The Law

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This song is from Cohen’s 7th album, Various Positions, released in 1984. The song speaks of the chains of love, and the preordained rules which we must follow, painful tho… Read More

Dec. 11, 19841 viewer8.4K views

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The Law Lyrics

[Verse 1]
How many times did you call me and I knew it was late
I left everybody but I never went straight
I don't claim to be guilty, but I do understand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand

[Verse 2]
Now my heart's like a blister from doin' what I do
If the moon has a sister, it's got to be you
I'm gonna miss you forever, though it's not what I planned
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand

[Verse 3]
Now the deal has been dirty since dirty began
I'm not asking for mercy, not from the man
You just don't ask for mercy while you're still on the stand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand

[Bridge]
I don't claim to be guilty
Guilty's too grand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand

[Verse 4]
That's all I can say, baby, that's all I can say
It wasn't for nothing that they put me away
I fell with my angel down the chain of command
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand

About

This song is from Cohen’s 7th album, Various Positions, released in 1984. The song speaks of the chains of love, and the preordained rules which we must follow, painful tho at times they may be.

In live versions, the following verses are added before the final verse:

You can blame it on nature
or you can blame it on god
you can say it’s the creature
who is just climbing out of the mud
but i ain’t here cause the fossil
has been found in the sand
There’s a Law, there’s an Arm, there’s a Hand
There’s a Law, there’s an Arm, there’s a Hand

I’ve done lots of time, boy
but now I know why
you can turn on a dime
but on a dollar you die
this’ll never make sense
to the fat of the land
There’s a Law, there’s an Arm, there’s a Hand
There’s a Law, there’s an Arm, there’s a Hand"