Darkness and Light in Leonard Cohen

If you are the dealer, I'm out of the game
If you are the healer, it means I'm broken and lame
If thine is the glory then mine must be the shame
You want it darker
We kill the flame

Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name
Vilified, crucified, in the human frame
A million candles burning for the help that never came
You want it darker

Hineni, hineni
I'm ready, my lord

There's a lover in the story
But the story's still the same
There's a lullaby for suffering
And a paradox to blame
But it's written in the scriptures
And it's not some idle claim
You want it darker
We kill the flame

They're lining up the prisoners
And the guards are taking aim
I struggled with some demons
They were middle class and tame
I didn't know I had permission to murder and to maim

Hineni, hineni
I'm ready, my lord

Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name
Vilified, crucified, in the human frame
A million candles burning for the love that never came
You want it darker
We kill the flame

If you are the dealer, let me out of the game

If you are the healer, I'm broken and lame
If thine is the glory, mine must be the shame
You want it darker...

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

When Bob Dylan was announced as the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature I wondered how long it would be before speculation about other singer/songwriters as equally worthy. It wasn't long before Canada's Leonard Cohen was named as someone perhaps more deserving.

Cohen certainly deserves an award for coolest octogenarian on the planet, and he is a thoughtful and spiritual writer. Cohen began life as a Jew, often uses Christian imagery, and practices Buddhist meditation. The title song from his newly released You Want It Darker reflects those traditions and he uses the choir from the synagogue of his youth as the introit for this song. This is what the The Guardian has to say in its positive review of You Want It Darker.

But equally, you can see why Cohen is keen to deflect the interpretation that You Want It Darker is intended as some kind of musical last will and testament. It arrives packed with songs you could interpret as reflective farewells – from Leaving the Table to Steer Your Way – and with references to mortality and faith. The first sound you hear is a choir from the Montreal synagogue in which Cohen’s family worshipped, and the last is Cohen apparently addressing Jesus with a certain irrevocability: “It’s over now, the water and the wine … I wish there was a treaty between your love and mine.”

Do we nominate Cohen now for the Nobel? Have you been aware of the spiritual and religious themes of his music? Are you a fan?