Leonard Cohen — The Stranger Song Tour of 1979

It's true that all the men you knew Were dealers who said they were through with dealing Every time you gave them shelter Well, I know that kind of man It's hard to hold the hand of Anyone who's reaching for the sky just to surrender Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind You'll find he did not leave you very much No, not even laughter Like any dealer he was watching for the card That is so high and wild he'll never need to deal another He was just some Joseph looking for a manger Just some Holy Joseph looking for a manger And then leaning on your windowsill He'll say one day you caused his will To weaken with your love, your warmth and your shelter And then taking from his wallet an old schedule of trains He'll say, "I told you when I came I was a stranger" "I told you when I came I was a stranger" Ah, but now another stranger seems to want you To ignore his dreams, as though they were the burden of some other You've seen that man before His golden arm dispatching cards But now it's rusted from the elbow to the finger And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter Yes, he wants to trade the song he sings for shelter Well, you hate to watch another tired man lay down his hand Like he was giving up the Holy Game of Poker And while he talks his dreams to sleep You notice there's a highway That is curling up like smoke above his shoulder And now suddenly you look a little older Yeah, suddenly you feel a little older Well, you tell him to come in, sit down But something makes you turn around The door is open, you cannot close your shelter You try the handle of the road It opens, do not be afraid It's you my love, you who are the stranger It's you my love, you who are the stranger Now, while I've been waiting, I was sure We'd meet between the trains we're waiting For, I think it's time to board another Please understand I never had a secret chart to get me To the heart of this, or any other matter When he talks like this, you don't know what he's after Yes, he speaks like this, you don't know what he's after Ah, let's meet tomorrow if you choose Upon the shore, beneath the bridge That they are building on some endless river Then he leaves the platform for the sleeping car that's warm You realize, he's only advertising one more shelter And it comes to you, he never was that stranger And you say, "OK, the bridge, or someplace later" And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind You'll find he did not leave you very much No, not even laughter Like any dealer he was watching For the card that is so high and wild He'll never need to deal another Yeah, just some Joseph looking for a manger And leaning on your windowsill He'll say one day you caused his will To weaken with your love, your warmth and your shelte And then taking from his wallet an old schedule of trains He'll say, "I told you when I came I was a stranger" "I told you when I came I was a stranger" "I told you when I came I was a stranger"