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.
If It Be Your Will (Live in Du
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I speak no more
And my voice be still
As it was before
I will speak no more
I shall abide until
I am spoken for
If it be your will
If it be your will
That a voice be true
From this broken hill
I will sing to you
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing
If it be your will
If there is a choice
Let the rivers fill
Let the hills rejoice
Let your mercy spill
On all these burning hearts in hell
If it be your will
To make us well
And draw us near
And bind us tight
All your children here
In their rags of light
In our rags of light
All dressed to kill
And end this night
If it be your will
If it be your will
Leonard Cohen's "If It Be Your Will" is a contemplative song that explores the idea of surrendering oneself to a higher power. It begins with the singer expressing their willingness to be silenced if that is what is required of them, indicating a deep sense of humility and submission. The repetition of the line "If it be your will" reinforces the idea that the singer is willing to accept whatever outcome might occur if it is in line with the will of a greater power.
The song then shifts focus to a plea for the singer's voice to be used for the purpose of singing "all your praises." The image of a "broken hill" serves as a powerful metaphor for the singer's own brokenness and vulnerability, while also representing the possibility of new life and growth that can come from such a state. The language of the song feels like a prayer, as the singer asks for the rivers to fill and the hills to rejoice, almost as if they are pleading for the world to be made right.
The final verse shifts focus again, this time to the idea of binding all of God's children together in their "rags of light." The line "All dressed to kill" is a poignant reminder that despite our flaws and brokenness, we still have the capacity to do great things and bring about positive change in the world. The closing of the song with the repetition of "If it be your will" further underscores the idea of surrender and acceptance, suggesting that the singer trusts in a higher power to guide them towards what is best.
Overall, "If It Be Your Will" is a deeply reflective and spiritual song that speaks to the power of surrender and submission to a higher power. Its haunting melody and poignant lyrics have made it a beloved favorite among Leonard Cohen's fans.
Line by Line Meaning
If it be your will
Acknowledges the possibility that a higher power could be orchestrating events in life, and surrenders to that possibility
That I speak no more
Acceptance of silence or a lack of purpose in speaking without receiving guidance from a higher power
And my voice be still
Willingness to be quiet and listen, instead of attempting to control life by using our own voice and actions
As it was before
Resignation to the idea that life can sometimes be cyclical or stagnate without direction or guidance
I will speak no more
Reinforcement of the decision to be a passive participant in life without receiving guidance
I shall abide until
Readiness to wait patiently and remain idle until guidance is received from a higher power
I am spoken for
Belief that our personal destiny is overseen by a higher power, and our lives are ultimately not ours to control
That a voice be true
Desire for genuine expression that is aligned with a higher purpose or guiding force
From this broken hill
Reference to the idea that clarity and understanding can sometimes be found in moments of hardship or chaos
All your praises they shall ring
Willingness to use one's voice to celebrate and elevate a higher power or guiding force
To let me sing
Hope that a higher power will allow for genuine expression and creativity to flow through us
If there is a choice
Acknowledges that there may be different paths or options that a higher power may present for our lives
Let the rivers fill
Desire for abundance and prosperity to flow into life
Let the hills rejoice
Hope for joy and celebration to be present in life
Let your mercy spill
Plea for a higher power to bestow grace and forgiveness upon us
On all these burning hearts in hell
Reference to the intense emotional pain that can sometimes feel like a living hell, and the hope that grace will alleviate that pain
To make us well
Desire for healing and restoration, physical or emotional
And draw us near
Plea for a higher power to guide us towards closeness and intimacy with them
And bind us tight
Desire for strong connections and relationships with others and a higher power
All your children here
Acknowledges the idea that we are all connected through a higher power
In their rags of light
Reference to the idea that even in our brokenness or imperfections, we still hold a divine light within us
All dressed to kill
Expression of confidence that even in our broken or damaged state, we can still achieve and succeed
And end this night
Hope for a new beginning or a reawakening to a higher purpose or guiding force
If it be your will
Final plea and repetition of the acknowledgment that our lives are ultimately in the hands of a higher power
Contributed by Layla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@FromHeadToHeart7
@@A.staris Thank you. Yes, i am fully aware that this song was inspired by the ונתנה תוקף prayer/chant. I also grew up with this prayer/chant and know it very well. The fact that this song is a commentary on this chant (and the worldview behind this chant) is very obvious and clear. However, what is usually not noted by those who have emotionally invested their indentity in a humanity-dividing, sectarian belief systems (and take any possible opportunity to distinguish themselves from the rest of humanity by using such non-sensical nationalist oxymoroms like 'the god of israel' or 'jesus calls on you to repent and come back to the christian faith' or 'muhammed is god's messanger, so repent and come back to islam', or being proud that someone mentioned a chant from their sectarian tradition), what is failed to be noted by such sectarian religious-nationalists is that he was actually NOT agreeing with this abusive fear-driven theology of god (that is promoted in the ונתנה תוקף chant) as a judgemental punishing vengeful entity (which is the common view in all sectarian exoteric religions that created god in the image of their traumatised, fearful, violent, possesive, tribalistic and unconscious psyche), and he was NOT agreeing with this reliance on fear and terrorizing as a means to acheive compliance (as is practiced by all psychologically-undeveloped exoteric religions. For example, if you'll study christian evangelism, you'll know that this ונתנה תוקף chant is IDENTICAL to their beliefs and practice of terrorizing/scaring the followers into "repentance" and compliance. It is the exact same judgemental, punishing, vengeful uncompassionate sectarian theology and set of beliefs (which are the POLAR OPPOSITE of what God actually is... even though both of these zealous sectarian mind-invented unconscious ideologies - both christian and jewish evangelism - place themselves as the gatekeeprs to God, pretend to speak for God and to represent God's will..)
