Happens to the Heart – English Lyrics

• By: Leonard Cohen
• Album: Thanks for the Dance

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the profound reflections of Leonard Cohen's "Happens to the Heart," a masterpiece that offers a rare glimpse into the artist's final thoughts on life, love, and loss. This song is an exquisite opportunity to engage with Cohen's poetic English lyrics, known for their depth and nuance, providing a rich context for understanding advanced vocabulary and philosophical expressions. Its contemplative nature and a narrative woven with autobiographical elements make it a uniquely moving and educational experience for language learners and fans alike.

[English]

♪

♪ I was always working steady ♪

♪ But I never called it art ♪

♪ I got my shit together ♪

♪ Meeting Christ and reading Marx ♪

♪ It failed my little fire ♪

♪ But it spread the dying spark ♪

♪ Go tell the young messiah ♪

♪ What happens to the heart ♪

♪

♪

♪

♪ There's a mist of summer kisses ♪

♪ Where I tried to double-park ♪

♪ The rivalry was vicious ♪

♪ The women were in charge ♪

♪ It was nothing, it was business ♪

♪ But it left an ugly mark ♪

♪ I've come here to revisit ♪

♪ What happens to the heart ♪

♪

♪

♪ I was selling holy trinkets ♪

♪ I was dressing kind of sharp ♪

♪ Had a pussy in the kitchen ♪

♪ And a panther in the yard ♪

♪ In the prison of the gifted ♪

♪ I was friendly with the guards ♪

♪ So I never had to witness ♪

♪ What happens to the heart ♪

♪

♪

♪ I should have seen it coming ♪

♪ After all, I knew the chart ♪

♪ Just to look at her was trouble ♪

♪ It was trouble from the start ♪

♪ Sure we played a stunning couple ♪

♪ But I never liked the part ♪

♪ It ain't pretty, it ain't subtle ♪

♪ What happens to the heart ♪

♪

♪

♪ Now the angel's got a fiddle ♪

♪ The devil's got a harp ♪

♪ Every soul is like a minnow ♪

♪ Every mind is like a shark ♪

♪ Me, I've broken every window ♪

♪ But the house, the house is dark ♪

♪ I care but very little ♪

♪ What happens to the heart ♪

♪

♪

♪ Then I studied with this beggar ♪

♪ He was filthy, he was scarred ♪

♪ By the claws of many women ♪

♪ He had failed to disregard ♪

♪ No fable here, no lesson ♪

♪ No singing meadowlark ♪

♪ Just a filthy beggar guessing ♪

♪ What happens to the heart ♪

♪

♪

♪ I was always working steady ♪

♪ But I never called it art ♪

♪ It was just some old convention ♪

♪ Like the horse before the cart ♪

♪ I had no trouble betting ♪

♪ On the flood, against the ark ♪

♪ You see, I knew about the ending ♪

♪ What happens to the heart ♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪ I was handy with a rifle ♪

♪ My father's .303 ♪

♪ I fought for something final ♪

♪ Not the right to disagree ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood through the body noun - the emotional or spiritual center of a person
art /ɑːrt/ B1	noun - the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - the state of burning
spark /spɑːrk/ B1	noun - a small, bright piece of glowing material noun - a trace or suggestion of something
messiah /məˈsaɪə/ C1	noun - the promised deliverer of the Jewish people
kisses /ˈkɪsɪz/ A1	noun - the act of touching someone with your lips
rivalry /ˈraɪvəlri/ B2	noun - competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.
women /ˈwɪmɪn/ A1	noun - adult female human beings
mark /mɑːrk/ A2	noun - a visible impression or stain on something
trinkets /ˈtrɪŋkɪts/ B2	noun - a small, inexpensive item
kitchen /ˈkɪtʃɪn/ A1	noun - a room or area where food is prepared and cooked
panther /ˈpænθər/ C1	noun - a leopard or jaguar with a black coat.
prison /ˈprɪzn/ A2	noun - a building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime
guards /ɡɑːrdz/ A2	noun - a person who protects a place or person
trouble /ˈtrʌbl/ A2	noun - difficulty or problems
angel's /ˈeɪndʒəlz/ A2	noun - a spiritual being believed to act as a messenger of God
devil's /ˈdevəlz/ A2	noun - the supreme spirit of evil
soul /səʊl/ A2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being
shark /ʃɑːrk/ A2	noun - a predatory fish with a cartilaginous skeleton
window /ˈwɪndəʊ/ A1	noun - an opening in a wall or roof
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
beggar /ˈbeɡər/ B1	noun - a person who lives by asking for money or food
filthy /ˈfɪlθi/ B2	adjective - very dirty
scarred /skɑːrd/ B2	adjective - marked with scars
claws /klɔːz/ B2	noun - a sharp, curved nail on the foot of an animal
ending /ˈendɪŋ/ B1	noun - the final part of something
rifle /ˈraɪfl/ B1	noun - a gun with a long barrel
final /ˈfaɪnl/ B1	adjective - coming at the end; last
father's /ˈfɑːðərz/ A1	noun - a male parent