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"; 1905β1978), 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 (1891β1943), 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 GarcΓa 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 countryβfolk 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.
Humbled in Love
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That we pledged in the passionate night
Ah they're soiled now, they're torn at the edges
Like moths on a still yellow light
No penance serves to renew them
No massive transfusions of trust
Why not even revenge can undo them
So twisted these vows and so crushed
And you say you've been humbled in love
Cut down in your love
Forced to kneel in the mud next to me
Ah but why so bitterly turn from the one
Who kneels there as deeply as thee
Children have takes these pledges
They have ferried them out of the past
Oh beyond all the graves and the hedges
Where love must go hiding at last
And here where there is no description
Oh here in the moment at hand
No sinner need rise up forgiven
No victim need limp to the stand
And you say you've been humbled in love
And look dear heart, look at the virgin
Look how she welcomes him into her gown
Yes, and mark how the stranger's cold armour
Dissolves like a star falling down
Why trade this vision for desire
When you may have them both
You will never see a man this naked
I will never hold a woman this close
And you say you've been humbled in love
"Humbled in Love" by Leonard Cohen is a profound reflection on how the promises of love can become faded, broken, and twisted over time. The song explores the theme of lost love in a deeply personal and introspective way. The lyrics ask the listener to remember the passionate pledges that were made in the past, promises that have now become soiled and torn. The imagery of moths fluttering around a still yellow light adds to the melancholic mood of the song. The singer acknowledges that there is nothing that can be done to renew these pledges, not even penance, trust, or revenge can undo the damage.
The song's chorus revolves around the idea of being humbled in love. The singer and his lover have been cut down and forced to kneel in the mud together. Despite this, the singer questions why his lover would turn from him so bitterly when they both share a similar experience of being humbled in love. The song suggests that these broken promises are not unique to the singer and his lover, but rather a common experience that is shared by all.
The song's second verse introduces the idea of children carrying these pledges out of the past, beyond the graves and hedges where love must go into hiding. Here, in the present moment, there is no description of what love should be, and no need for forgiveness or victimhood. The final verse reflects on the purity of love and desire, juxtaposing the virgin and the stranger to show how desire can be traded for a deeper vision. The song ends on a hopeful note, suggesting that it's possible to love deeply and to hold one another closely, even in the face of broken promises and faded vows.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember all of those pledges
Do you recall the promises we made to each other in the heat of passion?
That we pledged in the passionate night
The promises made when we were full of passion and heat.
Ah they're soiled now, they're torn at the edges
The promises made are now ruined and have become impure, with edges torn and frayed.
Like moths on a still yellow light
Like moths attracted to a stagnant yellow light, the promises made have lost their appeal and become unattractive.
No penance serves to renew them
No amount of punishment can redeem or bring the promises back to their original state.
No massive transfusions of trust
Even if huge amounts of trust is transferred or given, it cannot fix or repair the broken promises.
Why not even revenge can undo them
Not even revenge can undo the broken promises, they are beyond repair.
So twisted these vows and so crushed
The promises are completely ruined and crushed beyond recognition.
And you say you've been humbled in love
You confess that your past experiences in love have humbled you in one way or another.
Cut down in your love
Your love has reduced or diminished because of past experiences and broken promises.
Forced to kneel in the mud next to me
Your difficult experiences with love have brought you to your knees in humility beside me.
Ah but why so bitterly turn from the one
Why do you turn away bitterly from someone who is experiencing similar difficulties?
Who kneels there as deeply as thee
Someone who is also kneeling in deep humility beside you, experiencing the same difficulties.
Children have takes these pledges
The promises we made are similar to those made by children, innocent and unwise.
They have ferried them out of the past
These promises were made in the past, and have been carried over until now.
Oh beyond all the graves and the hedges
Beyond all the barriers and confines of life, the promises still exist.
Where love must go hiding at last
Where love must hideaway eventually due to the strong impact and effects of broken promises and difficulties.
And here where there is no description
Here in this moment, there is no suitable description for what we feel.
Oh here in the moment at hand
Here in the present moment, we face difficulties with our love.
No sinner need rise up forgiven
There are no wrongdoers who need to ask for forgiveness or to be forgiven.
No victim need limp to the stand
There is no need for any victims to present themselves in a defensive or vulnerable position.
And look dear heart, look at the virgin
Pay attention, my love, to the purity and innocence of the virgin.
Look how she welcomes him into her gown
Observe how she embraces and accepts the one she loves.
Yes, and mark how the stranger's cold armour
Notice how the stranger's detachment and defenses weakens.
Dissolves like a star falling down
Disappears like the dissipation of a falling star.
Why trade this vision for desire
Why exchange this vision of pure love for selfish desire?
When you may have them both
When you can have both pure love and your own selfish desires.
You will never see a man this naked
You will never witness a man this vulnerable and exposed.
I will never hold a woman this close
I have never held a woman so near and dear to my heart like this.
And you say you've been humbled in love
You admit that you have been humbled and made meek or submissive by the force of love.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rogerio Silva
Muito bom.
Azmarina Tanzir
what beautiful lyrics!
Victory 539
As Everπ€ππππβ
BARN
GREAT SONG / THANKS
Viola.H
Very good song!! ππΌβ€οΈππΌ Beautiful!! Thank you!! ππΌππΌππΆππΆππ
JΓΊlia Kiyan
β€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ
Catherine Mitchell Murphy
Beautiful
ΠΠ·ΠΈΠ·Π°
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Ivaneia Rocatelli
OlΓ‘ πππππ§π·
N Nguyen
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