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.
Butcher
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was slaughtering a lamb,
I accused him there
With his tortured lamb.
He said, Listen to me, child,
I am what I am and you, you are my only son.
Well, I found a silver needle,
It did some good,
Did some harm.
But the nights were cold
And it almost kept me warm,
How come the night is long?
I saw some flowers growing up
Where that lamb fell down
Was I supposed to praise my Lord,
Make some kind of joyful sound?
He said, Listen, listen to me now,
I go round and round
And you, you are my only child.
Do not leave me now,
Do not leave me now,
I'm broken down
From a recent fall.
Blood upon my body
And ice upon my soul,
Lead on, my son, it is your world.
The lyrics of Leonard Cohen's song "Butcher" paints a vivid picture of a conversation between the singer and a butcher. The singer comes upon the butcher while he is slaughtering a lamb and accuses him of torturing the animal. The butcher responds by telling the singer to listen to him, calling him his only son, and proceeds to share that he found a silver needle and put it in his arm. This experience did some good and harm, but the cold nights were almost made bearable by the high of the needle.
The singer then questions why the night is so long and mentions flowers growing where the lamb fell. He wonders if he was supposed to praise God or make some joyful sound. The butcher responds by saying he goes round and round and the singer is his only child, imploring him not to leave him now as he is broken down from a recent fall, with blood upon his body and ice upon his soul. He asks the singer to lead on, as it is his world.
Line by Line Meaning
I came upon a butcher,
I encountered a man who was slaughtering an animal.
He was slaughtering a lamb,
The animal being slaughtered was a young sheep.
I accused him there
I confronted him about his actions.
With his tortured lamb.
I suggested that the way in which he was killing the animal was cruel and causing it to suffer.
He said, Listen to me, child,
He responded to me and addressed me as a younger person.
I am what I am and you, you are my only son.
He defended his own identity and suggested that I was a reflection of him in some way.
Well, I found a silver needle,
He then shared a personal story about himself finding a specific type of drug paraphernalia.
I put it into my arm.
He went on to describe how he used it to inject drugs into his body.
It did some good,
He acknowledged that the drug use had some positive effects for him.
Did some harm.
At the same time he acknowledged that the drug use also had negative consequences for him.
But the nights were cold
In expressing why he chose to use drugs, he talked about the challenges of enduring cold temperatures at night.
And it almost kept me warm,
He suggested that the drugs could provide some sense of warmth or comfort.
How come the night is long?
He asked a rhetorical question, perhaps suggesting that the tough conditions at night seemed to drag on.
I saw some flowers growing up
He then drew attention to something he had seen growing near where the animal had been killed.
Where that lamb fell down
He added some context to what he was seeing by describing the position of the flowers relative to where the animal had died.
Was I supposed to praise my Lord,
He questioned if there was some kind of religious or spiritual expectation for how he should respond to what he was seeing.
Make some kind of joyful sound?
He expounded on the idea of religious celebration or ritual, possibly expressing some sense of skepticism about it.
He said, Listen, listen to me now,
He then returned to addressing me directly, attempting to regain my attention.
I go round and round
He spoke about a sense of cyclical repetition in his life or perhaps the wider world.
And you, you are my only child.
He once again emphasized the connection between himself and me, as well as a sense of parental responsibility.
Do not leave me now,
He expressed a plea or a desire for me to remain present with him.
Do not leave me now,
He repeated this request for emphasis.
I'm broken down
He revealed what may be some vulnerability or fragility within himself.
From a recent fall.
He gave some context for his current state of brokenness, suggesting that he had experienced some kind of setback or failure.
Blood upon my body
He described a physical condition related to the fall or failure he had suffered.
And ice upon my soul,
He then shifted to a metaphorical description of the emotional or spiritual impact of this event.
Lead on, my son, it is your world.
He concluded with a somewhat cryptic message, possibly encouraging me to move forward in the world and take responsibility as the next generation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ramiro Calderon
Que voz tan maravillosa. Es inigualable.
Lulubelle III
I have "Songs From a Room" on vinyl. Even though I couldn't play it on a record player now if I had one (so worn out from being played, and the record player, well, I lost that during the most devastating break-up of my lifetime) you can't put a price on some things. I saw Leonard Cohen live some years ago too. As depraved as I am, at this moment I feel lucky to have those memories...and of course, that precious record.
Max Black Photography
I had six or seven of his earlier albums (vinyl) and most of his later work on CDs. There's a copy of "Stranger Music - Selected poems and songs" a few feet ways from this computer. I even read his novels "Beautiful Losers" and "The Favorite Game."
I hope you're less depraved now.
Lulubelle III
@Max Black Photography Thank you for this comment. Life is strange and I feel like I am trapped.... knowing that I am my own worst enemy, while living a life with "shame" and "anxiety" being the only two words that I feel describe myself...well, depravity it is. I have nothing to offer but my own confusion.
Max Black Photography
@Lulubelle III Thanks for replying. I know both those words and states ( I could write a book and so could you) and I can offer a suggestion or two - but this is not the place.
James Hetfield
So underrated
trillkvlt
Seriously it did get covered by full of hell and the body a couple of years ago it’s a hard interesting interpretation
David H.
I have often played or thought about this song after drinking and thinking about my father. I wonder what Mr. Cohen's father was like.
sofija perkovic
Perfect!👌👍"
Bruno Modugno
mi ricorda i primi anni '70. E' magico