A Street

by Leonard Cohen 

I used to be your favorite drunk

Good for one more laugh

Then we both ran out of luck

And luck was all we had

You put on a uniform

To fight the Civil War

I tried to join but no one liked

The side I’m fighting for

So let’s drink to when it’s over

And let’s drink to when we meet

I’ll be standing on this corner

Where there used to be a street

You left me with the dishes

And a baby in the bath

And you’re tight with the militias

You wear their camouflage

I guess that makes us equal

But I want to march with you

An extra in the sequel

To the old red-white-and-blue

So let’s drink to when it’s over

And let’s drink to when we meet

I’ll be standing on this corner

Where there used to be a street

I cried for you this morning

And I’ll cry for you again

But I’m not in charge of sorrow

So please don’t ask me when

I know the burden’s heavy

As you bear it through the night

Some people say it’s empty

But that doesn’t mean it’s light

So let’s drink to when it’s over

And let’s drink to when we meet

I’ll be standing on this corner

Where there used to be a street

It’s going to be September now

For many years to come

Every heart adjusting

To that strict September drum

I see the Ghost of Culture

With numbers on his wrist

Salute some new conclusion

Which all of us have missed

So let’s drink to when it’s over

And let’s drink to when we meet

I’ll be standing on this corner

Where there used to be a street