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.
Nothing to One
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You cannot follow me.
I am the distance you put between
All of the moments that we will be.
You know who I am,
You've stared at the sun,
Well, I am the one who loves
Sometimes I need you naked,
Sometimes I need you wild,
I need you to carry my children in
And I need you to kill a child.
You know who I am,
You've stared at the sun,
Well, I am the one who loves
Changing from nothing to one.
If you should ever track me down
I will surrender there
And I will leave with you one broken man
Whom I will teach you to repair.
You know who I am,
You've stared at the sun,
Well, I am the one who loves
Changing from nothing to one.
I cannot follow you, my love,
You cannot follow me.
I am the distance you put between
all of the moments that we will be.
You know who I am,
You've stared at the sun,
Well, I am the one who loves
Changing from nothing to one.
Leonard Cohen's song "Nothing to One" is a melancholy meditation on the complexities of love and the struggle to maintain intimacy in relationships. The singer acknowledges that while he and his lover are deeply connected, there is still a profound distance between them that cannot be bridged. He sees their relationship as a series of moments that will never quite add up to the sum of their parts, and fears that they will always be at odds with one another.
The singer describes himself as the one who "loves changing from nothing to one," suggesting that he is someone who thrives on transformation and growth. He is constantly evolving and becoming, and his love for his partner is both a source of inspiration and a challenge to his sense of self. At times he needs her to be wild and uninhibited, while at other times he needs her to be nurturing and maternal.
The final stanza of the song is perhaps the most poignant, as the singer offers himself up to his lover as a broken man in need of repair. He recognizes that their love may not be perfect, but he is willing to surrender himself to her in the hopes of finding some kind of healing or redemption. Ultimately, the song is a bittersweet reflection on the fragile and ever-changing nature of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I cannot follow you, my love,
I am unable to keep up with you, my beloved,
You cannot follow me.
You are unable to keep up with me.
I am the distance you put between
I am the space you create in our relationship,
All of the moments that we will be.
This affects every moment of our future.
You know who I am,
You understand my character,
You've stared at the sun,
You've been through hardship and struggling,
Well, I am the one who loves
But in the end, I am the one who loves you,
Changing from nothing to one.
And will do everything to change from nothing to everything.
Sometimes I need you naked,
Sometimes I need your true and vulnerable self,
Sometimes I need you wild,
Other times I need your fierce and passionate nature,
I need you to carry my children in
I need you to provide for our offspring,
And I need you to kill a child.
But also to make sacrifices for the greater good.
If you should ever track me down
If you ever locate me,
I will surrender there
I will submit myself,
And I will leave with you one broken man
And when you leave, you will have in your hands a wounded individual,
Whom I will teach you to repair.
And it will be up to you to nurse him back to health.
You know who I am,
You understand my character,
You've stared at the sun,
You've been through hardship and struggling,
Well, I am the one who loves
But in the end, I am the one who loves you,
Changing from nothing to one.
And will do everything to change from nothing to everything.
I cannot follow you, my love,
I am unable to keep up with you, my beloved,
You cannot follow me.
You are unable to keep up with me.
I am the distance you put between
I am the space you create in our relationship,
all of the moments that we will be.
This affects every moment of our future.
Contributed by Caleb O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mrmusicfromthestars
I don't mind this as I like Leonard's voice on it . Anyone heard the " Like a bird " demo? Maybe the Croz made such a mess of it, that that's the reason no one has put it up
bennett theissen
David Crosby attempted to produce and those are his backing vocals.
Trish McL
Interesting
Goomer
Nice version
onesecbeforetheend
Three dislikers are nothing to nothing