Leonard Koen je napisao ovu pjesmu kao sjećanje na dvije djevojke i na sniježnu oluju u Edmontonu, u Kanadi, 1966 godine. Koen je proveo pet sedmica u Edmontonu, posjećivao predavanja iz poezije na Univerzitetu Alberta i pravio žurke u svojoj sobi u Hotelu Mekdonald. Još uvijek nije izdao album (“Songs of Leonard Cohen” je objavljen 1967.) ali njegov roman “Beautiful Losers” i njegove knjige poezije bile su obajvljene i poznate među studentima širom Kanade.
Misteriozne muze koje je Koen sreo u olujnoj noću zvale su se Barbara i Lorejn. Provele su noć u njegovoj hotelskoj sobi, i inspirisale ga za pjesmu “Sisters of Mercy”, koja se pojavila na njegovom prvom albumu.
U jednom intervjuu Koen je rekao: “To je jedina pjesma koju sam napisao u prvom pokušaju. Tada sam bio u Edmontonu i bila je sniježna oluja. Upoznao sam dvije djevojke i pozvao ih ih u moju malu hotelsku sobu. Legle su na veliki bračni krevet i iscrpljene olujom i hladnoćom, odmah zaspale. A ja sam sjedio u svojoj stolici, pored prozora, ispod je tekla rijeka. Osjećao sam da bi trebalo nešto da im kažem kada se probude. I napisao sam stihove, dok su spavale.
Kada su se probudile otpjevao sam im pjesmu. Bila je kompletna, završena i dopala im se.
Njihova imena sam zapamtio – Barbara i Lorejn.”
SISTERS OF MERCY
Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone
They were waiting for me when I thought that I just can’t go on.
And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song.
Oh I hope you run into them, you who’ve been travelling so long.
Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control.
It begins with your family, but soon it comes around to your soul.
Well I’ve been where you’re hanging, I think I can see how you’re pinned:
When you’re not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you’ve sinned.
Well they lay down beside me, I made my confession to them.
They touched both my eyes and I touched the dew on their hem.
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem.
When I left they were sleeping, I hope you run into them soon.
Don’t turn on the lights, you can read their address by the moon.
And you won’t make me jealous if I hear that they sweetened your night:
We weren’t lovers like that and besides it would still be all right,
We weren’t lovers like that and besides it would still be all right.”
Leonard Cohen
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