First Time Hearing Leonard Cohen You Want it Darker (Reaction!!) 

Just wanna say that I'm apricot you reacting to greatest poet among musicians & vice versa! Shout out from Adriatic Coast, Croatia, EU 🙌🎵

The album itself was released 17 days before he died, and the songs were apparently recorded between April 2015 and July 2016.

I am ready, my lord.... let us kill the flame...

Like a bird on the wire Like a drunk in a midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free

me too

Leonard and Marianne

The interesting knowledge is that Cohen "converted" to Buddhism and studied under a Buddhist monk for several years, retiring from music and the world in its entirety, and it's as though he's saying that he is both a Buddhist and he is also Jewish. He also does indeed call out the unanswered prayers that G-d leaves behind, and to me, the comment that "my demons were middle-class and tame" refers to the Nazis in Germany, who were often just the small fry, anyone could be a Nazi, and he's kind of saying "anyone can be evil." and by calling them tame, he says they are just "a follower." It is most certaintly pointed towards G-d, he is questioning him and simultaneously telling him "I'm ready to go. My time is up now." He's saying that he's finished, and like the Travelling Light song, he's saying goodbye. You Want it Darker is Leonard's personal goodbye to his faith, to his fans, to everything. It's his goodbye. Travelling Light was a much more personal song, I think it's a goodbye song to Marianne Ihlen, the woman whom he almost married and lived on the island of Hydra with for a long time, the two were both devastated when they broke up, and Cohen wrote to her a few days before she died. Although Marianne was unable to read it herself, it seems that someone close to her read it out to her. "Well Marianne it’s come to this time when we are really so old and our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine, And you know that I’ve always loved you for your beauty and your wisdom, but I don’t need to say anything more about that because you know all about that. But now, I just want to wish you a very good journey. Goodbye old friend. Endless love, see you down the road.'” I think Cohen was saying goodbye in many ways to everyone he loved dearly, his fans and his G-d, and also Marianne with Travelling Light. If you check the album, and you've been a recurring fan of his like I have (and happen to know his 'lore', so to speak) you might catch other little references to his own life and faith. One such example is Treaty, which is very obviously gestured towards Jesus. "I've seen you change the water into wine I've seen you change it back to water, too I sit at your table every night I try but I just don't get by with you I wish there was a treaty we could sign I do not care who takes this bloody hill I'm angry and I'm tired all the time I wish there was a treaty, I wish there was a treaty Between your love and mine Ah, they're dancing in the street it's jubilee We sold ourselves for love but now we're free I'm so sorry for that ghost I made you be Only one of us was real and that was me" It's definite that it's about Christ, and Judaism. I think On the Level is about Mette Fugl, a danish reporter whom had a long-time affair with Cohen, roughly spanning 10 years, classic Cohen was a womanizer back then and the two were most definitely a pair, until they started having relationship problems (Cohen never really stuck well with a woman in his days.) and he called her one day before a concert and told her that he didn't wanna see her anymore, and that he'd "found someone else." The reason I say it's about her is that after their relationship, he became a Buddhist ("I turned my back on the devil, and on the angel too.") and he told her when they first met, after she wanted an interview, that she should "keep it on the level." so to speak. Cohen also sings about this in a post-mortem album called Thanks for the Dance, which seems to refer to "Dance Me To The End of Love" which was a song Cohen wrote and sang, deeply about romance. So long, hope you enjoy the read!

@@andreasballe7470 This is a wonderful comment thank you so much for thoughtful and well thought out insights. To be Honest, you've made my day.

Yearly Jews light a candle on the deathday of their loved ones. A read of 'a million candles burning' can signify the Shoah and those left, remembering.

100% Dylan of Canada. Actually, IMHO, he was beyond Dylan for his soul power everlasting. I'm forever married to Leonard. Beyond space and time. He always spoke and sang for me in my darker days especially.

@DM.MR_POLOREACTS I'm sorry, but I don't do ANY social media other than email and YT for fear that FB, IG, etc will have too much info on me (I'm in my 70s) and very fearful of big bznz. But I do love your channel. Peace, love and paisley.

Tower Of Song, Don’t Pass Me By, Sisters Of Mercy, Dealers Song, Jazz Police.

we canadians taste good and have good taste. I've heard.

The boyfriend or Leonard?

Bob Dylan isn’t even in the same orbit as Leonard Cohen.

@@CynthiaPrice79 Fair enough, as I said I’m not a big fan but I respect those that are.

Check out the version on Electric Blue album

Rock solid truth.

Also "The Miracle"

@@denbotrexwell That and "The Future" were on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack...a major reason a lot of folks my age care about Leonard Cohen.

yeah, Bowie, Cohen and George M. were some of my favorite artists, with Bowie as my No.1. It was a terrible year. 😭

@DM.MR_POLOREACTS Hey, I appreciate the comment but I don't have telegram. Keep doing solid reactions to scorhers and introducing good music to people👌