Leonard Cohen
Lyric guide

Happens To The Heart

Read Happens To The Heart lyrics by Leonard Cohen on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

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Page type: lyric reference Artist: Leonard Cohen Canonical path: /leonard-cohen/happens-to-the-heart Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

Happens To The Heart

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I was always working steady

But I never called it art

I got my shit together

Meeting Christ and reading Marx

It failed my little fire

But it’s bright the dying spark

Go tell the young messiah

What happens to the heart

There’s a mist of summer kisses

Where I tried to double-park

The rivalry was vicious

The women were in charge

It was nothing, it was business

But it left an ugly mark

I’ve come here to revisit

What happens to the heart

I was selling holy trinkets

I was dressing kind of sharp

Had a pussy in the kitchen

And a panther in the yard

In the prison of the gifted

I was friendly with the guards

So I never had to witness

What happens to the heart

I should have seen it coming

After all I knew the chart

Just to look at her was trouble

It was trouble from the start

Sure we played a stunning couple

But I never liked the part

It ain't pretty, it ain't subtle

What happens to the heart

Now the angel’s got a fiddle

The devil’s got a harp

Every soul is like a minnow

Every mind is like a shark

I’ve broken every window

But the house, the house is dark

I care but very little

What happens to the heart

Then I studied with this beggar

He was filthy, he was scarred

By the claws of many women

He had failed to disregard

No fable here no lesson

No singing meadowlark

Just a filthy beggar guessing

What happens to the heart

I was always working steady

But I never called it art

It was just some old convention

Like the horse before the cart

I had no trouble betting

On the flood, against the ark

You see, I knew about the ending

What happens to the heart

I was handy with a rifle

My father’s. 303

I fought for something final

Not the right to disagree

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Who performs "Happens To The Heart"?

Leonard Cohen performs "Happens To The Heart", and this lyric page sits inside the Leonard Cohen catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Happens To The Heart"?

Yes. The related section below points to Minute Prologue and Ain't No Cure For Love with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Leonard Cohen?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Leonard Cohen's lyric pages.

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