Leonard Cohen’s Recurring Revisions Of So Long, Marianne

The Marianne Variations is a series of posts devoted to the major recurring variations of Leonard Cohen’s “So Long, Marianne” that significantly differ from the versions found on the Songs Of Leonard Cohen and Field Commander Cohen albums. An introduction and links to all published posts in this series as well as the inclusion criteria and the original version of “So Long, Marianne” from the Songs Of Leonard Cohen album can be found at The Marianne Variations Summary Page.

The “Here Comes The Morning Boat” + “Your Eyes” Version of So Long, Marianne

No rendition of “So Long, Marianne” differs more from the original script than the one Leonard Cohen performed at the May 1, 1993 Oslo Spektrum Concert. This version features not only a radically altered arrangement but also two verses not found on any album.

“Here Comes The Morning Boat”

The introduction, sung by Perla Batalla & Julie Christensen, was first performed (by the same two backup vocalists) as the song’s conclusion during the 1988 Tour:

Here comes the morning boat,
Here comes the evening train,
Here comes Marianne now,
To wave goodbye again.1

“Your Eyes”

The song’s concluding verse, all of which is sung by Perla Batalla & Julie Christensen with one line also spoken by Leonard Cohen, follows:

Your eyes, I forget your eyes
Your body’s at home in every sea,
You gave your news to everyone
You said was a secret just for me

This verse, with minor changes, was printed in the booklet for the 1975 Best Of Leonard Cohen (aka Greatest Hits) album but was not found on the recording itself:2

Oh your eyes, well I forgot Your eyes
Your body’s at home in every sea.
How come you gave away your news to everyone
That you said was a secret for me.

Variations of this verse were performed at the April 3, 1972 Stockholm show and the April 6, 1972 Frankfurt concert:3

Oh Tonight, I know I’m gonna forget tonight (Stockholm)
Ah your eyes, oh how could I forget your eyes (Frankfurt)
Your body’s at home in every sea.
How come you gave away your news to everyone
That you said was a secret for me.

In 1972, however, Cohen sang the verse himself, as he also did in at least one 2009 show.

Update: From Perla Batalla’s Facebook Page:

At soundcheck Leonard wanted to try the song with Julie and I singing a couple of verses. When we performed it we got very emotional. It was a magical night! And Leonard was on fire! You can hear him feeding us verses we had never sung before. Goosebumps listening to this.

The 1993 Version Of The Gift Of A Golden Voice

Finally, Cohen’s voice in the Oslo show is strikingly different from the original version and even more so from the performances during the 2008-2013 Tours. Cohen stridently speaks as much as sings the words.4

The impact of these multiple changes and adaptations is dramatic.

Video: So Long, Marianne – Oslo 1993

Although no live videos or even photos of this concert are to be found online, the show was broadcast on FM radio, and a high quality recording of that broadcast serves as the soundtrack of the video. Augmenting the music are photos which predominantly feature Marianne Ihlen, Leonard Cohen, and backup singers, Perla Batalla & Julie Christensen.5 Also included are a few shots of the other musicians from the 1993 Tour.6

Leonard Cohen – “So Long, Marianne”
Oslo Spektrum: May 1, 1993
Video by Allan Showalter

I am republishing selected posts from my former Leonard Cohen site, Cohencentric, here on AllanShowalter.com (these posts can be found at Leonard Cohen). This entry was originally posted July 18, 2014 at 1HeckOfAGuy.com.

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1. Note: At some point in the process of recording Songs Of Leonard Cohen, “So Long, Marianne” was titled “Come On, Marianne.” (Source: I’m Your Man: The Life Of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons. Ecco: 2012) While the existence of the same verb in the title of that early iteration and in the third line of this verse added in 1988, “Here comes Marianne now,” is certainly insufficient evidence of a connection between the two versions, the possibility exists that the 1988 line is a vestigial remnant of lyrics written twenty years earlier or that both lines share a common precursor. (More about “Come On, Marianne” in a later post.) [↩]
2. Source: GuitareTab. In addition, another verse is also listed in the booklet but not included on the recording:

   If you leave, where will I keep you then
   In my heart as some men say
   But I who was born to love everyone
   Why should I keep you so far away?

   [↩]

3. Source: Leonard Cohen Prologues [↩]
4. The 1993 version would not be a good fit with the audience karaoke “So Long, Marianne” singalongs that took place in the 2008-2013 tours that have earned the crowd a “You sing so pretty” accolade from Leonard Cohen. [↩]
5. Note: Most of the performance photos are from 1993, but some were taken during the 1988 Tour, during which Perla Batalla & Julie Christensen also served as vocalists. [↩]
6. 1993 Tour Musicians:

   Leonard Cohen – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
   Perla Batalla – vocals
   Julie Christensen – vocals
   Bob Metzger – guitars, pedal steel guitar
   Bob Furgo – keyboards, violin
   Paul Ostermayer – keyboards, saxophone, flute
   Bill Ginn – keyboards
   Jorge Calderon – bass
   Steve Meador – drums

   Source: Jim Devlin’s Is This What You Wanted [↩]