Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s; he did not launch a music career until 1967, at the age of 33. His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), was followed by three more albums of folk music: Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971) and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974). His 1977 record Death of a Ladies' Man, co-written and produced by Phil Spector, was a move away from Cohen's previous minimalist sound. In 1979, Cohen returned with the more traditional Recent Songs, which blended his acoustic style with jazz, Oriental, and Mediterranean influences. Perhaps Cohen's most famous song, "Hallelujah", was first released on his studio album Various Positions in 1984. I'm Your Man in 1988 marked Cohen's turn to synthesized productions and remains his most popular album. In 1992, Cohen released its follow-up, The Future, which had dark lyrics and references to political and social unrest.
Cohen returned to music in 2001 with the release of Ten New Songs, which was a major hit in Canada and Europe. His 11th album, Dear Heather, followed in 2004. Following a successful string of tours between 2008 and 2013, Cohen released three albums in the final four years of his life: Old Ideas (2012), Popular Problems (2014) and You Want It Darker (2016), the last of which was released three weeks before his death.
Leonard Cohen was born into a middle-class Jewish family in Westmount, Quebec, on September 21, 1934. His Lithuanian mother, Marsha Klonitsky ("Masha"; 1905–1978), was the daughter of a Talmudic writer, Rabbi Solomon Klonitsky-Kline, and emigrated to Canada in 1927. His paternal grandfather, whose family had moved from Poland to Canada, was Lyon Cohen, the founding president of the Canadian Jewish Congress. His father, Nathan Bernard Cohen (1891–1943), who owned a substantial clothing store, died when Cohen was nine years old. The family observed Orthodox Judaism, and belonged to Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, to which Cohen retained connections for the rest of his life. On the topic of being a Kohen, Cohen told Richard Goldstein in 1967, "I had a very Messianic childhood. I was told I was a descendant of Aaron, the high priest."
Cohen attended Roslyn Elementary School and completed grades seven through nine at Herzliah High School, where his literary mentor Irving Layton taught, then transferred in 1948 to Westmount High School, where he studied music and poetry. He became especially interested in the poetry of Federico García Lorca. Cohen involved himself actively beyond Westmount's curriculum, in photography, on the yearbook staff, as a cheerleader, in the arts and current events clubs, and even served in the position of president of the Students' Council while "heavily involved in the school's theater program". During that time, Cohen taught himself to play the acoustic guitar, and formed a country–folk group that he called the Buckskin Boys. After a young Spanish guitar player taught him "a few chords and some flamenco", Cohen switched to a classical guitar. He has attributed his love of music to his mother, who sang songs around the house: "I know that those changes, those melodies, touched me very much. She would sing with us when I took my guitar to a restaurant with some friends; my mother would come, and we'd often sing all night.
Cohen frequented Saint Laurent Boulevard for fun and ate at such places as the Main Deli Steak House. According to journalist David Sax, Cohen and one of his cousins would go to the Main Deli to "watch the gangsters, pimps, and wrestlers dance around the night". Cohen enjoyed the formerly raucous bars of Old Montreal as well as Saint Joseph's Oratory, which had the restaurant nearest to Westmount, for him and his friend Mort Rosengarten to share coffee and cigarettes. When Cohen left Westmount, he purchased a place on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, in the previously working-class neighbourhood of Little Portugal. He would read his poetry at assorted nearby clubs. In that period and that place, Cohen wrote the lyrics to some of his most famous songs.
08 The Gypsy's Wife
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've heard all the wild reports, they can't be right
But whose head is this she's dancing with on the threshing floor
whose darkness deepens in her arms a little more
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
Where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
Ah the silver knives are flashing in the tired old cafe
She says, "My body is the light, my body is the way"
I raise my arm against it all and I catch the bride's bouquet
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
Too early for the rainbow, too early for the dove
These are the final days, this is the darkness, this is the flood
And there is no man or woman who can't be touched
But you who come between them will be judged
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
The lyrics to Leonard Cohen's song "The Gypsy's Wife" hints at themes of jealousy, possession, and betrayal. The singer is searching for his "Gypsy wife" and has had doubts about her loyalty due to "wild reports", which he doesn't believe. The lines "But whose head is this she's dancing with on the threshing floor / whose darkness deepens in her arms a little more" emphasize his growing paranoia and insecurity about her faithfulness.
