Marc Cohn: Listening to Levon

Song and lyrics by Marc Cohn
Album: Join the Parade, 2007

Listen:

American singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, best known for the song "Walking in Memphis", released this wonderful tribute to Levon Helm as the first track on his 2007 album Join the Parade. The lyrics tell a story from his youth about how Levon's voice, coming through on the car radio, distracts him from the smooching going on with his date/girlfriend "Mary". In some live versions of the song, Cohn twists the lyrics at the end of the chorus to: "listening to that ol' boy singing 'Rag Mama Rag' on the radio". Cohn also released a live recording of the song on his 2019 album Work to Do, with backing vocals from the gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I was sitting with Mary
In my dad's blue Valiant
Rain was coming down
And the radio was playing
Mary was talking
A million miles a minute
I could not hear one word she was saying

[Chorus]
'Cause I was lost
I was gone
Listening to Levon
In another world
Oh, in another place
I was lost
I was gone
Listening to Levon
I was looking in Mary's eyes
But I was listening to Levon (Oh yeah)

[Verse 2]
Mary's hair was black
That much I remember
Mary's skin was smooth
I remember that too
And she'd open her eyes
Sometimes when she kissed me
I don't know why she did that
Maybe Mary knew

[Chorus]
That I was lost
I was gone
Listening to Levon
In another place
Oh, in some other world
Yeah, I was lost
I was gone
Listening to Levon
I was looking at the girl
But I was listening to Levon (Oh yeah, oh yeah)

[Bridge]
I changed her name
To protect the innocent
I might have even lied
About the car
This is just to say
I'm sorry if I hurt you
But Mary if you're out there
'Cause you know who you are
I'm sorry Mary

[Verse 3]
Well it serves me right
If you can't even hear me singing
If you tuned me out a long time ago
And it serves me right
If you already changed the station
And you're listening right now
To that old boy on the radio (Radio)

[Chorus]
And you're lost
And you're gone
Listening to Levon
In another world
From some other place
Are you lost?
Are you gone?
Listening to Levon
Is there a smile your face
While you're listening to Levon?