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 Story of Isaac
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My father he came in,
I was nine years old.
And he stood so tall above me,
His blue eyes they were shining
And his voice was very cold.
He said, "I've had a vision
And you know I'm strong and holy,
So he started up the mountain,
I was running, he was walking,
And his axe was made of gold.
Well, the trees they got much smaller,
The lake a lady's mirror,
We stopped to drink some wine.
Then he threw the bottle over.
Broke a minute later
And he put his hand on mine.
Thought I saw an eagle
But it might have been a vulture,
I never could decide.
Then my father built an altar,
He looked once behind his shoulder,
He knew I would not hide.
You who build these altars now
To sacrifice these children,
You must not do it anymore.
A scheme is not a vision
And you never have been tempted
By a demon or a god.
You who stand above them now,
Your hatchets blunt and bloody,
You were not there before,
When I lay upon a mountain
And my father's hand was trembling
With the beauty of the word.
And if you call me brother now,
Forgive me if I inquire,
"just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must,
I will help you if I can.
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must,
I will kill you if I can.
And mercy on our uniform,
Man of peace or man of war,
The peacock spreads his fan.
The Story of Isaac is a powerful, thought-provoking ballad by Leonard Cohen that offers an insightful commentary on the biblical story of the same name. The song begins with Isaac's father bursting into his room, announcing that he has had a vision and must obey it. Isaac's father appears determined to kill him, taking him up the mountain with an axe made of gold. As the climb progresses, the trees grow smaller, and the lake appears as a mirror. They stop to drink wine, but the father throws the bottle away and places his hand on Isaac's, giving the impression of a looming danger. Finally, the father builds an altar and turns around, knowing that Isaac won't hide.
Cohen's lyrics preach an anti-war message, condemning the sacrifice of children in the name of religion, urging those who build altars for such purposes to cease their actions immediately. The song condemns violence as a whole, implying that violence begets violence, and that if it comes down to it, Cohen will go to any lengths to protect his own life.
Line by Line Meaning
The door it opened slowly,
The door slowly creaked open
My father he came in,
My father entered the room
I was nine years old.
I was a child of nine years
And he stood so tall above me,
He towered over me
His blue eyes they were shining
His blue eyes sparkled
And his voice was very cold.
His voice was stern and emotionless
He said, "I've had a vision
He claimed to have had a divine revelation
And you know I'm strong and holy,
He was confident in his spiritual strength
I must do what I've been told."
He believed it was his obligation to act on this vision
So he started up the mountain,
He began to climb the mountain
I was running, he was walking,
I was moving quickly while he walked slowly
And his axe was made of gold.
His weapon was made of valuable material
Well, the trees they got much smaller,
As we climbed, the trees became less dense
The lake a lady's mirror,
The lake's surface was like a reflection of a woman
We stopped to drink some wine.
We paused to share a drink of wine
Then he threw the bottle over.
He tossed the empty bottle away
Broke a minute later
It shattered on impact
And he put his hand on mine.
He touched my hand
Thought I saw an eagle
I believed I saw an eagle
But it might have been a vulture,
But it could have been a bird of prey
I never could decide.
I could never be sure
Then my father built an altar,
He constructed a place of worship
He looked once behind his shoulder,
He glanced over his shoulder
He knew I would not hide.
He knew I would not run away
You who build these altars now
Addressing those who continue to build places of sacrifice
To sacrifice these children,
To offer up innocent lives
You must not do it anymore.
Challenging the morality of sacrificing children
A scheme is not a vision
A selfish plan is not a divine revelation
And you never have been tempted
You have never been tested with such a decision
By a demon or a god.
Whether influenced by evil or divine intervention
You who stand above them now,
Addressing those who hold power over others
Your hatchets blunt and bloody,
Your weapons are used and stained with blood
You were not there before,
You never experienced this situation
When I lay upon a mountain
When I was on the mountain
And my father's hand was trembling
And my father was shaking
With the beauty of the word.
With the power of the divine message he received
And if you call me brother now,
If you call me a comrade now
Forgive me if I inquire,
I apologize if I must ask
"just according to whose plan?"
According to whose divine plan?
When it all comes down to dust
When everything comes to an end
I will kill you if I must,
I will resort to violence if necessary
I will help you if I can.
I will be there to support you if possible
When it all comes down to dust
When everything comes to an end
I will help you if I must,
I will assist you if necessary
I will kill you if I can.
I will use violence against you if possible
And mercy on our uniform,
Mercy for the clothing that we wear
Man of peace or man of war,
Regardless of whether one is peaceful or aggressive
The peacock spreads his fan.
Referring to the magnificently adorned and proud peacock
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEONARD COHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@isaak.studio
One of my personal favorites, unsurprisingly.
@mirathefirst149
the world needs more Leonard Cohen!
@faridabechar3213
💖💕❤💜🧡
@Sandra-hc4vo
in a way it's too bad, because he was one of a kind!
@michevicus2987
In Italy when a very genial artist die, it's usual to say "Morto un papa, non se ne fa un altro".
@martinkent333
TO ENCOURAGE SUICIDES?
@martinkent333
SPREADING SAD SONGS AND DEPRESSION? LENNY HAD ZERO HAPPY SONGS, KIDS. @@Sandra-hc4vo
@amadeomolina5411
Leonard Cohen...,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ El genio de la poesía y la música 🌹
@pierre-bernardelsig9998
My dad spoke to me with this terrifying cold voice when I came back in Switzerland in December 1983. I'am sure his hand was trembling.
@aim120C
what do you mean? was he tasked by God to kill you like abram?