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"; 1905β1978), 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 (1891β1943), 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 GarcΓa 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 countryβfolk 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.
To a Teacher
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Her hair, the black that black can go
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Soft she answered, no
I met a girl across the sea
Her hair, the gold that gold could be
Are you a teacher of the heart?
I met a man who lost his mind
In some lost place I had to find
Follow me, the wise man said
But he walked behind
I walked into a hospital
Where none was sick and none was well
When at night the nurses left
I could not walk at all
Morning came and then came noon
Dinner time a scalpel blade
Lay beside my silver spoon
Some girls wander by mistake
Into the mess that scalpels make
Are you the teachers of my heart
We teach old hearts to break
One morning, I woke up alone
The hospital and the nurses gone
Have I carved enough, my Lord?
Child, you are a bone
I ate and ate and ate
No, I did not miss a plate, well
How much do these suppers cost?
We'll take it out in hate
I spent my hatred every place
On every work, on every face
Someone gave me wishes
And I wished for an embrace
Several girls embraced me, then
I was embraced by men
Is my passion perfect?
No, do it once again
I was handsome, I was strong
I knew the words of every song
Did my singing please you?
No, the words you sang were wrong
Who is it whom I address
Who takes down what I confess?
Are you the teachers of my heart?
We teach old hearts to rest
Oh, teachers are my lessons done?
I cannot do another one
They laughed and laughed and said
Well, child
Are your lessons done?
Are your lessons done?
Are your lessons done?
The song "Teachers" by Leonard Cohen talks about the different people who have crossed his path and how they have taught him something about life. The song begins with Cohen meeting a woman who he asks if she is a teacher of the heart. She responds to him softly with a 'no', and this conversation is repeated when he meets a girl with gold hair. However, when he meets a man who has lost his mind, he follows him, and the wise man tells him to follow him. He's also taken to a place that is neither sick nor well, and he finds out that he cannot walk when the nurses left, which makes him stay the night in the hospital.
Throughout the song, there are continuous echoes, and Cohen is paired with people who bring some kind of knowledge to him. He talks about how he has eaten and eaten, how he has spent his hatred everywhere, and how he was embraced by both men and women. The song ends with Cohen asking if his lessons were done and the teachers respond with laughter. The song plays with the idea of romantic relationships and the teachings of love, and it's an exploration of the ways that people learn about themselves and life.
Line by Line Meaning
I met a woman long ago
I met a woman in the past
Her hair, the black that black can go
Her hair was the blackest black
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Do you teach about emotions?
Soft she answered, no
She answered no softly
I met a girl across the sea
I met a girl who lived far away
Her hair, the gold that gold could be
Her hair was the shiniest gold
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Do you teach about emotions?
Yes, but not for thee
Yes, but not for you
I met a man who lost his mind
I met a man who went crazy
In some lost place I had to find
I had to search for him in a lost place
Follow me, the wise man said
The wise man told me to follow him
But he walked behind
He followed me instead
I walked into a hospital
I entered a hospital
Where none was sick and none was well
Where no one was sick or healthy
When at night the nurses left
When the nurses left at night
I could not walk at all
I became immobile
Morning came and then came noon
Morning passed and noon arrived
Dinner time a scalpel blade
A surgical knife appeared at dinner time
Lay beside my silver spoon
Was placed next to my spoon
Some girls wander by mistake
Some girls make mistakes and end up here
Into the mess that scalpels make
Into the mess caused by surgeries
Are you the teachers of my heart
Do you emotionally teach me?
We teach old hearts to break
We cause old hearts to break
One morning, I woke up alone
One morning, I woke up by myself
The hospital and the nurses gone
The hospital and the nurses disappeared
Have I carved enough, my Lord?
Have I done enough?
Child, you are a bone
You are just a skeleton
I ate and ate and ate
I ate a lot
No, I did not miss a plate, well
I didn't miss anything
How much do these suppers cost?
