Famous Blue Raincoat

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Its four in the morning, the end of december. Im writing you now just to see if youre better. New York is cold, but I like where I'm living, theres music on clinton street all through the evening. I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert, you're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.

Yes, and jane came by with a lock of your hair, she said that you gave it to her that night that you planned to go clear. Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older, your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder. You'd been to the station to meet every train and you came home without Lili Marlene. And you treated my woman to a flake of your life and when she came back she was nobody's wife.

Well, I see you there with the rose in your teeth, one more thin gypsy thief. Well I see janes awake -- She sends her regards.

And what can I tell you my brother, my killer, what can I possibly say? I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you, I'm glad you stood in my way. If you ever come by here, for jane or for me your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thought it was there for good so I never tried. And jane came by with a lock of your hair, she said that you gave it to her that night that you planned to go clear.

-- sincerely, L. Cohen

obviously i didn't write that, although i do customarily begin with a "baroque quote." Famous Blue Raincoat, by leonard cohen, is a haunting song about a love triangle that cohen himself was never sure even existed. i've formatted it here as a letter because people never read lyrics in blogs and i've tried to trick you (i don't care if you fell for it, but if you did i'll feel happy inside).
the beauty in the perfomance is absolutly breathtaking and the imagery in the poetry top knotch, but cohen himself was always dissappointed with it, and had merely "contented himself" with an "unfinished work." To think of the genius that remained undone because he contented himself.
in a more mainstream song "hallelujah" (performed by a more talented singer, but inferior songwriter in "shrek"), cohen states "there's a blaze of light in every word, it doesn't matter which you heard, the holy or the broken hallelujah." cohen was jewish, and an "unbeliever," but he got it.
let your words today be a light to those around you.

have a nice day.