PS. In case you are not familiar with the distinction i made above between exoteric religions (which are the POLAR OPPOSITE of God, and that move humanity away from God and the wholistic qualities of God) and esoteric religions (which do see and understand the non-sectarian nature of God) then I'll just quickly explain that exoteric religions are highly divisive and sectarian (and place a huge amount of value on 'the uniquness of our group and "our god").
Exoteric religions contradict the wholistic universal non-sectarian REALITY of God/Consciousness/Being.
Exoteric religion distort/turn on their head the original teachings of the mystics who were the original spark of all religions (distort them from a wholistic-unifying esoteric seeing of the nature of reality/God, into a sectarian humanity-dividing US-versus-Them right-wing conservative abomination and distortion of the nature of God)
Exoteric religion stays on the superficial level of culturally-specific rituals and conditioning. Its ideals are completely ego-bound and mind-created, and it doesn't go beyond the level of conceptual thoughts and the emotions that such thoughts generate.
Exoteric religion is a reflection of the wounded and unconscious human psyche which seeks safety and solace through beliefs, and therefore is highly reliant on judgement, punishment and the use of fear, shame and guilt to achieve compliance.
Lastly, exoteric religions always dwell in the past (judgement/condemnation/shame/guilt) and future (hope/anxiety), and move their followers' attention away the eternal present moment (which is where God/reality actually is).
Esoteric religions are unifying, non-sectarian and recognize the universal qualities of God/Consciousness/Being (which is non-sectarian and non-judgemental and not punishing and not cruel and not vengeful, which is unconditionally loving and is inseparable from what we are).
Esoteric religions have also realized the reality beyond the concepts and images of the thinking brain and the emotional attachments of the frightened and safety-seeking ego.
Esoteric religions also recognize that the present moment is all there is, the time-less reality in which God looks through our eyes (and all other senses) and percives these words on a screen..
Almost any religion on the planet has an exoteric side (which is extremely popular and which is practiced by the vast majority of the culturally-indoctrinated population) and an original esoteric side (which is the original insight of an heretic mystic or mystics - possibly as a result of an NDE in their life - before it was turned into an organized and ritualised religion with a large following. An esoteric side which is usually of interest only for a small number of mystics and not of interest to the vast majority of the population, who seem to crave security, safety, comfort, certainty, community of similarly-believing people, and soothing solace-giving concepts, more than anything else, and therefore gravitate to the exoteric part of the religion).
For example, the esoteric side of exoteric christianity, islam, judaism, buddhism, hinduism is (respectively) Gnosis, Sufism, Kabbalah, Zen/Daoism, Advaita-Vedanta/Non-Duality, respectively..
And of course there are also many indigenous shamanic wholistic ways of living on the planet which are almost entirely esoteric in their un-mediated connection to (and embodying of) Spirit/Being/God/Consciousnes and its manifestation as everything that exists..
❤
@Renaldo1269
We miss you Leonard, especially in these times of darkness
@thierryvanbiesen1025
C'est beau. Merci
@brahmani928
sure
@miguelaragones9649
@@brahmani928 00
@Benedict42
So say we all.
@bripan321
Yes we do.
@davidgreen8629
Sometimes it takes a lifetime to appreciate how brilliant Leonard was!
@misapachilala3702
Please don't say was
@phoenixblues111
Please don’t say
@winterfawn9762
Well, nice people.. he “ was “ “ is” “ and always will be “ a genius 🙏💕