Escrita por Leonard Cohen, foi gravada em 26 de setembro de 1968, em Nashville, Tennessee. Foi lançada em abril de 1969 no disco Songs from a room. Quem primeiro lançou-a foi Judy Collins, ainda em 1968. Joe Cocker iria lançar sua versão em 1969. Além dos dois citados, foi regravada também por Jackie DeShannon, Dave Van Ronk, Jennifer Warnes, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, KD Lang e Elvis Costello, entre outros artistas.
Like
a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have
tried in my way to be free
Like
a worm on a hook
Like a knight from some old-fashioned book
I
have saved all my ribbons for thee
If
I, if I have been unkind
I hope that you can just let it go by
If
I, if I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you
For
like a baby, stillborn
Like a beast with his horn
I have torn
everyone who reached out for me
But
I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I will
make it all up to thee
I
saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch
He said to me, "you
must not ask for so much"
And a pretty woman leaning in her
darkened door
She cried to me, "hey, why not ask for more?"
Oh,
like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have
tried in my way to be free