16 Horsepower - The Partisan

(leonard cohen)

When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender,
This i could not do;
I took my gun and vanished.

I have changed my name so often,
I've lost my wife and children
But i have many friends,
And some of them are with me.

An old woman gave us shelter,
Kept us hidden in the garret,
Then the soldiers came;
She died without a whisper.

There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
But i must go on;
The frontiers are my prison.

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows.

Les allemands e'taient chez moi,
Ils me dirent, "résigne toi,"
Mais je n'ai pas peur;
J'ai repris mon âme.

[the germans were at my home
They said, "sign yourself,"
But i am not afraid
I have retaken my soul.]

J'ai change' cent fois de nom,
J'ai perdu femme et enfants
Mais j'ai tant d'amis;
J'ai la france entie`re.

[i've changed names a hundred times
I have lost wife and children
But i have so many friends
I have all of france]

Un vieil homme dans un grenier
Pour la nuit nous a cache',
Les allemands l'ont pris;
Il est mort sans surprise.

[an old man, in an attic
Hid us for the night
The germans captured him
He died without surprise.]

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows.