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.
Who by Fire
Leonard Cohen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial
Who in your merry merry month of may
Who by very slow decay
And who shall I say is calling?
And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturateWho in these realms of love, who by something blunt
Who by avalanche, who by powder
Who for his greed, who for his hunger
And who shall I say is calling?
And who by brave assent, who by accident
Who in solitude, who in this mirror
Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand
Who in mortal chains, who in power
And who shall I say is calling?
The lyrics of Leonard Cohen's song, Who by Fire, reflect on mortality and the unpredictability of death, exploring various ways in which different people may meet their end. The song asks the question, "who shall I say is calling?" suggesting that death is an enigma, an unknown force that calls upon us unexpectedly. Cohen mentions different elements such as fire, water, sunshine, night time, high ordeal, and common trial, indicating that death can come from different places and circumstances. Some individuals may die from slow decay or loneliness, while others may pass away from barbiturate overdose, love, hunger, or greed. The line "Who by his own hand" is particularly poignant, suggesting suicide as a cause of death.
The song's melancholy tone is accentuated by Cohen's deep, brooding voice and accompanied by somber instrumentals. The themes in Who by Fire are evergreen and resonate with many people as a reflection on the temporariness and fragility of life.
Line by Line Meaning
And who by fire, who by water
Who will perish by flames and who will be drowned?
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time
Who will meet their end in broad daylight or under the cover of darkness?
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial
Who will be tested by great challenges and who by everyday difficulties?
Who in your merry merry month of may
Whose fate will take them in the cheerful month of May?
Who by very slow decay
Whose life force will gradually wither away?
And who shall I say is calling?
Who is ultimately in charge of determining each person's fate?
And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate
Who will pass away in bed alone and who by their own hand through lethal drugs?
Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt
Who will meet their end through romantic passion or by something as seemingly innocuous as a blunt object?
Who by avalanche, who by powder
Who will be buried under an avalanche or snuffed out by gunpowder?
Who for his greed, who for his hunger
Who will be punished for their avarice and who for their insatiable appetite?
And who shall I say is calling?
Who is ultimately responsible for bringing about each person's demise?
And who by brave assent, who by accident
Who will die willingly and who due to unforeseen circumstances or chance events?
Who in solitude, who in this mirror
Who will pass away alone and who, perhaps metaphorically, by their own reflection or identity?
Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand
Who will be a victim of their lover's bidding or of their own self-inflicted wounds?
Who in mortal chains, who in power
Who will die in captivity, and who while wielding great influence and authority?
And who shall I say is calling?
Who is the ultimate arbiter of fate, regardless of social status or personal circumstance?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@moshebar-ness1926
.Lyrics
And who by fire, who by water,
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
Who in your merry merry month of may,
Who by very slow decay,
And who shall I say is calling?
And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate,
Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt,
And who by avalanche, who by powder,
Who for his greed, who for his hunger,
And who shall I say is calling?
And who by brave assent, who by accident,
Who in solitude, who in this mirror,
Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand,
Who in mortal chains, who in power,
And who shall I say is calling?
Songwriters: Leonard Cohen / Patrick Leonard
Who By Fire lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
@lapislazuli4190
And who by fire, who by water
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial
Who in your merry merry month of may
Who by very slow decay
And who shall I say is calling?
And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate
Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt
Who by avalanche, who by powder
Who for his greed, who for his hunger
And who shall I say is calling?
And who by brave assent, who by accident
Who in solitude, who in this mirror
Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand
Who in mortal chains, who in power
And who shall I say is calling?
@TheLuminitaSoare
Cine trece prin foc
Cine trece prin ape
Cine nu-i secerat de raze de soare
Cine se trece prin noapte,
Cine-şi depăşeşte încercările
Şi lună de lună zâmbeşte
Chiar dacă totul se dărâmă în el
Şi sufletu-i putrezeşte
Cum l-aş putea numi?
Cine are tăria
De a se sinucide
Cine trăieşte-n iubirea duşilor
Şi-n ei se regăseşte pe sine
Cine nu-i ucis de lavine
Cine se pudrează cu pământ
Cine poate trăi din gânduri
Şi umblă pe planetă flămând
Cum l-aş putea numi?
Cine se ridică din praf
Şi nu moare în accidente
Cine nu piere de singurătate
Şi nu mai are sânge de viaţă-n artere
Cine din porunca iubitei
Excelează un salt mortal
Cine trage cu energie
La picioare lanţuri de sclav
Cine ridică munţii din groapă
Cine râde cînd e bolnav
Cum l-aş putea numi?
@TheTransitmtl
I was listening to this non stop in my 20's. I have had the honor of crossing Mr. Cohen on a cold November morning on Ste-Catherine st. in Montreal. I didn't want to bother him so I just nodded and he nodded back and it was grandiose.
@TheBigChoad661
Louis-Alexandre Simard dude I would've asked em for a autograph and a beer with me lol.
@moondancer3157
I wouldn't have been able to keep myself from at least telling him how much I appreciate his music!🎶💕 Strange, though, I always just assumed he spent winters in the warmer climates.
@joshnovel7838
@@moondancer3157 That happened to me walking past John Waters coming out of The Club Charles in Baltimore.
@mnwalke
That is the best celebrity encounter story I have ever heard.
@mnwalke
@@moondancer3157 ever hear "Famous Blue Raincoat"?
"It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing to you just to see if you're better
New York is cold but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening..."
...and the song ends, "Sincerely, L. Cohen", so... :)
@nealhall5997
I wrote a book, and this was the foreward. I had to get permission and pay Leonard for the rights to use it. My publisher, who was also Leonard's publisher, had to call him and negotiate a price. Leonard charged me $200.
@wlfg1rl407
What’s the book?
@digitalwhiplash
Thank you for sharing. That is frickin awesome. And what is this book?
@dilandilan4570
Verilmek istenen mesaj nedir ?