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.
Lover Lover
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said, "father, change my name
The one I'm using now it's covered up
With fear and filth, and cowardice and shame"
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
I meant it as a kind of trial
You can use it for a weapon
Or to make some woman smile"
Yeah, Lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
"Then let me start again", I cried
"Please let me start again
I want a face that's fair this time
I want a spirit that is calm"
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
"I never, never turned aside", he said
"I never walked away
It was you, who built the temple
It was you, who covered up my face"
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
"And may the spirit of this song
May it rise up, pure and free
May it be a shield for you
A shield against the enemy"
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
(Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me)
The song "Lover Lover Lover" by Leonard Cohen is a reflection on the struggle between the physical and the spiritual self. The lyrics explore the desire for redemption and renewal through a change in identity. The singer is haunted by shame and filth and asks his father to change his name, to free him from his body and his past. The father responds by telling him that he can use his body as a weapon or to make a woman smile, suggesting that he has the power to transform his life through his actions.
The singer cries out for a fresh start, seeking a face that is fair and a spirit that is calm. The father responds by telling him that he never turned aside, and that it was the singer who built the temple and covered up his face. The song ends with a call to rise up pure and free, to use the spirit of the song as a shield against the enemy.
Overall, "Lover Lover Lover" is a powerful reflection on the search for meaning and redemption in a time of turmoil and conflict. It speaks to the desire to overcome the limitations of the physical self and to connect with something greater than oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
I asked my father,
The singer expresses his desire to alter his name, which he associates with negative feelings.
I said, "father change my name."
The singer vocalizes his desire to his father, who he sees as a figure of authority.
The one I'm using now it's covered up
The singer believes that his current name is steeped in negative associations.
With fear and filth and cowardice and shame.
The artist describes his current name as being linked to qualities he finds unpalatable.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me,
The repetition of the phrase 'lover, lover, lover' serves as a refrain throughout the song, expressing the artist's yearning for a lost relationship.
He said, "I locked you in this body,
The singer's father provides a metaphorical explanation of the singer's sense of entrapment.
I meant it as a kind of trial.
The father expresses the idea that the singer's current 'imprisonment' is meant to be a test of some sort.
You can use it for a weapon,
The father suggests that the artist can use his current situation to his advantage, rather than be held back by it.
Or to make some woman smile."
The father offers an alternative use for the artist's current 'imprisonment' - to win over or delight a woman.
Then let me start again," I cried,
The artist expresses his desire to begin anew, to have a fresh start.
"Please let me start again,
The singer repeats his request for a chance to begin anew.
I want a face that's fair this time,
The artist desires a physical appearance that is more attractive or appealing in some way.
I want a spirit that is calm."
The singer desires a more peaceful and tranquil inner self.
I never never turned aside," he said,
The father rejects the idea that he is responsible for the singer's current situation.
I never walked away.
The father emphasizes that he has always been present, even if the singer was unable to recognize it.
It was you who built the temple,
The father suggests that the artist is responsible for creating the 'temple' he now finds himself in.
It was you who covered up my face.
The father suggests that the artist's negative perceptions are hiding the father's true intentions and nature.
And may the spirit of this song,
The 'spirit' of the song is invoked to serve as a protective force for the listener.
May it rise up pure and free.
The singer wishes for the song's 'spirit' to be powerful and untainted.
May it be a shield for you,
The artist hopes that the song will offer protection to the listener.
A shield against the enemy.
The song is to be a form of defense against external threats and challenges.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me,
The refrain represents the artist's persistent longing for a lost romantic connection.
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover come back to me.
The repeated refrain continues to express the singer's yearning and desire for the return of a lost lover.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Uri Kalish
A TRUE STORY - While visiting the Israeli front during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, Leonard wrote and added a final verse. The soldiers vaguely remebered some lyrics from this verse, and were disappointed when the song was eventually released without it. The long-lost verse was recently found in one of Leonard's notebooks:
"I went down to the desert
To help my brothers fight
I knew that they weren't wrong
I knew that they weren't right
But bones must stand up straight and walk
And blood must move around
And men go making ugly lines
Across the holy ground"
- Leonard Cohen
Nina Danaë
He said, "I locked you in this body
I meant it as a kind of trial
You can use it for a weapon
Or to make some woman smile"
"Then let me start again, " I cried
"Please let me start again
I want a face that's fair this time
I want a spirit that is calm"
my favorite lyrics.
