Anthem Lyrics

[Verse 1]
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be


[Verse 2]
Yeah, the wars
They will be fought again

The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free


[Chorus]
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in


[Verse 3]
We asked for signs
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah, the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see
[Verse 4]
I can't run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they've summoned
They've summoned up a thundercloud
They're gonna hear from me

[Chorus]
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in


[Verse 5]
You can add up the parts
You won't have the sum
You can strike up the march
There is no drum
Every heart
Every heart to love will come
But like a refugee


[Chorus]
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in

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About

Genius Annotation

Themes of political and social justice recur in Cohen’s work, especially in later albums (Democracy).

There are many covers of this song. A cover version of “Anthem” appears on the album Matador: The Songs of Leonard Cohen released by the Canadian singer Patricia O'Callaghan in 2012.

Anthem was used on the soundtrack for Oliver Stone’s 1994 film Natural Born Killers.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Leonard Cohen say about "Anthem"?
Genius Answer

Cohen explains that it takes him so long to finish songs because,

Nothing works. After a while, if you stick with the song long enough it will yield. But long enough is way beyond any reasonable estimation of what you think long enough may be… “Anthem” took a decade to write. And I’ve recorded it three times.

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