Tag Archives: leonard cohen
The Future
The Second Coming by W.B. Yeats Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are …
For Something Like a Second
And the blessings come from heaven And for something like a second I’m cured and my heart Is at ease… Full lyrics HERE.
The Sea I Swim In
“Depression has often been the general background of my daily life. My feeling is that whatever I did was in spite of that, not because of it. It wasn’t the depression that was the engine of my work.…That was just the sea I swam in.” ~Leonard Cohen (source)
Tea and Oranges
This poem by Leena Badri and this song by Leonard Cohen seem to share a common vibe: Azza and I Share a Cup of Tea by Leena Badri, from Pank Magazine 1.1-2020 (via 3 Quarks Daily) We find a perfect piece of shade underneath the warm sun, and Azza pours the tea before she speaks …
One Word
“I wish I could say everything in one word. I hate all the things that can happen between the beginning of a sentence and the end.” ~Leonard Cohen
If This Is Not Your Lot
“May you be surrounded by friends and family, and if this is not your lot, may blessings find you in your solitude.” ~Leonard Cohen
One Like Me
The Only Poemby Leonard Cohen This is the only poemI can readI am the only onecan write itI didn’t kill myselfwhen things went wrongI didn’t turnto drugs or teachingI tried to sleepbut when I couldn’t sleepI learned to writeI learned to writewhat might be readon nights like thisby one like me You can watch a …
Closing Time
Leonard Cohen didn’t do a lot of happy, upbeat songs, but this one comes close: Full lyrics HERE. Thematically, it’s very similar to this one: Full lyrics HERE.
If it be your will
Antony Hegarty now goes by the name Anohni and prefers female pronouns. There’s an old interview with her online at The Guardian that’s worth a read (LINK). I was introduced to her by someone who told me, “If you like Tiny Tim, you’re going to love this (girl).” And he was right, I do. Full …
Anthem
My favorite line isn’t the one you probably think it is. It’s, “Ring the bells that still can ring.” Full lyrics HERE.
Singin’
A quietly happy little song that escaped my notice the first time I heard it. Now it’s one of my favorites. Full lyrics HERE.
In case they want to know…
Full lyrics HERE.
Weapons
(Source: CohenCentric)
Acts
Excerpt from the Brihadarankyaka Upanishad: As a man acts, so does he become. A man of good deeds becomes good, a man of evil deeds becomes evil. A man becomes pure through pure deeds, impure through impure deeds. As a man’s desire is, so is his destiny. For as his desire is, so is his …
I Just Hope He Doesn’t Get Any Uglier
The Killers by Leonard Cohen from The Energy of Slaves (1972) (via) The killers that run the other countries are trying to get us to overthrow the killers that run our own I for one prefer the rule of our native killers I am convinced the foreign killer will kill more of us than the …
Like A
A lot of people have covered this song, but this one is my favorite. They found a joy in it that I don’t think Leonard Cohen necessarily intended, but I think would have appreciated. Full lyrics HERE.
We asked for signs…
It wasn’t his biggest hit, but it contains what is probably his most famous line: There is a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in Full lyrics HERE.
And the sun pours down like honey…
Lyrics via SongMeanings.net: Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever And you know that she’s half-crazy but that’s why you want to be there And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China And …
You want it darker.
Listening to this, it felt like I was sitting directly across from him having an intense, somewhat frightening conversation. I am just completely blown away. Full lyrics HERE.
Abbie's Tree House 