And she says, drink deeply, pilgrim
But don't forget there's still a woman Beneath this resplendent chemise The third and final cover song on 1997's Greatest Hits, Vol. III was Leonard Cohen's gospel-like paean "Light As The Breeze." This is the definitive version of the song. Says who? Says Leonard Cohen, here. Billy had recorded it earlier in 1995 for a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, Tower of Song, see Spotify playlist below, right.
The lyrics to "Light As The Breeze" are Cohen at his best, poetry set to music, with a sense or humor and irony. The song is full of clever lines and phrases like "and it's not exactly prison, but you'll never be forgiven, for whatever you've done with the keys." My favorite is "but don't forget there's still a woman beneath this resplendent chemise." The woman in the song is not unlike the one in "She's Always A Woman." She has control over him, but he does not resent it, rather he succumbs because he has been waiting for so long for something to happen, something like this. Billy's vocals are soulful and impassioned. He really proves himself as a master interpreter of other's songs on the three covers on Greatest Hits III. It was a welcome surprise to fans who, although they wanted some new Billy Joel songs, were happy to get anything back in 1997.
"Light As The Breeze" was not released as a single and there is no music video for it, but it is a fun listen. You can listen to Cohen's original version here in a fan video featuring paintings of Gustav Klimt. 
"Drink deeply, pilgrim, but don't forget there's still a woman beneath this resplendent chemise." Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer by Gustav Klimt.
In detail.
|
Words and music by Leonard Cohen
She stands before you naked You can see it, you can taste it But she comes to you Light as the breeze You can drink or you can nurse it It don't matter how you worship As long as you're Down on your knees So I knelt there at the delta At the alpha and the omega At the cradle of the river And the seas And like a blessing come from heaven, For something like a second, I was healed, and my heart Was at ease Oh baby I waited So long for your kiss For something to happen Oh something like this And you're weak and you're harmless And you're sleeping in you harness And the wind going wild In the trees And it's not exactly prision But you'll never be forgiven For whatever you've done With the keys Oh baby I waited So long for your kiss For something to happen Oh something like this It's dark and it's snowing Oh my love I must be going The river is starting to freeze And I'm sick of pretending I'm broken from bending I've lived too long On my knees And she dances so graceful And your heart's hard and hateful And she's naked But that's just a tease And you turn in disgust From your hatred and from your love And she comes to you Light as the breeze Oh baby I waited So long for your kiss For something to happen Oh, something like this There's blood on every bracelet You can see it, you can taste it And it's please baby Please baby please And she says, drink deeply, pilgrim But don't forget there's still a woman Beneath this resplendent chemise So I knelt there at the delta At the alpha and omega I knelt there Like one who believes And like a blessing come from heaven For something like a second I was cured, and my heart was at ease Oh baby I waited So long for your kiss For something to happen Oh, something like this Vertical Divider
The Leonard Cohen tribute album, Tower of Song released in 1995, has covers by Billy Joel, Don Henley, Elton John, Bono, Willie Nelson, Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, and many others.
|
Videos
|
There is no music video for "Light As The Breeze", but a fan posted the lyrics on YouTube. This is poetry set to music.
|
Billy performs the first several verses of "Light As The Breeze" at the New Yorker Festival in October 2015.
|
