Last Year’s Man by Leonard Cohen Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling Timeless Wisdom in Song
Lyrics
That’s a Jew’s harp on the table,
That’s a crayon in his hand.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
Far past the stems of thumbtacks
That still throw shadows on the wood.
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I’ll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year’s man.
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark
Oh one by one she had to tell them
That her name was Joan of Arc.
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while;
I want to thank you, Joan of Arc,
For treating me so well.
And though I wear a uniform I was not born to fight;
All these wounded boys you lie beside,
Goodnight, my friends, goodnight.
I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived;
Bethlehem the bridegroom,
Babylon the bride.
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me,
And Bethlehem inflamed us both
Like the shy one at some orgy.
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil
That I had to draw aside to see
The serpent eat its tail.
Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain
So I hang upon my altar
And I hoist my axe again.
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began
When Jesus was the honeymoon
And Cain was just the man.
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin
That the wilderness is gathering
All its children back again.
The rain falls down on last year’s man,
An hour has gone by
And he has not moved his hand.
But everything will happen if he only gives the word;
The lovers will rise up
And the mountains touch the ground.
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I’ll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year’s man.
Leonard Cohen’s ‘Last Year’s Man’ is an existential odyssey—a haunting exploration of time, identity, and the cyclical nature of life. With its melancholy melody and introspective lyrics, it digs deep into the human experience, seeking light within the shadows of our past selves.
As the rain falls relentlessly on the metaphorical figure of last year’s man, Cohen’s words echo beyond the music to provoke a journey within. But what is the true essence hidden beneath this folk-poetic surface? We delve into the heart of ‘Last Year’s Man,’ untying the ribbons of its layered meanings.
A Time-Traveler’s Tale: Unpacking The Past
Cohen’s lyrics craft a narrative that transcends time, where soldiers and Biblical references stand as metaphors for the eternal battles we wage within. The ‘last year’s man’ seems caught in a threshold, between what was and what could be, with thumbtacks failing to hold the blueprint of life together under the strain of growth and change.
In the disarray of the rolling, ruined blueprint, we’re reminded that our plans and expectations are often overtaken by reality. Like thumbtacks casting long shadows, our past actions continue to color the present, even as their tangible influence fades away.
Mystic Revelry: The Sacred and the Profane Collide
Describing a wedding between Bethlehem and Babylon, Cohen conjures a collision of sacred sanctity and sinful decadence. The juxtaposition of these iconic figures reflects the internal conflict between our higher selves and base desires, a union of opposites that reveals the complexity of human nature.
Cohen’s depiction of ‘Bethlehem inflamed’ at the ‘orgy’ with Babylon represents a rare moment of vulnerability, suggesting that purity and vice are not as opposed as they may seem but are instead part of a dance, requiring one another for the spectacle of life.
The Unending Ritual: Sacrifice and Salvation
The ‘altar’ and ‘axe’ noted by Cohen signify an endless cycle of sacrifice—whether it be personal, spiritual, or creative. The positioning of women waiting for Jesus and Cain indicates the dual expectations placed upon life; seeking savior or scapegoat, harbinger of peace or mark of sin.
‘The wilderness is gathering all its children back again’ suggests a return to origins, a call to understand our roots. Cohen’s words paint a movement towards reunification, both inwardly and with the greater tapestry of human history.
Prophetic Undertones: When Silence Speaks Volumes
In ‘Last Year’s Man,’ the riddle of quietness plays a compelling role. The man’s stillness, an untouched hour marked only by the fall of rain, implies a profound potential that precedes action or resolution. This silence could be seen as a cocoon, within which metamorphosis simmers.
The phrase ‘everything will happen if he only gives the word’ resonates with a genesis-like power, allotting the man the role of a God of his own narrative, holding the might to incite lovers’ risings and earthy upheaval through the utterance of presence and intent.
Eternal Echoes: Memorable Lines, Immortal Quotes
Throughout ‘Last Year’s Man,’ certain phrases arrest the heart with their poignant truths. ‘The skylight is like skin for a drum I’ll never mend’ is such a line, carrying a visceral representation of personal limitations and the unhealable wounds that mark the cadence of our years.
As Cohen’s rich baritone imbues these words with weary acceptance, listeners are made privy to a shared human lament—the recognition of life’s impermanence and the bittersweet acknowledgment that even our most painstaking works are ephemeral under the vastness of time.
