Leonard Cohen wins Principe de Asturias award

The iconicLeonard Cohenhas been lauded once again — he is the 2011 recipient for the Prince of Asturias Award for Letters. The annual award is one of eight given by the Principe de Asturias Foundation for achievement in a variety of fields ranging from arts to sciences.Cohen won “for a body of literary work that has influenced three generations of people worldwide through his creation of emotional imagery in which poetry and music are fused in an oeuvre of immutable merit. The passing of time, sentimental relationships, the mystical traditions of the east and the west and life sung as an unending ballad make up a body of work associated with certain moments of decisive change at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century,” the jury stated in its citation.The 76-year-old singer/songwriter/poet/novelist beat a field of 32 contenders from throughout the world. Past winners of the Prince of Asturias awards include Margaret Atwood (2008), Ismail Kadare (2009), Arthur Miller(2002), Woody Allen, JK Rowling and pianist Daniel Barenboim.Recipients of the Asturias Foundation awards receive 50,000 euros ($70,035 CAD), a diploma, insignia and a sculpture designed by Catalan artist Joan Miró. A ceremony honouring the winners takes place in Spain in October.

• If you click here, you will listen to his biography.

• Here is one of his songs.

Listen to it and fill in the gaps of the lyrics ( the words are given).

Sorry for the advertisement previous to the song.

Leonard Cohen - First we take Manhattan por beautifulcynic

These are the missing words:

skin / nights / items / reward / well / spirit / fashion / beauty / twenty / worried / remember / sister / ready

Lyrics:

FIRST WE TAKE MANHATTAN (I'M YOUR MAN)

They sentenced me to .................. years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to ................ them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
I'm guided by this birthmark on my .................
I'm guided by the................. of our weapons
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby
I love your body and your ............. and your clothes
But you see that line there moving through the station?
I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those

Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're ................... that I just might win
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline
How many ................ I prayed for this, to let my work begin
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I don't like your .................... business mister
And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin
I don't like what happened to my ..................
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby ...

And I thank you for those ............... that you sent me
The monkey and the plywood violin
I practiced every night, now I'm ..................
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I am guided

Ah .................. me, I used to live for music
Remember me, I brought your groceries in
.................. it's Father's Day and everybody's wounded
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin