
Credits
Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

About “A Singer Must Die” by Leonard Cohen

Read the complete lyrics to "A Singer Must Die" by Leonard Cohen from the album "New Skin for the Old Ceremony" in 1974. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Folk, Rock.

"A Singer Must Die" is performed by Leonard Cohen. from the album "New Skin for the Old Ceremony" in 1974 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Singer Must Die", explore more songs by Leonard Cohen using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"A Singer Must Die" is credited to Leonard Cohen. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Singer Must Die" appears on "New Skin for the Old Ceremony" in 1974.

Visit the Leonard Cohen artist page at /artist/leonard-cohen for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.