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.
I Tried To Leave You
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I closed the book on us, at least a hundred times.
I'd wake up every morning by your side.
The years go by, you lose your pride.
The baby's crying, so you do not go outside,
And all your work it's right before your eyes.
The bed is kind of narrow, but my arms are open wide.
And here's a man still working for your smile.
In Leonard Cohen's "I Tried to Leave You," the lyrics are about a complicated love story, perhaps about a man and a woman going through a rough patch of their relationship. The singer admits he has tried to leave numerous times but as soon as he is away, he comes back. The lyrics suggest a sense of frustration, despair, and resignation. Although he has tried to close the book on the relationship and move on, he can't. He wakes up every morning by her side, living with the situation, though unsatisfied. The years passing by have made him lose his pride, and even when the baby is crying, he does not have the strength to leave outside. The mention of the woman's work being right before his eyes may refer to the difficulties that come with balancing career and romance.
Towards the end of the song, he bids his final goodbye, saying he hopes she is satisfied. Even though the bed is narrow, his arms are still open wide, still willing to take her back. He acknowledges that there's still a man working for her smile, someone who's still trying to make her happy despite the difficulties they face.
Overall, the song speaks to the universal theme of love being complicated and messy. Despite his trying to leave, love always finds its way back, and the lyrical content shows how people don't choose who they love. It also highlights that although a relationship may be difficult, there may still be someone willing to fight for it, someone working relentlessly for the other's happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
I tried to leave you, I don't deny
I attempted to move away from you, and I do not refute.
I closed the book on us, at least a hundred times.
I frequently concluded as done our story together.
I'd wake up every morning by your side.
I used to open my eyes every sunrise next to you.
The years go by, you lose your pride.
With the passage of time, you start to feel ashamed.
The baby's crying, so you do not go outside,
Because the infant is in tears, you avoid stepping out.
And all your work it's right before your eyes.
Your entire labor is always present in front of you.
Goodnight, my darling, I hope you're satisfied,
Goodnight, my love, I pray you are content.
The bed is kind of narrow, but my arms are open wide.
The bed is slightly constrained, but I am welcoming you in my arms.
And here's a man still working for your smile.
And here is a gentleman who persistently endeavours to make you beam.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pepote Coll
raté de dejarte
Traté de dejarte, no lo niego
Cerré el libro sobre nosotros, al menos cien veces
Me despertaba cada mañana a tu lado
Pasan los años, pierdes tu orgullo
El bebé está llorando, así que no sales
y todo tu trabajo está justo delante de tus ojos
Buenas noches, querida, espero que estés satisfecha
La cama es un poco estrecha, pero mis brazos están abiertos de par en par
Y aquí hay un hombre que sigue trabajando para tu sonrisa
Jennifer Forde
Genius at work. The poet and scholar that is Leonard Cohen. RIP my beautiful man.
Ray Howard
Totally agree with you Jennifer, RAY TWELVE STRINGS
cjtxutxjccjy
How can a man be a poet, a singer and an ordinary man all at once? 🖤
Irene 1943
Ordinary,,,,,,,,no,,,,,,he was not........
Collies, Camera, Action
What a great choice for closing out the concert. This is a masterpiece and masterclass at the same time. What a mood and vibe created by such a talented bunch. Leonard is many levels above the rest of the field and makes contemporary music feel even more shallow and throwaway. RIP Leonard Cohen x
Beth Sherdell
Well said.
Jenny D
Cohen is THE best in my book. I have all his albums and never get tired hearing them over and over. But this piece, ohhh, this piece, is incredible. Everyone on it is at the top of their game, and the feeling that it invokes from the listener can't be denied. This one fairly rips my heart out & makes it hard to even breathe. Genius.
Willy Vlyminck
What do you think of Live in Dublin? Do we need having already Live in London and Songs from The Road?
Beth Sherdell
Beautifully said.
Jenny D
@Margaret Adamek I couldn't agree more :)