A THOUSAND KISSES DEEP 
Leonard Cohen


The ponies run, 
the girls are young, 
The odds are there 
to beat. 
You win a while, 
and then it’s done – 
Your little 
winning streak. 
And summoned now 
to deal 
With your 
invincible defeat, 
You live your life 
as if it’s real, 
A Thousand Kisses 
Deep. 

I’m turning 
tricks, I’m getting fixed, 
I’m back on Boogie 
Street. 
You lose your 
grip, and then you slip 
Into the 
Masterpiece. 
And maybe I had 
miles to drive, 
And promises to 
keep: 
You ditch it all 
to stay alive, 
A Thousand Kisses 
Deep. 

And sometimes when 
the night is slow, 
The wretched and 
the meek, 
We gather up our 
hearts and go, 
A Thousand Kisses 
Deep. 

Confined to sex, 
we pressed against 
The limits of the 
sea: 
I saw there were 
no oceans left 
For scavengers 
like me. 
I made it to the 
forward deck 
I blessed our 
remnant fleet – 
And then consented 
to be wrecked, 
A Thousand Kisses 
Deep. 

I’m turning 
tricks, I’m getting fixed, 
I’m back on Boogie 
Street. 
I guess they won’t 
exchange the gifts 
That you were 
meant to keep. 
And quiet is the 
thought of you 
The file on you 
complete, 
Except what we 
forgot to do, 
A Thousand Kisses 
Deep. 

And sometimes when 
the night is slow, 
The wretched and 
the meek, 
We gather up our 
hearts and go, 
A Thousand Kisses 
Deep. 

The ponies run, 
the girls are young, 
The odds are there 
to beat…