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.
The Captain
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
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He fumbled for my hand
"Take these silver bars," he said
"I'm giving you command."
"Command of what, there's no one here
There's only you and me
All the rest are dead or in retreat
Or with the enemy."
Ever since we lost
If it's not the Crucifixion
Then it's the Holocaust."
"May Christ have mercy on your soul
For making such a joke
Amid these hearts that burn like coal
And the flesh that rose like smoke."
"I know that you have suffered, lad,
But suffer this awhile:
Whatever makes a soldier sad
Will make a killer smile."
"I'm leaving, Captain, I must go
There's blood upon your hand
But tell me, Captain, if you know
Of a decent place to stand."
"There is no decent place to stand
In a massacre;
But if a woman take your hand
Go and stand with her."
"I left a wife in Tennessee
And a baby in Saigon
I risked my life, but not to hear
Some country-western song."
"Ah but if you cannot raise your love
To a very high degree,
Then you're just the man I've been thinking of
So come and stand with me."
"Your standing days are done," I cried,
"You'll rally me no more.
I don't even know what side
We fought on, or what for."
"I'm on the side that's always lost
Against the side of Heaven
I'm on the side of Snake-eyes tossed
Against the side of Seven.
And I've read the Bill of Human Rights
And some of it was true
But there wasn't any burden left
So I'm laying it on you."
Now the Captain he was dying
But the Captain wasn't hurt
The silver bars were in my hand
I pinned them to my shirt.
The song "The Captain" by Leonard Cohen tells the story of a soldier who is called to the bedside of his Captain, who is dying. The Captain offers the soldier his silver bars, which represent his command, but the soldier questions what good they are since everyone else around them is dead or with the enemy. The Captain then rebukes the soldier for always complaining, telling him that soldiers must learn to cope with their suffering in order to become killers. The soldier tells the Captain that he is leaving and asks if there is a decent place to stand. The Captain responds that there is no decent place to stand in a massacre, but if a woman takes his hand, he should go and stand with her.
The soldier tells the Captain that he left a wife and baby behind and did not risk his life to hear country-western songs. The Captain then asks the soldier to stand with him, telling him that if he cannot raise his love to a high degree, then he is the man he has been thinking of. However, the soldier refuses, stating that his standing days are done and he does not even know what side they fought on or what for. The Captain explains that he is on the side that is always lost against the side of Heaven and the side of Snake-eyes against the side of Seven. He then gives the silver bars to the soldier and dies.
The song reflects the sense of disillusionment and despair felt by many soldiers during and after the Vietnam War. The soldier is questioning the point of his actions and the worth of his sacrifice, disillusioned with what he has seen and experienced. The Captain, on the other hand, represents the idea that soldiers must learn to cope with their suffering in order to become killers, reflecting the brutal reality of war.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the Captain called me to his bed
The Captain summoned me to his bed
He fumbled for my hand
He clumsily reached out to take my hand
"Take these silver bars," he said
He gave me silver bars
"I'm giving you command."
He handed me control
"Command of what, there's no one here
I asked him what I was in charge of
There's only you and me
As all the others were dead or gone
All the rest are dead or in retreat
Everyone else had either fought and died or fled
Or with the enemy."
Or had defected to the other side
"Complain, complain, that's all you've done
He accused me of constantly griping
Ever since we lost
Since we suffered defeat
If it's not the Crucifixion
If it's not the death of Christ
Then it's the Holocaust."
Then it's the genocide of the Jews
"May Christ have mercy on your soul
He prayed for my soul
For making such a joke
Because I made a terrible joke
Amid these hearts that burn like coal
With all these grieving and angry people
And the flesh that rose like smoke."
And with the corpses left after the battle
"I know that you have suffered, lad,
He acknowledged my pain
But suffer this awhile:
But bear with me for now
Whatever makes a soldier sad
Whatever troubles a warrior
Will make a killer smile."
