Leonard Cohen Lyrics

    ------ About the song Suzanne performed by Leonard Cohen

This poem is on levels not always parallel: Suzanne is a person Leonard Cohen knew; she is an Evangelist and a Siren (mythological creatures sailors are in fear of because Sirens lure sailors to their deaths with their beautiful singing from the waters, and are similar in appearance to mermaids). The river (in the landscape of the song the Saint Lawrence River) is Spirituality or the River of Life. “Suzanne” as a Siren (my job was Siren and there are other Sirens such as Paul) was, as Cathie (aka Donna Wilson-Tudor), absolutely like A Beautiful Mind out of touch with reality with no insight to that fact. "Just when you mean to tell her you have no love to give her" is the first logical kick to Christ’s heel that binds and makes you slave to yourself, asking “what kind of love?” with “no” in place. Before moving toward the mirror at the end of the third stanza, it should be noted that this "wavelength" of Spirituality, the River of Life answering, is non-physical and the words "perfect body" are word-play. Of course our bodies aren't perfect, the point being that one of the mirrors held in the third stanza is the mirror of Narcissism which leads sailors to their deaths. Sirens are known as always looking in their mirrors of vanity, but not so with the Siren here. This Siren is Evangelizing and holding her mirror TOWARDS all Sailors (all of you, male and female) and she is calling out from the Sea of Love (Mercy).

Jesus was a Sailor, in human form just like us, and is watching and waiting for the New Heaven and New Earth (Heaven) to be appreciated. However the Sirens’ (Evangelists) jobs have to be done during great trials and tribulations, and disciples made of ALL beforehand. The wooden tower is part of the landscape in Old Montreal, next to a church called "Our Lady of the Harbor" (in English) on the Saint Lawrence. Suzanne the Evangelist had done her work in the first stanza and you let the Spiritual River of Life answer, defying the logic that binds, and you think you can trust her and are testing the waters. In the second stanza Jesus can say "ALL shall be Sailors then so until the Sea shall FREE THEM", the same Sea of Love/Sin he sank in, the Sea of Love in which the Sirens wait, calling all out with three mirrors to be passed through (we'll save them for the end with the mention of the mirror(s)).

Jesus sank like a stone to the bottom of the Sea of Love/SIN, the DEAD SEA (metaphorically HELL until Easter) completely succumbing to Sacrificial and Unconditional Love (not erotic). In the Dead Sea, in the second stanza, as you hold onto murderous logic for Sailors (humans) you SWIM AND PLAY thinking love is erotic and kicking Christ on the heel, and since it is the DEAD SEA, you are FLOATING anyway (on one level the concentration of sea salt will not let anything sink) because of HIS MERCY although we’re born “sinners” (thinking we’re smarter). So our LOGIC (not eroticism) keeps us thrashing in water where we will not sink, and only Christ or someone who gives themselves to Him can succumb to Agape (a Greek word) Love without thinking, sinking in sin WITH LOVE when He previously WALKED ON THE FRESHWATER. There is progress in this poem about serious Evangelism: you think maybe you'll trust Him because a Siren’s having a blast (I called the dayroom the “workroom playroom dayroom”) and Rockford was relaxing when I couldn’t get a bunk and was sleeping in the brush, after being locked up so long.


In the third stanza we’re back to Suzanne picking up the ball of Trust again, and she actually takes your hand and leads you to the River of Life. The sun pours down first thing at sunrise from the East on Our Lady of the Harbor Church with Our Lady stretching her arms out over the Saint Lawrence, and there is the wooden tower with Jesus standing waiting in it (the backdrop of Suzanne’s actual home in Old Montreal). Suzanne shows where to look for hope and points up at the flower, Jesus, in the tower high above next to the church where He’s waiting for appreciation (when I realized that the Lord had taken me over completely I broke down sobbing, because I knew I had met my Maker right there at Alexian Brothers psychiatric hospital, able to tell heaven from hell [inspired by Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here]). Then things become wonderful for us with wavelengths of Spirituality, the Lord right there and not at the bottom of our sins and logic and in hell after all, and ALL wiped away clean. There are heroes in our darkness full of seaweed; there are children in our mornings as young as the youngest chick and it is sunrise right now, the sun pouring down like honey with soothing caresses. Heroes and children lean out for love forever as you, all Sailors gone on to the third stanza, see yourselves leaning out for love eternal while this Siren (“Cathie” since “Suzanne” had been chosen among several names) turns around 190 degrees all in her path and in her wake—an about-face flushing out Truth, teaching that Happiness is Contentment and is exponential 10: it builds on itself.

