GlassPages

Three Songs for Chorus a Capella

Music by Philip Glass

Lyrics by Leonard Cohen, Raymond Lévesque and Octavio Paz

Words © Dunvagen Music Publishers, Inc., New York

 
 

• THERE ARE SOME MEN

Words by Leonard Cohen

There are some men
who should have mountains
to bear their names through time
Grave markers are not high enough
or green
and sons go far away to lose the fist
their father's hand will always seem

I had a friend he lived and died
in mighty silence and with dignity
left no book son or lover to mourn.
Nor is this a mourning song
but only a naming of this mountain
on which I walk
fragrant, dark and softly white
under the pale of mist
I name this mountain after him.

Words © Dunvagen Music Publishers, Inc / Chester Music Ltd. All rights reserved.



 
 

• QUAND LES HOMMES VIVRONT D'AMOUR

Words by Raymond Lévesque

Quand les hommes vivront d'amour
Il n'y aura plus de misère
Et commenceront les beaux jours
Mais nous nous serons morts mon frère

Quand les hommes vivront d'amour
Ce sera la paix sur la terre,
Les soldats seront troubadours
Mais nous nous serons morts mon frère

Dans la grande chaîne de la vie
Ou il fallait que nous passions
Ou il fallait que nous soyons
Nous aurons eu la mauvaise partie.

Quand les hommes vivront d'amour
II n'y aura plus de misère
Et commenceront les beaux jours
Mais nous nous serons morts mon frère

Mais quand les hommes vivront d'amour
Qu'l n'y aura plus de misère
Peut-être songeront-ils un jour
A nous qui serons morts mon frère

Nous qui aurons aux mauvais jours
Dans la haine et puis dans la guerre
Chercher la paix chercher l'amour
Qu'ils connaîtront alors mon frère
Dans la grande chaîne de la vie
Pour qu'il ait un meilleur temps
II faut toujours quelque perdants
De la sagesse ici bas c'est le prix

Quand les hommes vivront d'amour
II n'y aura plus de misère
Et commenceront les beaux jours
Mais nous nous serons morts mon frère

When men live in brotherly love
There will be no more misery
And the good days will begin
But as for us, we shall be long gone,
my brother

When men live in brotherly love
There will be peace on Earth
Soldiers will be troubadours
But as for us, we shall be long gone,
my brother

Through the course of this life
Which we had to experience
In which we had to play a part
We were dealt a bad hand

When men live in brotherly love
There will be no more misery
And the good days will begin
But as for us, we shall be long gone,
my brother

But when men live in brotherly love
And there is no more misery
Perhaps they will think one day
Of us who are no longer my brother

Of us in bad times
In hatred and then in war
Looked for peace, looked for love
Which they will know my brother

Through the course of this life
To have a better time
There always have to be some losers
That's the price you pay for wisdom

When men live in brotherly love
There will be no more misery
And the good days will begin
But as for us we shall be no longer
my brother.

Words © Dunvagen Music Publishers, Inc / Chester Music Ltd. All rights reserved.



 
 

• PIERE DE SOLEIL

Words by Octavio Paz

La vie quand fut-elle vraiment notre
quand sommes-nous vraiment ce que
nous sommes
en vérité seuls nous ne sommes pas
nous ne sommes jamais sinon vertige
et vide

jamais la vie n'est nôtre
elle est aux autres
la vie n'est á personne
nous sommes tous la vie

pain de soleil pour les autres
tous les autres que nous sommes
sortir de moi me chercher parmi
les autres
les autres qui ne sont pas
si je n'existe pas
les autres qui me donnent existence
les autres qui me donnent existence

II n'y a pas de moi
toujours nous sommes nous autres
la vie est autres toujours la bas
plus loin hors de toi de moi
toujours horizon
hors de toi de moi toujours horizon
la vie quand fut-elle vraiment notre
quand sommes nous vraiment ce que
nous sommes

When life was really ours
When are we really what we are
In truth as individuals we do not exist
We never exist except as dizziness
and emptiness

life is never ours
it belongs to others
life doesn't belong to any one
individual we are all life

we nurture one another
all the others whom we are
let me come out of myself
look for me amongst the others
the others who are not
if I don't exist
the others who give me existence
the others who give me existence

there is no Me
it is always Us
life is others always over there
further away beyond you beyond me
always on the horizon
beyond you beyond me always on the horizon
when life was really ours
when are we really what we are.

Words © Dunvagen Music Publishers, Inc / Chester Music Ltd. All rights reserved.