Leonard Cohen – The Stranger Song

It’s true that all the men you knew were dealers
who said they were through with dealing
Every time you gave them shelter
I know that kind of man
It’s hard to hold the hand of anyone
who is reaching for the sky just to surrender
who is reaching for the sky just to surrender

And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
you find he did not leave you very much not even laughter
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
that is so high and wild
he’ll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger

And then leaning on your window sill
he’ll say one day you caused his will
to weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
And then taking from his wallet
an old schedule of trains, he’ll say
I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger

But now another stranger seems
to want you to ignore his dreams
as though they were the burden of some other
O you’ve seen that man before
his golden arm dispatching cards
but now it’s rusted from the elbows to the finger
And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter
Yes he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter

Ah you hate to watch another tired man
lay down his hand
like he was giving up the holy game of poker
And while he talks his dreams to sleep
you notice there’s a highway
that is curling up like smoke above his shoulder
it’s curling just like smoke beneath his shoulder

You tell him to come in sit down
but something makes you turn around
The door is open you can’t close your shelter
You try the handle of the road
It opens do not be afraid
It’s you my love, you who are the stranger
It’s you my love, you who are the stranger

Well, I’ve been waiting, I was sure
we’d meet between the trains we’re waiting for
I think it’s time to board another
Please understand, I never had a secret chart
to get me to the heart of this
or any other matter
When he talks like this
you don’t know what he’s after
When he speaks like this,
you don’t know what he’s after

“Let’s meet tomorrow if you choose
upon the shore, beneath the bridge
that they are building on some endless river”
Then he leaves the platform
for the sleeping car that’s warm
You realize, he’s only advertising one more shelter
And it comes to you, he never was a stranger
And you say: “ok the bridge or someplace later”

And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
you find he did not leave you very much not even laughter
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
that is so high and wild
he’ll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger

And then leaning on your window sill
he’ll say one day you caused his will
to weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
And then taking from his wallet
an old schedule of trains, he’ll say
I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger

Prevod na srpski

Pesma stranca

Istina je da su svi muškarci koje si znala bili dileri
koji bi rekli da su završili sa dilovanjem
svaki put kad bi im dala utočište
Znam takvu sortu
Teško je držati ruku bilo koga
ko poseže za nebom samo da se preda
ko poseže za nebom samo da se preda

I onda čišteći džokere koje je ostavio za sobom
shvatiš da ti nije ostavio mnogo, čak ni smeh
Kao svaki diler on je tražio kartu koja je tako visoka i divlja
da nikad ne mora da deli drugu
On je bio samo neki Jozef u potrazi za jaslama
On je bio samo neki Jozef u potrazi za jaslama

I onda prislanjajući se na prag tvog prozora
rećiće da si jednog dana uzrokovala njegovu volju
da oslabi tvojom ljubavlju, toplotom i utočištem
I onda uzimajući iz svog novčanika
stari red vožnje vozova, rećiće
Rekao sam ti kad sam došao da sam stranac
Rekao sam ti kad sam došao da sam stranac

Ali sada izgleda da jedan drugi stranac
želi da zanemariš njegove snove
kao da su teret nekog drugog
O, već si videla tog čoveka
njegova zlatna ruka otprema karte
ali ona je sad zarđala od lakta do prsta
i on želi da menja igru koju igra za utočište
da, on želi da menja igru koju zna za utočište

O, ti mržiš da vidiš još jednog umornog čoveka
kako polaže svoju ruku
kao da odustaje od svete igre pokera
i dok govori svoje snove pred spavanje
primetiš autoput
koji se uvija kao dim iznad njegovog ramena
uvija se kao dim iznad njegovog ramena

Kažeš mu da priđe i sedne
ali nešto te tera da se okreneš
Vrata su otvorena, ne možeš da zatvoriš svoje utočište
Probaš ručicu puta
Otvara se, ne plaši se
Ti si ta, ljubavi, koja je stranac
Ti si ta, ljubavi, koja je stranac

Pa, ja sam čekao, bio sam siguran
da ćemo se sresti između vozova koje smo čekali
Mislim da je vreme da se ukrcamo na drugi
Molim te shvati, nikad nisam imao tajnu mapu
da me dovede do srca ove
ili bilo koje druge stvari
Kad ovako priča
ne znaš šta smera
Kad ovako govori
ne znaš šta smera

„Hajde da se sastanemo sutra ako može
na obali, ispod mosta
koji grade na nekoj nepreglednoj reci“
Onda napusti peron
za spavaći voz koji je topao
Ti shvatiš, on samo oglašava još jedno utočište
i sine ti, on nikad nije ni bio stranac
i kažeš: „u redu, most ili negde kasnije“

I onda čišteći džokere koje je ostavio za sobom
shvatiš da ti nije ostavio mnogo, čak ni smeh
Kao svaki diler on je tražio kartu koja je tako visoka i divlja
da nikad ne mora da deli drugu
On je bio samo neki Josef u potrazi za jaslama
On je bio samo neki Josef u potrazi za jaslama

I onda prislanjajući se na prag tvog prozora
rećiće da si jednog dana uzrokovala njegovu volju
da oslabi tvojom ljubavlju, toplotom i utočištem
I onda uzimajući iz svog novčanika
stari red vožnje vozova, rećiće
Rekao sam ti kad sam došao da sam stranac
Rekao sam ti kad sam došao da sam stranac