If It Be Your Will

Of the many, many Leonard Cohen songs that move me, If It Be Your Will is right at the top of the list:

"If It Be Your Will"

If it be your will
That I speak no more
And my voice be still
As it was before
I will speak no more
I shall abide until
I am spoken for
If it be your will
If it be your will
That a voice be true
From this broken hill
I will sing to you
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing

If it be your will
If there is a choice
Let the rivers fill
Let the hills rejoice
Let your mercy spill
On all these burning hearts in hell
If it be your will
To make us well

And draw us near
And bind us tight
All your children here
In their rags of light
In our rags of light
All dressed to kill
And end this night
If it be your will

If it be your will.

From the 2007 tribute to Leonard Cohen, who recently played in Los Angeles to a packed audience (if you never have seen him perform, you really must), here is Antony covering this gorgeous piece--more a prayer according to Cohen--in his understated way:



I was so blown away the first time I saw this I sat literally mouth open, near paralyzed just in the absolute beauty of this song... which Cohen said (specifically beauty) was the point of this song.

Here is Cohen singing this absolutely beautiful and somewhat haunting tune:



Amen, I say. Amen.