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.
LEONAR COHEN-Dance Me To The End Of Love
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Oh, let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" speaks about the beauty and power of love through various stages and moments in life. The song begins with the singer desiring to be led into the beauty of their loved one by the burning violin played, and to be escorted through the panic as they let themselves fully commit to their love. The lyrics further state that they want to be lifted up and welcomed home just like an olive branch held forth to a homeward dove. The singer seeks to dance to the end of love with their beloved partner, navigate the ups and downs of love and life together, in perfect harmony.
As the song progresses, Cohen describes various milestones in life, encouraging couples to embrace each one as they arise. He urges them to continue dancing through life with each other, experiencing the beauty and tenderness of young love at their wedding, to getting lost in the passion of their embraces. The couple is an example for their potential and expected children, as they ask to be born into this world, and they work their way through life with each other. Cohen's lyrics urge the couple to never give up, for even when they feel that all threads have given out, they still have each other and that creates a loving tent of safety where they can thrive in the end.
In conclusion, Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" illustrates the magnitude of the perpetuity of love. Through the different phases of life, he celebrates love through the metaphor of dance—the fluid motion of life, love, and commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Lead me to your innermost beauty with passionate music
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Guide me through fear and doubt until I am calmed and secure
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Elevate me like a symbol of peace and guide me home
Dance me to the end of love
Take me on a journey to the very end of love
Oh, let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Reveal your true self to me without the distractions of others
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Let me experience the unbridled passion of the ancient city of Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Teach me intimately what I have only experienced partially
Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Lead me to the joyous celebration of love and never stop dancing
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
Dance with me gently and for a long time, expressing our enduring love
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Our love encompasses us, but we also transcend it
Dance me to the end of love
Take me on a journey to the very end of love
Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Lead me to the next generation that longs to come into being
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Guide me through the fabric that has weathered the passion of our kisses
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Find a place of refuge for us despite the damage and brokenness around us
Dance me to the end of love
Take me on a journey to the very end of love
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Put your hands on me, whether intimately or formally
Dance me to the end of love
Take me on a journey to the very end of love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nikolaivishnevsky4221
🙏🙏🙏
❤❤❤❤❤❤💔
at all distances of breaking & blowing up hearts
на всех расстояниях
разрывающихся
сердец
Н.В.
2022-23
@erindgasa5165
My dad has alzheimer and my mother told me he used to like this song. When I played it for him … He got up and started dancing while singing the melody
@donna1948ful
how beautiful Erind..
@Windowman666
Erind what lovely memories to cherish
@maxsmith1655
4 beautiful
@myrnamarell3726
@@donna1948ful makes smile that music makes your dad happy. It’s the most beautiful song. We have been married for 56 years. I hope we have many more dances. I’m
@barbsmart7373
Thankyou for sharing this about your Dad.
Love from New Zealand.
@ammielake
My husband proposed to me with this song playing, Andy died in his sleep January 13, 2019 aged 50. This was is always our song! R.I.P. to the love of my life who did Dance Me To The End Of Love!
@deerodi72
So sorry for your loss. May he RIP
@fatemehkarimi5883
Your comment made me cry. you are a lucky woman. May he RIP.
@ammielake
@@fatemehkarimi5883 i was extremely lucky to have known and been loved by a man who was so kind and loving. He was a gift and a very rear gem by todays standards.