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 Land Of Plenty
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To raise my voice and say
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.
I don't know why I come here,
Knowing as I do,
What you really think of me,
For the millions in a prison,
That wealth has set apart
For the Christ who has not risen,
From the caverns of the heart
For the innermost decision,
That we cannot but obey
For what's left of our religion,
I lift my voice and pray
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.
I know I said I'd meet you,
I'd meet you at the store,
But I can't buy it, baby.
I can't buy it anymore.
And I don't really know who sent me,
To raise my voice and say
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.
I don't know why I come here,
Knowing as I do,
What you really think of me,
What I really think of you.
For the innermost decision
That we cannot but obey
For what's left of our religion
I lift my voice and pray
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.
The lyrics of Leonard Cohen's "The Land of Plenty" address political and social injustice, speaking out against the greed and corruption that often comes with wealth and power. Cohen's words express an urgent desire for change, as he uses religious allusions to lament the lost values of society. By questioning why he has been given a voice and sending out a call for truth and transparency, Cohen attempts to both critique the societal structures that have created these injustices and call on individuals to take action.
The first verse of the song is a call to action, a plea for the light of truth to shine on the words and actions of the wealthy and powerful, who use their resources and influence to maintain a system that oppresses the marginalized. The second verse is a reflection on the feeling of futility and hopelessness that can come from fighting against such a powerful force. Cohen acknowledges his own limitations and the challenges he faces in making his voice heard while being rejected and dismissed by those in power. The third verse is a direct address to those whose indifference and acceptance of the status quo perpetuates the injustice, framing the issues as both a matter of personal responsibility and one of faith.
Overall, "The Land of Plenty" is a bold and timely statement that reminds us to be accountable to those around us, and to fight for what is right even when it is difficult or dangerous. It is a call to redress the imbalance between the powerful and the powerless, and a moving expression of the hope that we can, with effort and perseverance, create a better world.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't really know who sent me
I am unsure of the force or motivation that compels me to speak out.
To raise my voice and say
To express myself loudly and clearly.
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
May the enlightenment, discovery and abundance of the prosperous nation.
Shine on the truth some day.
Illuminate the reality, unveiling the real facets.
I don't know why I come here,
I am unsure why I am present in this space, this context.
Knowing as I do,
I fully understand or realize without a doubt.
What you really think of me,
I am fully aware of your opinion about myself.
What I really think of you.
I have formed my own distinct opinion of you.
For the millions in a prison,
With millions of people imprisoned in different aspects of life.
That wealth has set apart
Secluded from the rest of the world by their wealth.
For the Christ who has not risen,
For the immortal being trapped in the heart's darkness.
From the caverns of the heart
Deep within the heart where the Christ exists.
For the innermost decision,
The deeply felt, internalized choice that cannot be altered.
That we cannot but obey
An obligation that must be fulfilled no matter what.
For what's left of our religion,
For the remains of our faith, our worship, our belief system.
I lift my voice and pray
I raise my voice and articulate my desires with deep conviction.
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
May the enlightenment, discovery and abundance of the prosperous nation.
Shine on the truth some day.
Illuminate the reality, unveiling the real facets.
I know I said I'd meet you,
I am aware I promised to meet you somewhere.
I'd meet you at the store,
I told you that we would meet at the store.
But I can't buy it, baby.
But I am unable to accomplish or obtain what was expected.
I can't buy it anymore.
I am not capable of fulfilling my commitments.
And I don't really know who sent me,
I am unaware of the force or motivation that compels me to speak out.
To raise my voice and say
To express myself loudly and clearly.
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
May the enlightenment, discovery and abundance of the prosperous nation.
Shine on the truth some day.
Illuminate the reality, unveiling the real facets.
I don't know why I come here,
I am unsure why I am present in this space, this context.
Knowing as I do,
I fully understand or realize without a doubt.
What you really think of me,
I am fully aware of your opinion about myself.
What I really think of you.
I have formed my own distinct opinion of you.
For the innermost decision
The deeply felt, internalized choice that cannot be altered.
That we cannot but obey
An obligation that must be fulfilled no matter what.
For what's left of our religion
For the remains of our faith, our worship, our belief system.
I lift my voice and pray
I raise my voice and articulate my desires with deep conviction.
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
May the enlightenment, discovery and abundance of the prosperous nation.
Shine on the truth some day.
Illuminate the reality, unveiling the real facets.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Cohen, Sharon Robinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beatrice8792
Tatăl nostru
Care ești în ceruri
Sfințească-se numele Tău
Vie împărăția Ta
Facă-se voia Ta
Precum în cer așa si pre Pământ
Painea noastră cea de toate zilele
Da-ne-o noua astăzi
Și ne iartă noua gresalele noastre
Precum și noi iertam greșiților nostrii
Și nu ne duce pre noi în ispită
Ci ne izbăvește de cel rău
Ca a Ta este împărăția
Slavă si puterea
În numele Tatălui
Al Fiului
Al Sfântului Duh
Amin.
@alanpal313
Don't really have the courage
To stand where I must stand
Don't really have the temperament
To lend a helping hand
Don't really know who sent me
To raise my voice and say:
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day
I don't know why I've come here
Knowing as I do
What you really think of me
What I really think of you
For the millions in the prison
That wealth has set apart -
For the Christ who has not risen
From the caverns of the heart -
For the innermost decision
That we cannot but obey -
For what's left of our religion
I lift my voice and pray:
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
May the light in The Land of Plenty
May the light in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day
I know I said I'd meet you
I'd meet you at the store
But I can't buy it, baby
I can't buy it anymore
And I don't really know who sent me
To raise my voice and say:
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day
For the innermost decision
That we cannot but obey
For what's left of our religion
I lift my voice and pray:
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day
@alanpal313
Don't really know who sent me
To raise my voice and say
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.
I don't know why I come here,
Knowing as I do,
What you really think of me,
What I really think of you.
For the millions in a prison,
That wealth has set apart
For the Christ who has not risen,
From the caverns of the heart
For the innermost decision,
That we cannot but obey
For what's left of our religion,
I lift my voice and pray
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.
I know I said I'd meet you,
I'd meet you at the store,
But I can't buy it, baby.
I can't buy it anymore.
And I don't really know who sent me,
To raise my voice and say
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.
I don't know why I come here,
Knowing as I do,
What you really think of me,
What I really think of you.
For the innermost decision
That we cannot but obey
For what's left of our religion
I lift my voice and pray
May the lights in The Land of Plenty
Shine on the truth some day.
@dwaynewladyka577
Leonard Cohen is a brilliant poet and songwriter. May he rest in peace. Cheers! ✌️🇨🇦
@anndownsouth5070
Okay so we all know and agree that Mr Cohen has an awesome some talent, but he clearly also could find the most talented people to surround and support him. Sharon Robinson has such and wonderful voice.
@dlmiller7873
God bless us all.
@ginacosta2043
Beautiful voice , for us is not dead because is in our ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ Forever
@estebanramosjimenez7291
Maybe his last wonderful song.... This song grabs you in levitation and makes you see good things are like they were always been...Big credit to the Lovely Sharon to produce this masterpiece.... I still miss you my zen Master, my Poet... Thank you for your towers of songs.... 👌👍❤️
@ivanbrzovic
So many hearts you touched with your music
@cosimofilannino3766
Quanto ci manchi, Leonard! Per fortuna ci sono le tue canzoni, sublimi poesie immortali.
@jamisonfawkes5861
Rest in peace, legend
@blankwall4209
seconded! glad I managed to see the legend twice. true blessing! peace
@mattymattyboombalatty3693
Said so well Jamison, said so well...I tip my cap and echo on your sentiments...