15th
![Blues By The Jews
“It’s a very nasty song. I think it’s in G.”
As far as I know, Leonard Cohen doesn’t have a whole bunch of unreleased songs. He seems to be the kind of songwriter who doesn’t let anything go to waste, letting songs percolate for years at a time — at least I remember him saying to Bob Dylan that it took him two years to write “Hallelujah.” [Hilariously, Dylan responded that it took him 15 minutes to write “I & I”]. Anyway! Here’s one of Lenny’s few unreleased tracks — and it is a doozy: A devilishly blasphemous, 15+ minute slow blooze crawl entitled “Blues By The Jews (Billy Sunday),” recorded live in London in 1979 — apparently he only played it a handful of times. In the character of Billy Sunday, Cohen, even more deadpan than usual, rails against the Almighty, while his band vamps sleazily behind him. A sampling:
He’s angry at your body For reasons that are His He doesn’t like your body According to reasons that are only His I’d like you to know He’s very very angry But that’s just the way He is.
Tee hee! Leonard Cohen — the funniest man in show biz, laydeez ann gennelmen. Happy early Hannukah!
Download](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw7jifYm9N1qzy30io1_400.jpg)
Blues By The Jews
“It’s a very nasty song. I think it’s in G.”
As far as I know, Leonard Cohen doesn’t have a whole bunch of unreleased songs. He seems to be the kind of songwriter who doesn’t let anything go to waste, letting songs percolate for years at a time — at least I remember him saying to Bob Dylan that it took him two years to write “Hallelujah.” [Hilariously, Dylan responded that it took him 15 minutes to write “I & I”]. Anyway! Here’s one of Lenny’s few unreleased tracks — and it is a doozy: A devilishly blasphemous, 15+ minute slow blooze crawl entitled “Blues By The Jews (Billy Sunday),” recorded live in London in 1979 — apparently he only played it a handful of times. In the character of Billy Sunday, Cohen, even more deadpan than usual, rails against the Almighty, while his band vamps sleazily behind him. A sampling:
He’s angry at your body
For reasons that are His
He doesn’t like your body
According to reasons that are only His
I’d like you to know
He’s very very angry
But that’s just the way He is.
Tee hee! Leonard Cohen — the funniest man in show biz, laydeez ann gennelmen. Happy early Hannukah!