Later in the song, Cohen introduces a mysterious "bride" who claims "My body is the light, my body is the way" and climbs on a table in a "bridal negligee". The singer, seemingly in awe and confusion, declares that he is going against everything around him and catches the bride's bouquet. The last lines of the song emphasize the singer's sense of doom and loss, as he acknowledges that the era is coming to an end with "These are the final days, this is the darkness, this is the flood", and ends with a warning that anyone who comes between a couple will be judged.
Line by Line Meaning
And where, where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight
The singer is searching for their Gypsy wife, but has no idea where she may be.
I've heard all the wild reports, they can't be right
The singer has heard rumors about their wife, but doesn't believe them to be true.
But whose head is this she's dancing with on the threshing floor
The singer is confused and worried about the person their wife is dancing with.
Whose darkness deepens in her arms a little more
The artist is concerned that the person their wife is dancing with is causing her to become more lost and troubled.
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
The artist is still searching for their wife, and is feeling anxious and uncertain.
Ah the silver knives are flashing in the tired old cafe
The singer is observing a scene in a cafe where things seem dangerous and chaotic.
A ghost climbs on the table in a bridal negligee
The singer sees a haunting image of a ghostly figure dressed in a wedding outfit.
She says, "My body is the light, my body is the way"
The ghostly figure speaks about their own body being a source of revelation and truth.
I raise my arm against it all and I catch the bride's bouquet
The artist takes action against the strange and unsettling scene, but also participates in a traditional act of catching the bouquet.
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
The artist is still consumed with the search for their wife and the uncertainty of her whereabouts.
Too early for the rainbow, too early for the dove
The singer feels that it is not yet time for things to become peaceful or hopeful.
These are the final days, this is the darkness, this is the flood
The artist sees the world as being in a state of crisis and upheaval.
And there is no man or woman who can't be touched
Everyone is vulnerable to being affected by the chaos and suffering of the world.
But you who come between them will be judged
Those who cause harm to others will face consequences for their actions.
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
The singer is still searching for their wife, and the repetition of this line emphasizes their sense of urgency and desperation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
cuentos púrpura
And where, where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight
I've heard all the wild reports, they can't be right
But whose head is this she's dancing with on the threshing floor
whose darkness deepens in her arms a little more
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
Where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
Ah the silver knives are flashing in the tired old cafe
A ghost climbs on the table in a bridal negligee
She says, "My body is the light, my body is the way"
I raise my arm against it all and I catch the bride's bouquet
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
Too early for the rainbow, too early for the dove
These are the final days, this is the darkness, this is the flood
And there is no man or woman who can't be touched
But you who come between them will be judged
And where, where is my Gypsy wife tonight?
Ronald Ferry
I have only recently found Leonard through YouTube, all the misery and the insanity on the Internet, he was and is and will be one of the best things that I have ever found on the computer I only wish that I Had known of him before his death. Such a soulful human.
Nelson Club
I have his book of poems - the genius is there as well
Arnold Blashak
Well maybe you can relate to it
valariesusan52
Then you would adore RUMI
valariesusan52
@Nelson Club I adoew Poetry.
Cara E
At 71 I look forward to seeing him in in heaven. I hope
Jennifer Forde
Pure genius that was Leonard Cohen. He had so much charisma on stage and off. An artist and poet. RIP you beautiful man .you are at peace with your god
fleur de jasmin etoile
Je suis bien d'accord un artiste ♥️♥️♥️😍
Daniil Zaliznyi
I am 22 years of age and I thank the generation of my parents and grands for the culture where such geniuses like Leonard could develop -- truly a Golden age
Ray Howard
Spot on ,RAY TWELVE STRINGS U.K