How much do these meals cost?
We'll take it out in hate
We'll make you pay with hate
I spent my hatred every place
I showed my anger and hatred to everyone
On every work, on every face
On every job, on every person
Someone gave me wishes
Someone gave me desires
And I wished for an embrace
And I wished for a hug
Several girls embraced me, then
Several girls hugged me
I was embraced by men
Men hugged me too
Is my passion perfect?
Is my love ideal?
No, do it once again
No, try again
I was handsome, I was strong
I was physically attractive and powerful
I knew the words of every song
I knew the lyrics to every song
Did my singing please you?
Did you like my singing?
No, the words you sang were wrong
No, you sang the wrong lyrics
Who is it whom I address
Who am I talking to?
Who takes down what I confess?
Who records what I confess?
Are you the teachers of my heart?
Are you the ones who teach me about emotions?
We teach old hearts to rest
We help tired hearts find peace
Oh, teachers are my lessons done?
Oh, have I learned all there is to learn?
I cannot do another one
I can't handle another lesson
They laughed and laughed and said
They laughed and said
Well, child
Well, my kid
Are your lessons done?
Have you finished learning?
Are your lessons done?
Have you finished learning?
Are your lessons done?
Have you finished learning?
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management
Written by: Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ICU, Dash!
Hurt once and for all into silence
A long pain ending without a song to prove it
Who could stand beside you so close to Eden
When you glinted in every eye the held-high
Razor, shivering every ram and son?
And now the silent loony bin
Where the shadows live in the rafters
Like day-weary bats
Until the turning mind, a radar signal
Lures them to exaggerate mountain-size
On the white stone wall
Your tiny limp
How can I leave you in such a house?
Are there no more saints and wizards
To praise their ways with pupils
No more evil to stun with the slap
Of a wet red tongue?
Did you confuse the Messiah in a mirror
And rest because he had finally come?
Let me cry help beside you, Teacher
I have entered under this dark roof
As fearlessly as an honoured son
Enters his father's house
ICU, Dash!
Hurt once and for all into silence
A long pain ending without a song to prove it
Who could stand beside you so close to Eden
When you glinted in every eye the held-high
Razor, shivering every ram and son?
And now the silent loony bin
Where the shadows live in the rafters
Like day-weary bats
Until the turning mind, a radar signal
Lures them to exaggerate mountain-size
On the white stone wall
Your tiny limp
How can I leave you in such a house?
Are there no more saints and wizards
To praise their ways with pupils
No more evil to stun with the slap
Of a wet red tongue?
Did you confuse the Messiah in a mirror
And rest because he had finally come?
Let me cry help beside you, Teacher
I have entered under this dark roof
As fearlessly as an honoured son
Enters his father's house
Nathan Maaka
My favourite on this album where Leonard almost let's go of his super sharp scalpel to produce poetic perfection!
Elena Hester Pacini
SHALOM LEONARD! !SIMPLY THE BEST SINGER AND SPIRITUAL MEN IN EVERY YOUR POEMS. ..TODAH RABAH MY TEACHER FOREVER AND EVER! ! ! HASHEM BLESS YOUR MARVELOUS SOUL AND YOUR FAMILY! ! MUCH LOVE LENNY. ..πππππππβ€β€β€πππβππππππππ»πΌπΉπΆπΈπ·πΉπΉπΉππΌπΌπΊπ»π»π»πΎπΎπΎππππππ±β β π πππππESTHER FROM FLORENCE ITALY ππ±π―π―
Tony Hawkes
Never get bored listening to this 'deep thinking man' this song makes 'rap' feel like bubble gum...think about Myanmar people
Behiye Γnsel
Love his songs
SUSHA
Es wird nie wieder jemanden wie ihn geben.
B. D.1811 Streetmusic
Unforgettable πΉπΉπ€π€
Hatixhe Salihu kryeziu
Super π
Sherry Lennon DeWitt
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Istvanne Sulyok
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