The three mirrors (all in one towards all directions) that a Siren tests Sailors with are:
1. The mirror of Narcissism (vanity) in which one admires oneself.
2. The careless Religious Truth; if one goes back and forth between narcissism and false religion, the Sea of Love is lost on them; back and forth to yourself and you always see your own reflection, "Lex Luthor" which is your own evil side reflected in the mirror. If you remember the 1960’s Batman with Adam West, Batman and Robin saw “Lex Luthor” whenever they were about to fight evil (the evil side of their own selves). Superman is the good side of us and Lex Luthor is our evil side.
3. Orpheus' mirror: the REAL Truth. Orpheus (myth) couldn’t resist looking and the mirror shattered. When our reflections shatter we see Truth and admit the Sea of Love (God’s Mercy), where a Siren (Cathie) was waiting in the midst of the Sea, sinking in DEAD SEA SALT because she completely gave herself to (as did her husband) and operated as did the Lord, seeing all through God’s eyes for others' sake. Having a look in the mirror of Truth, blowing on that old dandelion and sowing seeds, I too experience the Love I Preach instead of being a Desperado (Eagles) in a prison of my own making. Ringo Starr’s octopus in Shady Acres has been struck on the head by Christ, no longer grabbing innocent sea creatures with the strength of suction cups on all eight tentacles. All the creatures swim happily after ALL octopi are hit on the head with Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Beatles). No more WHOLE ROAD OF ABBYS: played backwards, last to first song, we start with Paul McCartney singing Her Majesty and end with John Lennon singing Come Together (…right now, OVER me). Well Christ hit the more popular on the head already (Genesis 3).

    ------ About the song Suzanne performed by Leonard Cohen

"Suzanne" as the first person is on three levels: the person Leonard Cohen knew, the Evangelist and the Siren.
The river, in fact of landscape the St. Lawrence, is Spirituality or the River of Life. Suzanne the Siren (as I experienced my work as a Siren in figurative terms)was, as Cathie,(aka Donna Wilson-Tudor)absolutely insane, perfectly out of touch with reality with no clue of that fact.
"Just when you want to tell her you have no love to give her" is the first kick-in of logic, the logic that binds you and makes you slave to yourself, drowning.
Before moving toward the mirror at the end of the third stanza, it should be noted that this "wavelength" of Spirituality, the river of life answering, is non-physical and the words "perfect body" is a play on the term. Of course our bodies aren't perfect, the point being that one of the mirrors held in the third stanza is the mirror of Narcissism which leads sailors to their deaths. Sirens, mythologically speaking, are purported to always be looking in the mirror of vanity. Not so with the Siren here. This Siren is Evangelizing to all Sailors (all of you, male/female)out to the Sea of Love.

Jesus was a Sailor, in human form just like us, watching and waiting for the New Heaven and New Earth to be appreciated. However the Siren's work needs to be done years ahead of time. The wooden tower is part of the landscape in Old Montreal, next to a church called "Our Lady of the Harbor" on the St. Lawrence. Suzanne had done her work in the first stanza and you had let the Spiritual River of Life answer and defied the logic that binds, and you think you can trust her.
Now in the second stanza Jesus can say "All shall be Sailors then so until the Sea shall Free Them", the Sea of Love in which the Siren waits and calls all out to Sea with four mirrors to be passed through (we'll save them for the end, with the mention of the mirror(s)).

Jesus has sunk to the bottom of the Sea of Love beneath your wisdom without fighting Sacrificial and Unconditional (agape, Greek)Love with any logic at all. That was the second kick-in of the logic that kills for Sailors. However, there is progress in this story of Evangelism: you think maybe you'll trust Him.

