Listening to Now: Leonard Cohen - "Bird on a Wire"

By Richard K. Barry

True story. I was on the phone a couple of days ago with the national passenger rail company where I live, which happens to be Via Rail. I had to get a copy of a receipt for a business trip I had taken a few weeks before. While on hold for what must have been 15 minutes, they helpfully played music through my telephone to help me to relax while I sat and waited for an agent. The music was successive Leonard Cohen songs sung by the original artist. I think the first was "Hallelujah," the second was "Sisters of Mercy," and the third "Bird on a Wire."

I so enjoyed the music that I really had forgotten just for a moment why I was on hold and even got a little annoyed when the cheerful agent broke in to ask how he could help. I wanted to say he could help by putting the music back on.