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.
Last Year's Man
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's a Jew's harp on the table,
That's a crayon in his hand.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
Far past the stems of thumbtacks
That still throw shadows on the wood.
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark
Oh one by one she had to tell them
That her name was Joan of Arc.
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while;
I want to thank you, Joan of Arc,
For treating me so well.
And though I wear a uniform I was not born to fight;
All these wounded boys you lie beside,
Goodnight, my friends, goodnight.
I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived;
Bethlehem the bridegroom,
Babylon the bride.
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me,
And Bethlehem inflamed us both
Like the shy one at some orgy.
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil
That I had to draw aside to see
The serpent eat its tail.
Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain
So I hang upon my altar
And I hoist my axe again.
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began
When Jesus was the honeymoon
And Cain was just the man.
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin
That the wilderness is gathering
All its children back again.
The rain falls down on last year's man,
An hour has gone by
And he has not moved his hand.
But everything will happen if he only gives the word;
The lovers will rise up
And the mountains touch the ground.
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year's man.
In Leonard Cohen's song "Last Year's Man," the singer reflects on his past experiences and encounters with different women. The song opens amidst a somber scene of "the rain falls down on last year's man." The singer observes remnants of a previous project in the room, such as the "jew's harp on the table" and the "crayon in his hand," that have been abandoned and forgotten just like the man himself. The debris left by last year's man symbolizes his unfulfilled dreams and aspirations. The singer notices that the blueprint's corner is damaged and ruined, and the thumbtacks thrown over it still cast shadows on the wood. The blueprint represents last year's man's plans and ambitions, but his failure to realize them was his ultimate downfall. The singer then laments about how the skylight above him resembles the drum's skin, which he will never have the opportunity to mend. The rain falling down reflects his emotional state of loneliness and despair.
As the song progresses, the singer recalls his meeting with Joan of Arc, the legendary warrior, and how she treated him so well. He reveals his experience of being part of an army, although he was not born to fight. The soldiers' wounds remind him of the sacrifice they made for their country, evoking a sense of pain and loss. The song then takes a turn towards a description of a wedding scene with Bethlehem as the bridegroom and Babylon the bride. The image of the two cities together creates a sense of chaos and destruction, and the singer portrays this as "the shy one at some orgy." During their intercourse, their flesh becomes a veil that the singer has to draw aside to witness the serpent eating its tail. The snake swallowing its tail is a Gnostic symbol of transcendence, rebirth, and renewal.
The song ends with the singer acknowledging that women wait for different things - some for Jesus, while others wait for Cain. And the singer has now hung upon his altar and hoisted his axe again. The act manifests his intent to subvert or resist the normative values that society holds. In the final verse, he takes the one who finds him back to where it all began "when Jesus was the honeymoon, and Cain was just the man." The singer then reads from a "pleasant Bible" that is "bound in blood and skin," suggesting the violent past of humanity. The Bible reiterates the idea that the wilderness is gathering all its children back again. The song's final lyrics reinforce the sense of hopelessness with the realization that although everything will happen if he just gives the word, he is still lost to despair.
Line by Line Meaning
The rain falls down on last year's man,
Last year's man is stuck in his ways, unable to move on from the past as the rain falls down on him, symbolizing the recurring consequences of his previous actions.
that's a jew's harp on the table,
The presence of the jew's harp on the table represents the remnants of a once-present joy or happiness that has since been replaced by something else.
that's a crayon in his hand.
The crayon in his hand shows that, despite all his experiences, he still clings to memories of his childhood and innocence.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled far past the stems of thumbtacks that still throw shadows on the wood.
The ruined blueprint represents lost potential and opportunities that have long been out of reach, with thumbtacks serving as reminders of his failed attempts to hold onto something meaningful.
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend and all the rain falls down amen on the works of last year's man.
The skylight serves as a reminder of the things that cannot be fixed or brought back despite the falling rain, highlighting the inevitability of the consequences of one's actions on the works of last year's man.
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark oh one by one she had to tell them that her name was Joan of Arc.
The lady playing with her soldiers in the dark symbolizes those who are fighting impossible battles alone, while Joan of Arc is a symbol of defiance and resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while; I want to thank you, Joan of Arc, for treating me so well.
The singer acknowledges being part of the same struggle as Joan of Arc and appreciates how she treated him with respect and kindness throughout.
And though I wear a uniform I was not born to fight; all these wounded boys you lie beside, goodnight, my friends, goodnight.
Despite being part of the same fight, the artist does not feel like he was meant to fight, and as he watches his fellow soldiers fall, he wishes them a peaceful rest.
I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived; Bethlehem the bridegroom, Babylon the bride.
The artist comes across a wedding that was pre-planned by old, powerful families, with Bethlehem and Babylon representing the two opposing sides of a conflict.
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me, and Bethlehem inflamed us both like the shy one at some orgy.
Babylon, the more vulnerable side, stands trembling before the artist, while Bethlehem stokes their passions, taking on the role of tempter or seductress.
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil that I had to draw aside to see the serpent eat its tail.