Back to Suzanne picking up the ball of Trust again...she actually takes your hand and leads you to the River of Life. The sun pours down first thing from the East on Our Lady of the Harbor Church with Our Lady stretching her arms out over the St. Lawrence, and there is the wooden tower with Jesus standing waiting in it...Suzanne shows where to look for hope, and points up at the flower Jesus in the tower high above, waving greeting. Things become wonderful with the wavelengths of Spirituality, the Lord right there and all wiped away clean. There are heroes in the past darkness of our seaweed, there are young children in our mornings as young as the youngest chick. They lean out for love forever as you, all Sailors, see yourselves leaning for love eternal.

The four mirrors testing Sailors are: the mirror of Narcissism and the mirror of one's own reflection, or Christianity's Truth. Back and forth between the two, and the Sea of Love is lost on you; back and forth to yourself and you always see "Lex Luthor". There is a third mirror that must be viewed to make it out here: Orpheus' mirror of shattering self. When our reflection shatters we see others and come out to Love, where the Siren (Cathie M. "Donna Wilson-Tudor" Waisvisz)waits in the midst of the sea, drowning for others' sake.

I, Cathie M., had to regain my sanity and look in the fourth mirror, the one that held my true self and in which my insanity shattered. Now I can experience the Love I preach instead of being the only one to drown.

    ------ About the song One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong performed by Leonard Cohen

without question one of the greatest songs I have ever heard in my life!! Totally spellbinding from start to finsh! Very beautiful and moving! Always reduces me to tears every time I play it...

    ------ About the song HALLELUJAH performed by Leonard Cohen

Like any great writing, different people will interpret Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah in different ways. The melody is inspiring, the words make one truly think, and the song has literally changed my outlook on life. Not to spoil the joy of future interpretations for many who have yet to be inspired by the song, but I hope that someone simply asks Cohen the meaning of the song. He wrote with an inspiration that, perhaps, he will share.

    ------ About the song FIRST WE TAKE MANHATTAN performed by Leonard Cohen

Is that so many people (me included) can sing Leonard Cohen to the tears... Yet everybody relates to him in such a different way, everybody is sure that Cohen sings to his particular ache and ideology.

In this thread I've read so many different, even contradictory explanations... And you cannot say any of them is true or false. They all are.

    ------ About the song SUZANNE performed by Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen is from Montreal and he said in an interview that Suzanne was a French Canadian woman he met there. She lived in old Montreal- Canal Lachine (reference to the oranges that come all the way from China) by the Saint-Lawrence river. Just nearby on Notre-Dame street there's a salvation army counter and hippies used to buy their funky clothes there (rags and feathers from salvation army counter). I live by the Saint-Lawrence river and is transported by the magic poetry of Cohen singing the story of that half crazy Suzanne who transformed her environment into a mystical experience.

    ------ About the song FIRST WE TAKE MANHATTAN performed by Leonard Cohen

After reading so many and different interpretations of the words of this beautiful song, I'd rather say that I don't want to interpret them, just enjoy their ambiguity
as I am a former admirer of the RAF and my favourite popular army nowadays is Hizbullah
as I am an admirer of Alex de la Iglesia's Mutant Action, where a bunch of cripples and handicapped attack Gyms and beauty salons, Miss anywhere contests and so on
I prefer to smell the scent of what could be than to know the real meaning -if they actually have one- of the words.

    ------ About the song FIRST WE TAKE MANHATTAN performed by Leonard Cohen

Mr. Cohen has very clearly explained the meaning of these lovely words time and time again. No deep dark conspiracy, no arcane bullshit. Do the research, have the respect for this brilliant artist that any true lover of music has, find out for yourselves what he wrote this about. Not hard to do.

    ------ About the song SO LONG, MARIANNE performed by Leonard Cohen

7. ...and your eyes...well, I forget your eyes..
but your body is at home in every sea.
How come you gave away your news to everyone,
that you said was a secret...just for me...

    ------ About the song FIRST WE TAKE MANHATTAN performed by Leonard Cohen

I have a simple take on the song. It is about terrorism and they mentality of isolation and special messages and mission e.g. guided by signs in the heavens and birth marks

Fashion industry is amongst the objects of their hatred

Can't see anything about jews