So Long, Marianne | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
|6/8 A A/E | Asus4 A |
Verse 1
| A | A | Bm | Bm |
Come over to the window, my little darling,
| D | D | A | A |
I’d like to try to read your palm.
| G | G | D | D |
I used to think I was some kind of Gypsy boy,
| F#m | F#m | E | E |
before I let you take me home.
Chorus 1
| A | A | F#m | F#m |
Now so long, Marianne, it’s time that we began,
| E | E | E | E |
to laugh, and cry, and cry, and laugh about it all again.
Instrumental 1
||: A A/E | Asus4 A :|| A A/E |
Verse 2
Well, you know that I love to live with you,
but you make me forget so very much.
I forget to pray for the angels,
and then the angels forget to pray for us.
Chorus 2
Now so long, Marianne, it’s time that we began,
to laugh, (and) and cry, (and) and cry (and) and laugh about it all again.
Instrumental 2
||: A A/E | Asus4 A :|| A A/E |
Verse 3
We met when we were almost young,
deep in the green lilac park.
You held on to me like I was a crucifix,
as we went kneeling through the dark.
Chorus 3
Oh, so long, Marianne, it’s time that we began,
to laugh, (and) and cry, (and) and cry (and) and laugh about it all again.
Instrumental 3
||: A A/E | Asus4 A :|| A A/E |
Verse 4
Your letters they all say that you’re beside me now.
Then why do I feel alone?
I’m standing on a ledge and your fine spider web,
is fastening my ankle to a stone.
Chorus 4
Now so long, Marianne, it’s time that we began,
to laugh, (and) and cry, (and) and cry (and) and laugh about it all again.
Instrumental 4
||: A A/E | Asus4 A :|| A A/E |
Verse 5
For now I need your hidden love.
I’m cold as a new razor blade.
You left when I told you I was curious,
I never said that I was brave.
Chorus 5
Oh, so long, Marianne, it’s time that we began,
to laugh, (and) and cry, (and) and cry (and) and laugh about it all again.
Instrumental 5
||: A A/E | Asus4 A :|| A A/E |
Verse 6
Oh, you are really such a pretty one.
I see you’ve gone and changed your name again.
And just when I climbed this whole mountainside,
to wash my eyelids in the rain!.
Chorus 6
Oh, so long, Marianne, it’s time that we began,
to laugh, (and) and cry, (and) and cry (and) and laugh about it all again.
Outro
||: A A/E | Asus4 A :|| A ||
So Long, Marianne Chords: Learn the progressions
Before you start playing along with the original recording using the chords and lyrics above, tune sharp to 447Hz using my online guitar tuner.
This way, you’ll be on the same frequency as Mr. Cohen himself.
The chords are diatonic to the key of A and move I – II – IV – I for the first half. We then go to the bVIIx chord and get tension before we go to IV – VI – V, like this:
| A (I) | A | Bm (II) | Bm |
| D (IV) | D | A (V) | A |
| G (bVIIx) | G | D | D |
| F#m (VI) | F#m | E (V) | E |
You could also look at that G chord (bVIIx) as if we’re bridging two keys, A and D. Many, many songs do this, it’s a great trick to wake the listener up.
The chorus is simpler as it goes I – VI – V, like this:
| A (I) | A | F#m (VI) | F#m |
| E (V) | E | E | E |
There is at TAB lesson on how to comp this using an acoustic guitar, there’s some nice alternating bass line work that you can apply should you not have an actual bass player at hand.
Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: So Long, Marianne – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Coming back from the TAB and ready to play this live, bring this chord chart and you’ll be absolutely fine.
So Long, Marianne TAB | Related Pages
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: So Long, Marianne Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: So Long, Marianne iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
So Long, Marianne is a perfect example of early Leonard Cohen!
One of Leonard Cohen‘s early hits, So Long, Marianne was one of the tunes that spread the word about the poet-turned-songwriter.
Released on the debut 1967 debut album, Songs Of Leonard Cohen, it has stood the test of time, being covered by many artists including Beck and Suzanne Vega.
The song itself is about an actual woman called Marianne who Leonard met in Greece and later ended up living with in Canada.
This early era of Cohen also saw tunes like Suzanne, Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye, Sister Of Mercy, Bird on the Wire, and the incredible The Partisan.
All these tunes are well worth checking out, not just for the lyrics, the chords and melodies are gold dust for the aspiring songwriter to get inspiration from.
So Long, Marianne Chords | Related Pages
So Long, Marianne | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play So Long, Marianne by Leonard Cohen using TAB and chord analysis.
| A | A | Bm | Bm |
Come over to the window, my little darling…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- Dance Me To The End Of Love
- Heart Of Gold
- Losing My Religion
- Mr. Tambourine Man
- One More Cup Of Coffee
Leonard Cohen tunes
Following a career as a novelist and poet for over a decade, Leonard Cohen released his debut album in 1967.
His best tunes include Suzanne, Bird on the Wire, Famous Blue Raincoat, Chelsea Hotel #2, Hallelujah, Dance Me To The End Of Love, and So Long, Marianne.
Leonard Cohen on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about So Long Marianne’s chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.