The consequences of their actions revealed the cyclical nature of their struggles, with the singer having to lift the veil of their physical relationship to see the deeper issues at play, represented by the serpent eating its tail.
Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain so I hang upon my altar and I hoist my axe again.
The artist realizes that some people wait for salvation, while others wait for destruction or revenge. In response, he takes on the role of the punisher, ready to wield his axe.
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began when Jesus was the honeymoon and Cain was just the man.
The singer intends to take someone back to the origin of these struggles, where there was still hope and love represented by the honeymoon phase of Jesus, before it gave way to despair and punishment represented by Cain.
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin that the wilderness is gathering all its children back again.
The singer recognizes that even religious and holy texts can be distorted and manipulated to justify violence and conflict, with the wilderness (representing chaos and disorder) claiming its lost and misguided children once more.
The rain falls down on last year's man, an hour has gone by and he has not moved his hand.
The rain continues to fall on last year's man, and despite the passage of time, he remains unchanged and paralyzed, unable or unwilling to move on.
But everything will happen if he only gives the word; the lovers will rise up and the mountains touch the ground.
Despite his unwillingness to act, everything could change if the artist gave the word, with long-lost lovers and symbolic obstacles being overcome in the process.
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend and all the rain falls down amen on the works of last year's man.
However, despite the potential for change, the skylight serves as a constant reminder that some things, like a broken drum, cannot be mended, while the rain continues to fall, washing over the works of last year's man with a pronounced finality.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yexiliada
The rain falls down on last year's man,
That's a Jew's harp on the table,
That's a crayon in his hand.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
Far past the stems of thumbtacks
That still throw shadows on the wood.
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year's man.
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark
Oh one by one she had to tell them
That her name was Joan of Arc.
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while;
I want to thank you, Joan of Arc,
For treating me so well.
And though I wear a uniform I was not born to fight;
All these wounded boys you lie beside,
Goodnight, my friends, goodnight.
I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived;
Bethlehem the bridegroom,
Babylon the bride.
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me,
And Bethlehem inflamed us both
Like the shy one at some orgy.
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil
That I had to draw aside to see
The serpent eat its tail.
Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain
So I hang upon my altar
And I hoist my axe again.
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began
When Jesus was the honeymoon
And Cain was just the man.
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin
That the wilderness is gathering
All its children back again.
The rain falls down on last year's man,
An hour has gone by
And he has not moved his hand.
But everything will happen if he only gives the word;
The lovers will rise up
And the mountains touch the ground.
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year's man.
@Curare-
The rain falls down on last year's man,
that's a jew's harp on the table,
that's a crayon in his hand.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
far past the stems of thumbtacks
that still throw shadows on the wood.
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
and all the rain falls down amen
on the works of last year's man.
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark
oh one by one she had to tell them
that her name was Joan of Arc.
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while;
I want to thank you, Joan of Arc,
for treating me so well.
And though I wear a uniform I was not born to fight;
all these wounded boys you lie beside,
goodnight, my friends, goodnight.
I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived;
Bethlehem the bridegroom,
Babylon the bride.
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me,
and Bethlehem inflamed us both
like the shy one at some orgy.
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil
that I had to draw aside to see
the serpent eat its tail.
Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain
so I hang upon my altar
and I hoist my axe again.
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began
when Jesus was the honeymoon
and Cain was just the man.
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin
that the wilderness is gathering
all its children back again.
The rain falls down on last year's man,
an hour has gone by
and he has not moved his hand.
But everything will happen if he only gives the word;
the lovers will rise up
and the mountains touch the ground.
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
and all the rain falls down amen
on the works of last year's man.
@robertmunyard7773
This man has been severely underestimated throughout his career and should have had better recognition, his music,lyrics and voice are unparalleled in today's world, nobody even comes close.
@DaddyMunro1
Amen.
@golancation
He counted on those who did!
Therefore, he has been clearly nourishing and fairly understood
@thegame2079
Underestimated? He’s been critically acclaimed, even in later years when comparable artists from his era were long forgotten
@Greggorious123
No other artist can bring tears to my eyes like Mr Cohen
@edwardmulholland7912
I play this song every New Year’s Day, it reminds me that whatever I did last year, good or bad is already in the past. That was then and there is only the now.
Love Leonard, I’m so glad that I got to see him live in concert, his voice/understanding of the human condition will live on.
@hendrikdebruin4012
Imagine the mind that could write poetry like this. I try but I will never get close to anything like this. A very special person he was with unimaginable thought processes. I have been a fan since the first word he ever penned. RIP sir you are one with the universe that created you now.
@bears4scares
I also have a god. My blue prints are melted.
@hendrikdebruin4012
@@bears4scares So are the one's for Ted Bundy and it just as well. I wonder who his god was?
@WhoOneIs
I love the reference to Joan of Arc. I don’t know why but I find Leonard Cohen’s tenderness and intimacy are deeply moving. He sings like he was there in the army of Joan of Arc. A true poet transcends time. Sometimes the longing reaches across centuries.