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.
Thanks for the Dance
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sorry you're tired
The evening has hardly begun
Thanks for the dance
Try to look inspired
One, two, three, one, two, three, one
There's a rose in your hair
You've been wearing this costume forever
So turn up the music
Pour out the wine
Stop at the surface
The surface is fine
We don't need to go any deeper
Thanks for the dance
I hear that we're married
One, two, three, one, two, three, one
Thanks for the dance
And the baby you carried
It was almost a daughter or a son
And there's nothing to do but to wonder
If you are as hopeless as me and as decent
We're joined in the spirit
Joined at the hip
Joined in the panic
Wondering
If we've come to some sort of agreement
It was fine, it was fast
We were first, we were last
In line at the Temple of Pleasure
But the green was so green
And the blue was so blue
I was so I
And you were so you
The crisis was light
As a feather
Thanks for the dance
It was hell, it was swell, it was fun
Thanks for all the dances
One, two, three, one, two, three, one
In “Thanks for the Dance,” Leonard Cohen comments on the fleeting nature of life by using both tender and bittersweet imagery. Through the verses, the singer acknowledges that the night is almost over and the dancers are tired, but still wishes to continue to dance. ‘Thanks for the dance, I'm sorry you're tired, the evening has hardly begun, Thanks for the dance, Try to look inspired, One, two, three, one, two, three, one, There's a rose in your hair, Your shoulders are bare, You've been wearing this costume forever.’ The introductory verse, expresses beautiful imagery through the sensual rose in the woman’s hair, the bare shoulders, and the woman’s metaphorical costume, speaking of the trials and tribulations of life.
The second and third verses imply that, despite the potential sorrow they may feel, there is still joy to be found in their union. ‘We don't need to go any deeper, Thanks for the dance, I hear that we're married, Thanks for the dance, And the baby you carried, It was almost a daughter or a son’ - this verse may refer to the once-beautiful promise of youthful love that was not fulfilled, but still cherished. Cohen uses metaphors to express both unity and disconnection, as well as the fleeting nature of life. ‘We're joined in the spirit, Joined at the hip, Joined in the panic, Wondering, If we've come to some sort of agreement’ - these lines suggest a spiritual and physical relationship that may be failing but still appreciated.
Line by Line Meaning
Thanks for the dance
Expressing gratitude for the moments they shared
I'm sorry you're tired
Acknowledging the exhaustion that comes with the end of the night
The evening has hardly begun
Despite the exhaustion, there is still so much they could do
Try to look inspired
Encouraging their partner to keep going, to keep experiencing life
One, two, three, one, two, three, one
The rhythm of life, constant and unyielding
There's a rose in your hair
Noticing the small details that make their partner unique
Your shoulders are bare
Appreciating the beauty of their partner’s exposed skin
You've been wearing this costume forever
Recognizing that their partner has a well-established identity
So turn up the music
Urging their partner to engage with the world, to explore and create
Pour out the wine
Celebrating life’s moments by reveling in its pleasures
Stop at the surface
Encouraging their partner not to dwell on the darker aspects of life
The surface is fine
Assuring their partner that the superficial aspects of life are enough to sustain them both
We don't need to go any deeper
Believing that delving too deep will only cause pain and heartache
I hear that we're married
Acknowledging their commitment to one another
And the baby you carried
Reflecting on a shared past, the possibilities of the future
It was almost a daughter or a son
Musing on what could have been, what still might be
And there's nothing to do
Expressing a sense of futility
But to wonder if you
Contemplating the other person's inner world
Are as hopeless as me
Feeling lost and alone, wishing for a partner who understands
And as decent
Seeing the goodness in the other person, hoping for the same in themselves
We're joined in the spirit
Feeling connected to their partner on an emotional level
Joined at the hip
Suggesting a deep level of interconnectedness and mutual support
Joined in the panic
Acknowledging that the world can be scary and stressful, but they are not alone
Wondering
Asking questions of themselves and the world
If we've come to some sort of agreement
Reflecting on whether their partnership is working, and whether it will continue to do so
It was fine, it was fast
Summing up their shared experiences as being fleeting but pleasing
We were first, we were last
Feeling as though they have experienced everything together
In line at the Temple of Pleasure
Describing their existence as one devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and enjoyment
But the green was so green
Recognizing the beauty of the world around them
And the blue was so blue
Being struck by the vividness of the colors that populate their world
I was so I
Feeling as though they were wholly and irrevocably themselves
And you were so you
Admiring their partner for their individuality and uniqueness
The crisis was light
Describing a past challenge as being relatively insignificant
As a feather
Adding emphasis to the lightness of the situation
Thanks for all the dances
Final words of appreciation for all that they have shared
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Cohen, Anjani Thomas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SN-sx1xr
It was fine it was fast, I was first I was last
In line at the temple of pleasure
But the green was so green and the blue was so blue
I was so I and you were so you
The crisis was light as a feather
Thanks for the dance
It's been hell, it's been swell, it's been fun
Thanks for all the dances
One two three, one two three one
@theloniouscoltrane3778
When you're depressed..put on some Cohen. He'll assure you, he'll walk with you. And, you'll make it through. That's what Cohen does. Still does. The Master lives.
@manumaneric8874
It also works when you’re happy.
@thomasmallitte3156
You’re utterly right. My tour-guide for a short while
@joehinson9460
Indeed, he does.
@heylady7
so true!
@moondancer4660
He will be depressed with you.
@ashraykotian1
If Dance Me to the End of Love is the beginning of a life long love, then Thanks for The Dance is moments before it ends.
@usurum4898
Ι thought so too, maybe that's where all life-long couples end up
@mirelaivanova2267
Yep, This is my theory, too!
Thank you, Mr. Leonard for the dances! Miss you so much, man!
@crescermeditando
Best