Cohen Leonard - The Partisan

Cohen Leonard - The Partisan tab
Learn to play "The Partisan" with online video lessons

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
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subject: c/leonard_cohen/partisan.tab

Leonard Cohen: The Partisan (La Complainte du Partisan)
(French text: Bernard, Music: Anna Marly,
English text: Hy Saret)
from the CD's "Songs from a room", "Greatest Hits" and
"Heart Housed in a Thorn Bush" (Live at Montreux, 1984)


the pattern I play I've learned from a friend (erwin). Its easier to play,
but may be there is a certain loss of quality.

erwins pattern

Am C* E*
e:----------0---------------|-----------0---|-----------0--|
B:-------1-----1------------|--------1------|--------0-----|
G:----2-----------2-----2---|-----0---------|-----1--------|
D:-------------------2------|---------------|--------------|
A:-0------------------------|--3------------|--------------|
E:--------------------------|---------------|--0-----------|
p i m a m i p i p i m a p i m a


The pattern is played two times per bar (indicated by / in first verse).
In the first and second line of every verse there are three chords per bar
and i play the pattern C* and E*.

Cohen plays ?don't really know?

Am C* E*
e:-------------------------0----------|--------------------|-------------------|
B:-------1--------1-----1-----------1-|--------1--------1--|--------0--------0-|
G:----2--------2-----2-----------2----|-----0--------0-----|-----1--------1----|
D:----------2-----------------2-------|-----------2--------|-----------2-------|
A:-0----------------------------------|--3-----------------|--2----------------|
E:------------------------------------|--------------------|-------------------|
p i m p i m p i m p i m etc.

There are twentyfour notes (triplets) per bar, to much for my fingers.


Am Am / Am Am

/C* E* Am
When they poured a-cross the border
/C* E* Am
I was cautioned to sur-render,
/C G /G (2/4)
this I could not do;
F F /C E /Am Am/Am Am
I took my gun and van-ished.

C* E* Am
I have changed my name so often,
C* E* Am
I've lost my wife and children
C G G
but I have many fri-ends,
F F C E /Am Am/Am Am
and some of them are with me.

C* E* Am
An old woman gave us shelter,
C* E* Am
kept us hidden in the garret,
C G G
then the soldiers came;
F F C E Am Am/Am Am
she died without a whis-per.


C* E* Am
There were three of us this morning Hier encor nous ?tions troi
C* E* Am
I'm the only one this evening Il ne reste plu que moi
C G G
but I must go on; Et je tourne en rond
F F C E Am Am/Am Am
the fron-tiers are my pri-son. Dans la prison des frontieres

C* E* Am
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing, La vent passe sur les tombles
C* E* Am
through the graves the wind is blowing, La libert? reviendra
C G G
freedom soon will come; Oh nous oubliera!
F F C E /Am Am/Am Am
then we'll come from the shad-ows. Nous retrerons dans l'ombre.

C* E* Am
Les Alle-mands ?-taient chez moi, [The Germans were at my home
C* E* Am
ons m'a dit: "Re-signe toi," They said, "Sign yourself,"
C G G
mais je n'ai pas peur; But I am not afraid
F F C E /Am Am/Am Am
j'ai repris mon ?r-me. I have retaken my weapon.

C* E Am
J'ai chan-g? cent fois de nom, I have changed names a hundred times
C* E* Am
j'ai per-du femme et en-fants I have lost wife and children
C G G
mais j'ai tant d'a-mis; But I have so many friends
F C E Am Am/Am Am
j'ai la France en-ti?re. I have all of France

C* E* Am
Un vieil homme dans un gre-nier An old man, in an attic
C* E* Am
pour la nuit nous a ca-ch?s, Hid us for the night
C G G
les Alle-mands l'ont prisent; The Germans captured him
F F C E Am Am/Am Am
il est mort sans surpri-se. He died without surprise.]


C* E* Am
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
C* E* Am
through the graves the wind is blowing,
C G G
freedom soon will come;
F F C E Am Am/Am Am (appregio)
then we'll come from the shad-ows.

Improvements welcome! Adi.Heindl@chemie.uni-regensburg.de

Ohio river boat song

Ohio river boat song



L'intro (ainsi que la variante qui conclut le morceau) est notée ci-dessous :

Intro :

(G) (A) (G) (A)
E |-------3---|----------|-------3---|----------|
B |-----3---3-|----------|-----3---3-|----------|
G |-2h4-------|-----2----|-2h4-------|----------|
D |-----------|----------|-----------|----------|
A |-----------|-0--------|-----------|-0--------|
E |-----------|----------|-----------|----------|

(G) (A) (G) (A) (G) (A)
E |----------|----------|---------|---------|
B |-----3p2--|-----3h5--|---------|---------|
G |-2h4------|-2h4------|-2h4-----|---------|
D |----------|----------|---------|---------|
A |----------|----------|---------|-0-------|
E |----------|----------|---------|---------|

Outro :

(G) (A) (G) (A)
E |-------3---|---------|---------|---------|
B |-----3---3-|-------0-|------3--|---------|
G |-2h4-------|-2---2---|-2h4-----|---------|
D |-----------|---------|---------|-2-------|
A |-----------|---0-----|---------|---0-----|
E |-----------|---------|---------|---------|

(G) (A) (G) (A) (G) (A)
E |----------|---------|---------|---------|
B |----------|---------|---------|---------|
G |-2h4---2--|---------|---------|---------|
D |----------|-4-2-----|-4---0---|---------|
A |----------|-----0---|---------|-0-------|
E |----------|---------|---------|---------|


Mesure : 4/4



/ Intro /


When it's time from work to go
And in my boat I row
Cross the muddy Ohio
When the evening light is falling
And I looked towards Floyd's Knobs
Where the afterglories glow
And I dream on two bright eyes
With a merry mouth below

She's my beauteous Catarina
She's my joy and sorrow too
Though I know she is untrue
Ah but I cannot live without her
For my heart's a boat in tow
And I'd give the world to know
If she means to let me go
As I sing the whole day through

/ INSTRUMENTAL – electric slide guitar /

Catarina your lovely hair
Has more beauty I declare
Than all the tresses there
From Smoketown to Oldham County
Be they black, red, gold or brown
Let them hang to lenghts below
They mean not as much to me
As a melting flake of snow

And her dance is like the gleam
Of the sunlight on the stream
And the screeching bluejays seem
To form her name when screaming
But my heart is full of woe
For last night she made me go
And the tears begin to flow
As I sing the whole day through

/ INSTRUMENTAL – acoustic & electric guitar /
| G | A | G | A
| G A | G A | G | A_ | ...

| D
| G D
| G D
| A
| D
| G D
| G D
| A D

| G D
| G D
| G D
| A
| D
| G D
| G D
| A D

| G | A | G | A

| D
| G D
| G D
| A
| D
| G D
| G D
| A D

| G D
| G D
| G D
| A
| D
| G D
| G D
| A D

| G D | G D | G D | A
| D | G D | G D | A D
| G | A | G | A
| G A | G A | G | A_