It's not the wind that keeps you up it's not the snow
It's not the moon coming like a headlight through your window
It's not the thumbnail of a screen that scrapes away your dream
It's just a man taking what he needs from the store room

It's not the news of burning towns that ruins your mind
Like a spool you turn and you turn but it won't unwind
No these wars you did not start they don't tear your sleep apart
It's just a man taking what he needs from the store room

And now this woman by your side, well, she's asleep
And there's nothing you can give her and there's nothing you want to keep
You don't even try to prove that the noisy neighbor's making love
It's just a man taking what he needs from the store room

Well, go to sleep and change the locks when you wake up
Share your toast maybe spill some coffee from your cup
There's nothing left to choose and there is so much more to lose
There's this man taking what he needs from the store room

It's not the news of burning towns that ruins your mind
Like a spool you turn and you turn but it won't unwind
No these wars you did not stop they don't tear your sleep apart
It's just a man taking what he needs from the store room

And now this woman by your side, well, she's awake
But there's nothing you can give her there's nothing you want to take
You don't even try to prove that the noisy neighbor's making love
It's just a man taking what he needs from the store room

Well, go to sleep and change the locks when you wake up
Share your toast maybe spill a little coffee from your cup
He's got nothing left to choose and you've got so much more to lose
There's a man taking what he needs from the store room

Copyright: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Writer(s): Leonard Cohen