The Stranger Song(Chords)

	        
Intro: Em 

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

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

          C               Bb     C 
And then leaning on your window sill 
       G              
He'll say one day you caused his will 
    D                                     Em 
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter 
          D 
And then taking from his wallet 
          Em 
An old schedule of trains, he'll say 
   D                              Em 
I told you when I came I was a stranger 
   D                              Em 
I told you when I came I was a stranger 

     C             Bb     C 
But now another stranger seems 
    G 
To want you to ignore his dreams 
     D                                 Em 
As though they were the burden of some other 
          D 
O you've seen that man before 
           Em 
His golden arm dispatching cards 
              D                            Em 
But now it's rusted from the elbow to the finger 
        D                                     Em 
And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter 
        D                                     Em 
Yes he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter 

        C              Bb     C     G     
Ah you hate to watch another tired man 
              G               
Lay down his hand 
             D                          Em 
Like he was giving up the holy game of poker 
      D                
And while he talks his dreams to sleep 
     Em 
You notice there's a highway 
         D                                Em 
That is curling up like smoke above his shoulder 
      D                                  Em 
It's curling just like smoke above his shoulder 

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

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

       C            Bb       C 
Let's meet tomorrow if you choose 
  G 
Upon the shore, beneath the bridge 
       D                                Em 
That they are building on some endless river 
         D 
Then he leaves the platform 
                  Em 
For the sleeping car that's warm 
                  D                          Em 
You realize, he's only advertising on more shelter 
        D                              Em 
And it comes to you, he never was a stranger 
         D                                Em 
And you say okay the bridge or someplace later 

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

     C               Bb     C 
And leaning on your window sill 
       G 
He'll say one day you caused his will 
    D                                     Em 
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter 
          D 
And then taking from his wallet 
          Em 
An old schedule of trains 
              D                              Em 
He'll say, I told you when I came I was a stranger 
   D                              Em 
I told you when I came I was a stranger 
   D                              Em 
I told you when I came I was a stranger 
   D                              Em 
I told you when I came I was a stranger...
	        

Written by Leonard Cohen