BlueBerry
🎵🎶🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼E dovrei?
E vorrei?
Dovrei assaporare o
Scoprire costantemente
quel senso
Lontano
Di abbandono
Vuoto
Vita
Vita però spenta
Fatta di legami
Di poca luce
Senza una 'linfa'
Ridotta a rinunciare
A poter farne a meno
Di quelle spontanee dolcezze
e tenerezze
Perché in fondo
Tu quel vuoto
Nn lo hai mai colmato
Ed abbiamo accettato
I tuoi errori
E abbiamo scontato
I tuoi sbagli...
Ma noi
Eravamo più innocenti...
Volevamo solo dare e darci
Una mano
E confrontarci con le voci:le nostre..
Magier Family Entertainer Pierre Mardue
Lover, Lover, Lover
Songtext Übersetzung
Ich kam mit einer Bitte zu meinem Vater [1]
Sagte "Vater, bitte gib mir einen neuen Namen
Der, den ich grad' trage, der ist voller
Furcht und Übel und Feigheit und Schande"
Aber, meine Geliebte
Komm' zurück zu mir
Er sagte "Ich sperrte dich in diesen Körper
Damit wollte ich dich auf die Probe stellen
Du kannst ihn als Waffe einsetzen
Oder dafür, eine Frau zum Lächeln zu bringen"
(Chorus)
"Dann laß mich wieder von vorne anfangen", jammerte ich
Oh, bitte laß mich wieder von vorne anfangen
Dieses mal möchte ich ein hübsches Gesicht
Und einen ruhigen Geist
(Chorus)
"Ich kam nie vom Weg ab", sagte ich
Ich hab mich nie davongestohlen
Du warst es, der den Tempel gebaut hat
Du warst es, der mein Gesicht bedeckt hat
(Chorus)
Du kannst zu mir kommen, wenn du glücklich bist
Aber auch, wenn du trauerst
Du kannst zu mir kommen voll innigsten Glaubens
Aber auch, wenn du zweifelst
(Chorus)
Und möge der Geist dieses Liedes
Sich erheben, rein und frei
Möge er euch allen ein Schild sein
Ein Schild gegen den Feind
(Chorus)
_____________________
[1] Offensichtlich ist damit Gott gemeint.
Uri Kalish
A TRUE STORY - While visiting the Israeli front during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, Leonard wrote and added a final verse. The soldiers vaguely remebered some lyrics from this verse, and were disappointed when the song was eventually released without it. The long-lost verse was recently found in one of Leonard's notebooks:
"I went down to the desert
To help my brothers fight
I knew that they weren't wrong
I knew that they weren't right
But bones must stand up straight and walk
And blood must move around
And men go making ugly lines
Across the holy ground"
- Leonard Cohen
Cathy Carter
Love
Nerve Agent
Amen V'amen
Moon Dancer
Wow! So true. I'll bet the producers dropped it from the album. Just like they dropped those two songs from that other album and we didn't get to hear either song Until 50 years later when it was put up on YouTube.
Frank Avellan
And what verses did the Palestinian troubadour recite?
Dor Friedman
@Frank Avellan they didn’t arrive yet..
Micla None
Best songwriter ever. I still enjoy his songs on a daily basis. May his soul rest in all th joy he has brought into my life over the years
alan smith
I agree.He pips Mr Zimmerman as the greatest songwriter of all time.RIP Leonard.
Greg Kosinski
Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld. One that I can enjoy eternally.
Alex Melo
And may the spirit of this song,
may it rise up pure and free.
May it be a shield for you,
a shield against the enemy.