Closing Time – English Lyrics

• By: Leonard Cohen
• Album: The Future

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poetic depth of Leonard Cohen's 'Closing Time' and enhance your English skills by exploring its rich, multi-layered lyrics. This song is a fantastic tool for learning as it moves from vivid, descriptive language of a lively party to more abstract, metaphorical expressions about life's profound moments. Its narrative structure and sophisticated vocabulary offer a unique and engaging way to appreciate the nuances of the English language through the work of a master songwriter.

[English]

♪ Ah we're drinking and we're dancing ♪

♪ And the band is really happening ♪

♪ And the Johnny Walker wisdom running high ♪

♪ And my very sweet companion She's the Angel of Compassion ♪

♪ She's rubbing half the world against her thigh ♪

♪ And every drinker every dancer Lifts a happy face to thank her♪

♪ The fiddler fiddles something so sublime ♪

♪ All the women tear their blouses off ♪

♪ And the men they dance on the polka-dots ♪

♪ And it's partner found, it's partner lost ♪

♪ And it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops ♪

♪ It's closing time ♪

♪ Yeah the women tear their blouses off ♪

♪ And the men they dance on the polka-dots ♪

♪ And it's partner found, it's partner lost ♪

♪ And it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops ♪

♪ It's closing time ♪

♪ Ah we're lonely, we're romantic and the cider's laced with acid ♪

♪ And the Holy Spirit's crying, "Where's the beef?" ♪

♪ And the moon is swimming naked And the summer night is fragrant ♪

♪ With a mighty expectation of relief ♪

♪ So we struggle and we stagger Down the snakes and up the ladder ♪

♪ To the tower where the blessed hours chime ♪

♪ And I swear it happened just like this, a sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss ♪

♪ The Gates of Love they budged an inch ♪

♪ I can't say much has happened since ♪

♪ But closing time ♪

♪ And I swear it happened just like this, a sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss ♪

♪ The Gates of Love they budged an inch ♪

♪ I can't say much has happened since ♪

♪ But Closing time, closing time ♪

♪ I loved you for your beauty ♪

♪ But that doesn't make a fool of me ♪

♪ You were in it for your beauty too ♪

♪ And I loved you for your body♪

♪ There's a voice that sounds like God to me ♪

♪ Declaring, declaring, declaring that your body's really you ♪

♪ And I loved you when our love was blessed ♪

♪ And I love you now there's nothing left ♪

♪ But sorrow and a sense of overtime ♪

♪ And I missed you since the place got wrecked ♪

♪ And I just don't care what happens next ♪

♪ Looks like freedom but it feels like death ♪

♪ It's something in between, I guess ♪

♪ It's closing time ♪

♪ Yeah I missed you since our place got wrecked ♪

♪ By the winds of change and the weeds of sex ♪

♪ Looks like freedom but it feels like death ♪

♪ It's something in between, I guess ♪

♪ It's closing time ♪

♪ Yeah we're drinking and we're dancing ♪

♪ But there's nothing really happening ♪

♪ And the place is dead as Heaven on a Saturday night ♪

♪ And my very close companion Gets me fumbling gets me laughing ♪

♪ She's a hundred but she's wearing something tight ♪

♪ And I lift my glass to the awful truth ♪

♪ Which you can't reveal to the ears of youth ♪

♪ Except to say it isn't worth a dime ♪

♪ And the whole damn place goes crazy twice ♪

♪ And it's once for the devil and it's once for Christ ♪

♪ But the boss don't like these dizzy heights ♪

♪ We're busted in the blinding lights ♪

♪ Of closing time ♪

♪ The whole damn place goes crazy twice ♪

♪ And it's once for the devil and it's once for Christ ♪

♪ But the boss don't like these dizzy heights ♪

♪ We're busted in the blinding lights ♪

♪ Busted in the blinding lights Of closing time ♪

♪ Closing time ♪

♪ Oh the women tear their blouses off ♪

♪ And the men they dance on the polka-dots ♪

♪ It's closing time ♪

♪ And it's partner found, it's partner lost ♪

♪ And it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops ♪

♪ It's closing time ♪

♪ I swear it happened just like this, a sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss ♪

♪ It's closing time ♪

♪ The Gates of Love they budged an inch ♪

♪ I can't say much has happened since ♪

♪ But closing time ♪

♪ I loved you when our love was blessed ♪

♪ I love you now there's nothing left ♪

♪ But closing time ♪

♪ I miss you since the place got wrecked ♪

♪ By the winds of change and the weeds of sex ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
closing /ˈkloʊzɪŋ/ A2	adjective - indicating the end of a period or event
dancing /ˈdænsɪŋ/ A1	verb - moving rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps
wisdom /ˈwɪzdəm/ B1	noun - the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise
companion /kəmˈpænjən/ B1	noun - a person or animal with whom one spends a lot of time or travels
sublime /səˈblaɪm/ C1	adjective - of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe
tear /tɛər/ A2	verb - pull or rip (something) apart or to pieces with force
partner /ˈpɑːrtnər/ A2	noun - a person who takes part in an activity with another person or group, especially in a dance or game
hell /hɛl/ B1	noun - (in some religions) the place where evil people are punished after death; a state or place of great suffering, evil, or torment
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ A2	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
laced /leɪst/ B2	adjective - (of a drink or food) having a small amount of a substance, especially alcohol or a drug, added to it
fragrant /ˈfreɪɡrənt/ B2	adjective - having a pleasant or sweet smell
struggle /ˈstrʌɡl/ B1	verb - make forceful or violent efforts to get free of restraint or constriction
budged /bʌdʒd/ C1	verb - make the slightest movement; move or shift slightly
beauty /ˈbjuːti/ A2	noun - a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight
sorrow /ˈsɒroʊ/ B2	noun - a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others; sadness
wrecked /rɛkt/ B2	adjective - severely damaged or destroyed; (of a person) exhausted or ruined
freedom /ˈfriːdəm/ A2	noun - the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint
death /dɛθ/ A2	noun - the permanent cessation of all vital functions of a living organism; the end of life
blinding /ˈblaɪndɪŋ/ B2	adjective - (of a light or snow) making it impossible to see temporarily; extremely bright
busted /ˈbʌstɪd/ B2	adjective - caught doing something wrong, especially by the police; broken or damaged

Key Grammar Structures

• And the men they dance on the polka-dots

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement with Collective Nouns

  ➔ The verb 'dance' is plural because 'the men' is a collective noun acting as a plural subject.

• It's closing time

  ➔ Contraction of 'It is'

  ➔ The apostrophe in 'It's' replaces 'is', a common contraction in English.

• She's rubbing half the world against her thigh

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The structure 'is rubbing' indicates an action happening now, emphasizing ongoing activity.

• And it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ 'Hell to pay' is an idiomatic phrase meaning there will be serious consequences.

• The Gates of Love they budged an inch

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement with Singular Collective Noun

  ➔ The verb 'budged' agrees with 'The Gates of Love' as a singular collective noun.

• I can't say much has happened since

  ➔ Negative Contraction and Present Perfect

  ➔ 'Can't' is a contraction of 'cannot', and 'has happened' is in the present perfect tense.

• Looks like freedom but it feels like death

  ➔ Parallel Structure

  ➔ The sentence uses parallel structure with 'looks like' and 'feels like' for balance and clarity.

• We're busted in the blinding lights

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective

  ➔ 'Busted' is a past participle used as an adjective to describe the state of 'we'.