Joan of Arc
Allison Crowe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Words & Music by Leonard Cohen
As performed by Allison Crowe
Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc
As she came riding through the dark;
No moon to keep her armour bright,
She said, "I'm tired of the war,
I want the kind of work I had before,
A wedding dress or something white
To wear upon my swollen appetite."
"Well, I'm glad to hear you talk this way,
I've watched you riding every day
And there is something in me that yearns to win
Such a cold, such a lonesome heroine".
"And who are you?" she sternly spoke
To the one beneath the smoke.
"Why, I'm fire," he replied,
"And I love your solitude, I love your pride."
"Well, then, fire make your body cold,
I'm going to give you mine to hold."
And saying this she climbed inside
To be his one, to be his only bride.
Then deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of Joan of Arc,
And high above all these wedding guests
He hung the ashes of her lovely wedding dress.
It was deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of Joan of Arc,
And then she clearly understood
If he was fire, oh, she must be wood.
I saw her wince, I saw her cry,
I saw the glory in her eye.
Myself I long for love and light,
But must it come so cruel,
Must it be so bright?
Allison Crowe's rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Joan of Arc" is a powerful and haunting interpretation of a song that tells the tragedy of the French national heroine. The song speaks of Joan of Arc's journey and her eventual tragic end, with the flames that consumed her punishing her bravery and determination. The lyrics are rich in metaphor and interpretation which makes the song open to multiple meanings. The lyrics suggest that Joan of Arc was tired of war and longed for a more peaceful way of life. The line "I want the kind of work I had before, a wedding dress or something white to wear upon my swollen appetite" suggests that she longed for a more feminine and traditional role in life, after spending her days wearing armor and fighting battles.
The character of Fire who comes to her in her moment of darkness and offers her a way out of her struggles is a powerful symbol of destruction and renewal. Fire says that "I love your solitude, I love your pride," reflecting Joan's valiant nature and independent spirit, but ultimately her journey leads to her demise. The lyrics suggest that even her ashes became part of Fire's being, but her spirit remained unbroken. The final lines of the song, "I saw her wince, I saw her cry, I saw the glory in her eye, myself I long for love and light, but must it come so cruel, must it be so bright?" speak of the struggle between darkness and hope, and the sometimes agonizing beauty of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was pursued by flames
As she came riding through the dark;
She was riding through the dark
No moon to keep her armour bright,
There was no moonlight to make her armor gleam
No man to get her through this dark and smoky night.
No one was there to guide her through the dark and smoky night
She said, "I'm tired of the war,
Joan of Arc expressed her war-weariness
I want the kind of work I had before,
She wants to go back to her previous work
A wedding dress or something white
She desires a wedding dress or something white
To wear upon my swollen appetite."
Her appetite has increased and she wants to wear something that will fit over her swollen stomach
"Well, I'm glad to hear you talk this way,
The man seems pleased with her statement
I've watched you riding every day
He has been watching her ride
And there is something in me that yearns to win
He has a desire to win her over
Such a cold, such a lonesome heroine".
He admires her strength, calling her a cold and lonesome heroine
"And who are you?" she sternly spoke
Joan asks the man who he is
To the one beneath the smoke.
He is hidden beneath the smoke
"Why, I'm fire," he replied,
He responds that he is fire
"And I love your solitude, I love your pride."
The fire loves her independence and pride
"Well, then, fire make your body cold,
Joan asks the fire to become cold
I'm going to give you mine to hold."
She wants to offer herself instead to the fire
And saying this she climbed inside
She steps into the fire
To be his one, to be his only bride.
Joan of Arc decides to become the fire's bride
Then deep into his fiery heart
The fire takes her deep within its heart
He took the dust of Joan of Arc,
The fire takes Joan's ashes
And high above all these wedding guests
The fire puts ashes of her wedding dress high above everyone
He hung the ashes of her lovely wedding dress.
The ashes of her wedding dress are hung up by the fire
It was deep into his fiery heart
The fire keeps a part of Joan deep within it
He took the dust of Joan of Arc,
The fire takes another part of Joan with it
And then she clearly understood
Joan finally understands
If he was fire, oh, she must be wood.
Joan is the wood to the fire
I saw her wince, I saw her cry,
She shows pain and sadness
I saw the glory in her eye.
Despite everything, she still has glory in her eyes
Myself I long for love and light,
The singer longs for love and light as well
But must it come so cruel,
Why must love and light come at such a cruel cost?
Must it be so bright?
Why must love and light be so intense and overwhelming?
Contributed by Jordyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jeffrey devries
Beautiful. Great performance!!
Norman Hyett
Love alison crowe, love leonard cohen, love the song... nothing left to say!!!!
Sanjukta Chatterjee
Absolutely exquisite
googlegoat
this one is the purest version of this song that i have ever hear.. stripped bare it goes straight to the heart.
Carrie from Utah
WoW!! Beautiful !!
marczwi
Tears in my eyes…
brinzybabe
Beautiful x
Isingforlyrics
I think her voice is amazing and she makes the song her own, but I think that the Judy Collins version truly conveys best the essence of Cohen's haunting and beautiful song. To me this is only beautiful, but still beautiful.
saccyind
Saint Joan Of Arc The Greatest Christian Saint Ever And A Great Freedom Fighter Her Sacrifice For Jesus And France Is Beyond Comparison.
Lennart Gabrielsson
My favourite saint...