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.
Heart with No Companion
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And so shattered, it will reach you everywhere.
And I sing this for the captain whose ship has not been built, for the mother in
Confusion, her cradle still unfilled.
For the heart with no companion, for the soul without a king. for the prima
Ballerina who cannot dance to anything.
Through the days of shame that are coming, through the nights of wild distress,
Though your promise count for nothing, you must keep it nonetheless.
You must keep it for the captain whose ship has not been built. for the mother in
Confusion her cradle still unfilled.
For the heart with no companion, for the soul without a king, for the prima
Ballerina who cannot dance to anything.
The lyrics to Leonard Cohen's song "Heart With No Companion" convey a message of love, hope, and perseverance through difficult times. The singer greets the listener "from the other side of sorrow and despair" with a love that is so vast and shattered that it will reach everywhere. He then sings for those who are struggling and in need of support: the captain whose ship has not been built, the mother who is confused and still waiting for her child, the heart with no companion, the soul without a king, and the prima ballerina who cannot dance to anything. The singer acknowledges the pain and hardship that these individuals are facing, but urges them to keep their promises and to continue persevering, even though it may feel like their efforts are in vain.
The song is a reflection of Leonard Cohen's signature style of introspective and poetic songwriting. The use of metaphors and imagery helps to highlight the emotions and struggles of those who are facing difficulty, while also providing a message of hope and perseverance. It is not only a beautiful tribute to those who are struggling, but also a reminder for those who are fortunate enough to have companions, kings, and ships built to be grateful for what they have.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I greet you from the other side of sorrow and despair, with a love so vast
I reach out to you from a place of immense pain and heartache, but still with a love that is all-encompassing and all-reaching.
And so shattered, it will reach you everywhere.
This love is not only vast, but also fragmented and broken, yet still it manages to permeate through everything.
And I sing this for the captain whose ship has not been built, for the mother in confusion, her cradle still unfilled.
My song is dedicated to those who are lost and directionless, like a sailor without a ship or a mother without a child.
For the heart with no companion, for the soul without a king. for the prima ballerina who cannot dance to anything.
It is also for the lonely, the lost, and the disconnected, such as those without love, guidance, or purpose.
Through the days of shame that are coming, through the nights of wild distress,
As we face difficult and trying times ahead, full of shame and distress, we must endure and persevere.
Though your promise count for nothing, you must keep it nonetheless.
Even if our promises seem futile, and our efforts are in vain, we must still maintain our commitments and keep pushing forward.
You must keep it for the captain whose ship has not been built. for the mother in confusion her cradle still unfilled.
Again, we must persist for those who are lost and directionless, as they may one day find their way.
For the heart with no companion, for the soul without a king, for the prima ballerina who cannot dance to anything.
We must also persist for those who are lonely, lost, or disconnected, as they may one day find love, guidance, or purpose.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pedroazevedo7954
Now I greet you from the other side of sorrow and despair, with a love so vast
And so shattered, it will reach you everywhere.
And I sing this for the captain whose ship has not been built, for the mother in
Confusion, her cradle still unfilled.
For the heart with no companion, for the soul without a king. for the prima
Ballerina who cannot dance to anything.
Through the days of shame that are coming, through the nights of wild distress,
Though your promise count for nothing, you must keep it nonetheless.
You must keep it for the captain whose ship has not been built. for the mother in
Confusion her cradle still unfilled.
For the heart with no companion, for the soul without a king, for the prima
Ballerina who cannot dance to anything.
@hookywookywithmalarkyman704
Met leonard back in the early 70s after his concert' he was just alone on stage no back up nothing, he bent down on his knees singing "please dont pass me by" back in the UK.
@AngelinaJordan_private.account
Another amazing song, thank you dear Leonard.❤
@FloatingQuaker
Summertime will never be the same again
@rosyrossa1754
Una voce particolare che ti entra dentro. Grazie Cohen
@jacquelinewhite4340
Loved hurt when they gone u given all u had 43 yrs married and save him 8 times God loved then my best loveing frien save him 2 times he took off his girl need him baby's he wish stay with me. Heart broken with us both he pass 1010 2022 hurts GOD GOT BOTH AS ME GOD KNOWS WHERE I GOING WHAT HE PLAINS FOR ME LOVE FAITH GREAT MAN GIVE U ALL HIM KNOWS U BOTH ARE ONE FOREVER 💯
@birutegrafinina968
💫Like that so much!! Respect from Lithuania!!
@brianbrino4310
Thank you so much for your lovely song and for sharing!
@RobertKingman-u6l
Now has a new much deeper meaning
@giselar.12
Wunderschönes Lied 🌸🕊
@asiajankowiak1173
beautiful song 🎶✨💖✨