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.
Happens to the Heart
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I never called it art
I got my shit together
Meeting Christ and reading Marx
It failed, my little fire
But it spread the dying spark
Go tell the young Messiah
What happens to the heart
There's a mist of summer kisses
Where I tried to double-park
The rivalry was vicious
The women were in charge
It was nothing, it was business
But it left an ugly mark
I've come here to revisit
What happens to the heart
I was selling holy trinkets
I was dressing kind of sharp
Had a pussy in the kitchen
And a panther in the yard
In the prison of the gifted
I was friendly with the guards
So I never had to witness
What happens to the heart
I should have seen it coming
After all, I knew the chart
Just to look at her was trouble
It was trouble from the start
Sure, we played a stunning couple
But I never liked the part
It ain't pretty, it ain't subtle
What happens to the heart
Now the angel's got a fiddle
The devil's got a harp
Every soul is like a minnow
Every mind is like a shark
Me, I've broken every window
But the house, the house is dark
I care, but very little
What happens to the heart
Then I studied with this beggar
He was filthy, he was scarred
By the claws of many women
He had failed to disregard
No fable here, no lesson
No singing meadowlark
Just a filthy beggar guessing
What happens to the heart
I was always working steady
But I never called it art
It was just some old convention
Like the horse before the cart
I had no trouble betting
On the flood, against the ark
You see, I knew about the ending
What happens to the heart
I was handy with a rifle
My father's .303
I fought for something final
Not the right to disagree
In "Happens to the Heart," Leonard Cohen reflects on his life experiences and the hardness of heart that comes with them. He describes his past endeavors, such as "selling holy trinkets" and "dressing kind of sharp," and how they were nothing more than "old conventions" that failed to provide fulfillment or salvation. He also discusses his romantic relationships, characterizing them as shallow and ultimately damaging to his heart. However, amid the disillusionment and disappointment, Cohen finds solace in his relationship with God and his continued pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.
The song's lyrics are layered with different themes and metaphors. The title itself, "Happens to the Heart," suggests that life experiences can wear down one's emotions and sense of empathy, leading to a sense of apathy and detachment. The references to "Christ" and "Marx" suggest that Cohen has struggled to reconcile his spiritual and political beliefs. The line "In the prison of the gifted/I was friendly with the guards" could be a critique of the societal expectations placed on individuals with artistic talents or abilities. The references to angels and devils, as well as the comparison of souls to minnows and minds to sharks, emphasizes the constant duality of good and evil in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I was always working steady
I used to work hard every day without fail
But I never called it art
Though my job demanded a lot from me, I never saw it as an artistic pursuit
I got my shit together
Finally, I got everything under control
Meeting Christ and reading Marx
My belief in Christ and Marx's Communist theory affected me profoundly
It failed, my little fire
My attempt at something didn't go well and fell short of my expectations
But it spread the dying spark
Despite it being a failure, it helped the underperforming situation somewhat
Go tell the young messiah
Someone needs to tell the naive and the innocent truths about life
What happens to the heart
It's a contemplation on what life does to our feelings and emotions down the line
There's a mist of summer kisses
I recall a period of history marked by sweet summer love and romance
Where I tried to double-park
It's a metaphor for my attempt to squeeze in my hopes and dreams into an already full life
The rivalry was vicious
The competition was fierce, and everyone wanted to come out on top
The women were in charge
The ladies had the power
It was nothing, it was business
It had nothing personal; it was purely business
But it left an ugly mark
The experience caused pain and left a terrible impression
I've come here to revisit
I'm back to that same place after years to take stock
What happens to the heart
I want to see how that experience changed me and whether my heart is still the same
I was selling holy trinkets
I worked as a salesman, selling religious artifacts
I was dressing kind of sharp
I dressed well and looked good doing my job
Had a pussy in the kitchen
I had a lady waiting for me, and we lived together
And a panther in the yard
And I had a dangerous situation right outside, waiting to pounce on me
In the prison of the gifted
I felt emotionally locked up at times
I was friendly with the guards
But I had learned to deal with it
So I never had to witness
And thus, I never got to feel the real pain of confinement
What happens to the heart
Again, it's the deeper meaning of examining the human condition and the associated pains
I should have seen it coming
In retrospect, it was evident I would be undone
After all, I knew the chart
Because I was well aware of the signs of trouble
Just to look at her was trouble
And everything about her only made it more evident
It was trouble from the start
This situation was a problem the moment it started
Sure, we played a stunning couple
It seemed like we were the perfect couple
But I never liked the part
But the fact is, I was never in love with her
It ain't pretty, it ain't subtle
The idea of falling in love is not always beautiful or straightforward
What happens to the heart
It's another warning to the young to be careful with the matters of the heart
Now the angel's got a fiddle
Everything seems to be topsy-turvy now
The devil's got a harp
The angel and the devil have switched sides, and expectations have flipped
Every soul is like a minnow
In the end, we are all small and insignificant
Every mind is like a shark
But everyone is out to get the most they can
Me, I've broken every window
I've done everything I shouldn't have
But the house, the house is dark
But despite everything, things haven't changed
I care, but very little
I'm still bothered by the situation, but it doesn't consume me as it did
What happens to the heart
The concept of what happens to our hearts remains the same despite life happening to us
Then I studied with this beggar
I sought counsel from someone I least expected to help me
He was filthy, he was scarred
The guru was not the picture of cleanliness and comfort
By the claws of many women
The teachings came at the expense of several female relationships
He had failed to disregard
He wasn't able to ignore the impulses that saw him destroy the relationships
No fable here, no lesson
It's not a story with the intent to teach or advise
No singing meadowlark
There's nothing sweet or romantic about the situation
Just a filthy beggar guessing
It's just a man without any real answers trying his best to make sense of things
What happens to the heart
The only thing to make sense of it all is to think about the heart
I was always working steady
The final lines circle back to where it all began: my hard work ethic
But I never called it art
And despite it all, I never felt satisfied or that it was a creative pursuit
It was just some old convention
For me, it was a customary way of life but nothing special
Like the horse before the cart
Like the horse who must pull the cart, it was something that had to be done, whether liked or not
I had no trouble betting
I wouldn't hesitate to take a chance in those times
On the flood, against the ark
I would bet on the unknown, not just rely on the safety of Noah's Ark
You see, I knew about the ending
I was always aware of the inevitable final outcome
What happens to the heart
That no matter what, our heart and emotions will always bear the marks of our experiences.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Adam Cohen, Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nbhattacharya8896
Anyone here in 2024?
@robertbraden6561
Yes
@davidhalliday1655
Yes
@545Booboo
Yes, hello
@farhadzada3162
Yess 🎉😂 0:18
@fairysleepyasmr
Hi 😭😭😭
@theloniouscoltrane3778
When you're depressed..put on some Cohen. He'll assure you, he'll walk with you. And, you'll make it through. That's what Cohen does. Still does. The Master lives.
@gunnarrundblad6846
Well put! Honey for the soul.
@patriciaspaeth4215
I've listened to you for 50 years, I miss you. You will always live in my heart. You have been the metronome of my life.
@polishdance
The painful honesty of this song is from beyond the ego defense line. The question it askes is not about "right or wrong" but rather: "can I feel anything after all". Truly profound. Leonard was far more than a brilliant artist.