Will embolden someone bent on death
"I'm leaving, Captain, I must go
I told the Captain I had to leave
There's blood upon your hand
As he bore guilt for our losses
But tell me, Captain, if you know
I asked him for guidance
Of a decent place to stand."
Where I could find some moral ground to stand on
"There is no decent place to stand
The Captain lamented
In a massacre;
When great slaughter had taken place
But if a woman take your hand
But if you can find love amidst the destruction
Go and stand with her."
Embrace it and find hope in the midst of despair
"I left a wife in Tennessee
I revealed that I had a spouse back home
And a baby in Saigon
And a child in Saigon
I risked my life, but not to hear
But I didn't put my life on the line
Some country-western song."
For patriotic music
"Ah but if you cannot raise your love
The Captain responded
To a very high degree,
To the highest level
Then you're just the man I've been thinking of
Then you're exactly what I need
So come and stand with me."
Join me and fight for a higher cause
"Your standing days are done," I cried,
I declared that I refused to fight any longer
You'll rally me no more.
And urged the Captain not to call me to battle again
I don't even know what side
As I had lost sight of which side
We fought on, or what for."
We were fighting for or why we continued to fight
"I'm on the side that's always lost
The Captain revealed his true allegiance
Against the side of Heaven
Fighting against divine forces
I'm on the side of Snake-eyes tossed
Choosing the losing side out of personal preference
Against the side of Seven.
And against the side with divine favor
And I've read the Bill of Human Rights
He claimed he knew of the rights human beings were entitled to
And some of it was true
But he admitted reality wasn't always aligned with those values
But there wasn't any burden left
But there was no point in carrying the burden himself
So I'm laying it on you."
So he passed it on to me and other new soldiers
Now the Captain he was dying
As the Captain lay dying
But the Captain wasn't hurt
Despite his physical condition, he felt no pain
The silver bars were in my hand
As I now held the silver bars of command
I pinned them to my shirt."
And wore them proudly as my new badge of authority
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@harageilucid4352
“Whatever makes a soldier sad, will make a killer smile”
@maddyfast4821
Now the Captain called me to his bed
He fumbled for my hand
"Take these silver bars, " he said
"I'm giving you command"
"Command of what, there's no one here
There's only you and me
All the rest are dead or in retreat
Or with the enemy"
"Complain, complain, that's all you've done
Ever since we lost
If it's not the Crucifixion
Then it's the Holocaust"
"May Christ have mercy on your soul
For making such a joke
Amid these hearts that burn like coal
And the flesh that rose like smoke"
"I know that you have suffered, lad
But suffer this awhile
Whatever makes a soldier sad
Will make a killer smile"
"I'm leaving, Captain, and I've got to go
There's blood upon your hand
But tell me, Captain, if you know
Of a decent place to stand"
"There is no decent place to stand
In a massacre
But if a woman take your hand
Then go and stand with her"
"I left a wife in Tennessee
And a baby in Saigon
I risked my life, but not to hear
Some country-western song"
"Ah but if you cannot raise your love
To a very high degree
Then you're just the man I've been thinking of
So come and stand with me"
"Your standing days are done, " I cried
"You'll rally me no more
I don't even know what side
We fought on, or what for"
"I'm on the side that's always lost
Against the side of Heaven
I'm on the side of Snake-eyes tossed
Against the side of Seven
And I've read the Bill of Human Rights
And some of it was true
But there wasn't any burden left
So I'm laying it on you"
Now the Captain he was dying
But the Captain wasn't hurt
The silver bars were in my hand
I pinned them to my shirt
@armandogonella2770
S O L O N G , Mr C O H E N !
@christopherbosch5403
2nd time listening to this song my father skipped it off the cd listening to it.
@edudziaikins4880
In a massacre there’s no decent place to stand.
@juliegreer2575
One gets a medal the other a punishment.
@salmoncuchosteamgamers8200
Bermejo was here
@IvanDraco01
AAAHHH KABRÓN
@markhenry6486
those approving of the killers actions will call them soldiers, those not approving the actions will deem them outlaws.